Infineon Enhances Broadband User Experience: Extends SPINACER Software Suite to Support IMS and TR-69 and Introduces HD-Sound Telephony

Mar 19, 2007 | Business & Financial Press

San Jose, California / Munich, Germany, – March 19, 2007 - Infineon Technologies (FSE/NYSE: IFX) today announced that it has added new features to its SPINACER software suite for broadband CPE (customer premises equipment), home gateway and VoIP (voice-over-Internet protocol) devices.  The new features, including IMS Device Framework (IP Multimedia Subsystem) for FMC (fixed mobile convergence) developed by Comneon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infineon, and TR-69 auto-provisioning, are offered as extensions to the widely deployed SPINACER software.  In addition to the new SPINACER features, Infineon has introduced HD (high-definition) sound telephony in its VoIP semiconductors to enable unmatched voice quality, and superior user experience.
 
IMS is an IP-based service platform that enables simple upgrades for new services. TR-69 is a DSL Forum Specification for a standardized remote management and auto-provisioning protocol for broadband CPE.  This standard also significantly simplifies installation and reduces the costs for deploying broadband networks and services by enabling true plug-and-play functionality of the home gateway, requiring no configuration for the end-user.
 
The Infineon SPINACER software suite is a comprehensive set of solution packages for a wide range of broadband CPE applications based on Infineon semiconductors. The suite includes five system solution packages for ADSL2+ Gateway, ADSL2+ Router, VoIP-Router/ATA, WLAN-Router and IP-Phone applications.  These packages are now extended by offering a highly interoperable TR-69 client pre-integrated into the system solution.  SPINACER is based on Infineon’s embedded Linux distribution, with easy-to-combine building blocks that provide system designers the flexibility to choose the exact software functionality they require.
 
IMS – The Way to Fixed Mobile Convergence
 
Adding IMS functionality to the SPINACER software suite brings the home gateways powered by Infineon chip solutions into the world of FMC.  With the advent of additional services, from high-speed Internet access through VoIP to HDTV and beyond, the need for a service platform on the home gateways and media centers in the home network becomes paramount.  In addition, this service platform also needs to interact with mobile user devices, such as smart phones, MP-3 players and PDAs.  By using the Comneon IMS Device Framework provided with the Infineon SPINACER suite, this integration of enhanced services now becomes a reality.
 
IMS originates from the Next Generation Network (NGN) implementation of mobile networks.  Advanced software solutions such as Infineon’s SPINACER now integrate IMS into residential CPE systems, thus allowing carriers to realize fixed mobile convergence and cover both wireless and wireline services with a single core architecture. In addition, IMS operators can increase their average revenue per user (ARPU) through application-based charging, such as charging per service rather than for data transmission while reducing operating expenses by maintaining only one single-core network.  IMS also guarantees a high user experience level by offering end-to-end QoS (Quality of Service) for time-critical applications, such as VoIP and video streaming. Standardization of such applications as “buddy-lists” and presence services also allows cross-operator usage of services, bridging the unified messaging between PC-based systems and telecommunication technology.  The Infineon semiconductor solutions already have integrated hardware accelerators for IMS security features, which could easily be updated.
 
TR-69 – Simplifying Broadband Deployment
 
TR-69 is an auto-provisioning and remote configuration mechanism proposed by the DSL Forum to remotely manage residential CPE. Service providers and system integrators used to require end-users to configure their systems manually, causing customer frustration, service hotline installations and even truck-rolls to begin service.  TR-69 now offers an option to automate this process.  The single authentication of the end-user, automatically performed by the CPE itself, will not require a PC for the configuration process.  For upgrades and other settings, TR-69 will help the operator configure millions of heterogeneous devices automatically, using one single interface.  
 
By employing the TR-69 functionality of the SPINACER software, service providers can also manage devices that are connected to the gateway on its LAN side, including IPTV set-top boxes, gaming consoles and VoIP phones.  As carriers invest more effort and resources to become full-service providers offering a range of entertainment services on top of the broadband connection, managing peripheral devices becomes ever more important.  TR-69 will bring an end to costly, time-consuming truck rolls, while enabling operators to reduce maintenance costs and concentrate on offering exciting new services in a competitive market.
 
TR-69 is currently promoted by the DSL Forum, the HGI (Home Gateway Initiative), and a range of CPE and access network system integrators, software providers and semiconductor vendors.  Infineon’s TR-69 is interoperable with a wide range of the world’s leading ACS (access control system) vendors, and has been extensively tested.
 
HD-Sound Telephony – Unmatched Voice Quality
 
As voice-over-IP becomes commoditized, the system developers and service providers are putting more and more efforts into providing higher quality VoIP.  Taking advantage of the HD-sound telephony features of Infineon’s VoIP chipsets, service providers can now offer superb and pristine audio quality over their IP phone-enabled home gateways.  The traditional “narrowband” telephony was historically limited to an acoustic bandwidth of 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz. In contrast, HD-sound uses wideband technologies to more than double the transmission range to 50 Hz to 7.0 kHz. The result is a significantly higher quality and much more natural sound, not only for voice conversation, but also for a range of other audio applications, such as MP-3 and Internet radio.
 
“The integration of the IMS Device Framework, TR-69 software and HD-sound telephony into our chip- and system-level solutions, will take user experience to a much higher level,” said Christian Wolff, Senior Vice President of the Communication Solutions business group and General Manager of the Wireline Access business unit at Infineon. “By using the Infineon SPINACER software in combination with our comprehensive chip and system reference design solutions, broadband CPE manufacturers can gain a significant time-to-market advantage along with a range of added value features.”

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society including energy efficiency, connectivity and security.  In fiscal year 2006 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 7.9 billion (including Qimonda sales of Euro 3.8 billion) with approximately 42,000 employees worldwide (including approximately 12,000 Qimonda employees).  With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the US from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo.  Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.

Information Number

INFCOM200703.046