Newtec selects Altera Cyclone II FPGAs

BANGALORE, INDIA: In a world of high-speed video downloads and lightning-fast data transmissions, the Internet is a daily tool in many households around the world. Despite the proliferation of this technology, there are many rural areas in Europe where there is no broadband access, until now.

Altera Corp. announced today Newtec’s award-winning Sat3Play broadband terminal is using its Cyclone II FPGAs to deliver broadband services.

The Sat3Play broadband terminal is part of a two-way satellite system that allows ISPs and Telcos to provide voice, data and television services in areas where low-cost broadband connections don’t exist. Newtec is a worldwide provider of satellite communications products and solutions including DVB modulators, digital TV and radio distribution networks, TV networks and IP broadband access networks.

Altera Cyclone II devices enable the flexibility and scalability found in the Sat3Play broadband terminal. In the terminal, the Cyclone II devices act as a coprocessor to an ASSP, handling the upstream modulation for the return channel, and filtering protocol-encapsulated data for the transmission and reception of IP packets while handling key system interfaces like PCI.

“For years, some Internet users in Europe didn’t have a choice in broadband access. Depending on where they lived, they were forced to use PSTN or ISDN to access the Internet. Now, a Sat3Play user can have access anywhere, anytime and as long as they want,” said Max d’Oreye, vice president of marketing at Newtec. “Altera’s Cyclone II FPGAs help make that a reality by providing us with a cost-effective solution for this high-volume application and enabling us to handle higher bandwidth efficiency inside the broadband terminal.”

“Operating at the heart of Newtec’s Sat3Play terminal, Altera’s Cyclone II FPGAs offer both the performance headroom to support new innovative modulation schemes for new services and the programmability for easy firmware upgrades,” said Arun Iyengar, senior director of Altera’s communications business unit. “We’re proud to be a part of Newtec’s solution to give European consumers another choice in broadband access."