Modules and Voice over Packet Processors (Chip) -
AC49x Spearheading Design Wins


By Lior Broder
Product Manager, Voice over Packet Processors

When developing VoIP products and solutions, be they residential/enterprise IP phones, SOHO access devices, medium sized PBXs or high-density trunking & access gateways, choosing a VoIP semiconductor vendor becomes critical. The vendor should be capable of delivering not only viable hardware but also stable and state-of-the-art software.

The following describes how we in AudioCodes continue to raise the bar in meeting and creating market demands by enhancing new features and applications of the families of AC49x Voice over Packet Processors and investing in new testing facilities.

New AC49x Enhancements

We have expanded the AC49x line with two new products:

  • The AC491064, targeted at the high density market segment with up to 64 independent compressed DSP channels. A single chip is ideally suited for up to 2-E1 capacity applications and for medium density access gateways
  • The AC49008, targeted at the low and medium density market segment with up to 8 independent compressed DSP channels, makes it ideally suited for CPE applications.

We have introduced new features in the latest release of the AC49x. The most notable are:

  • Acoustic Echo Canceller for IP phones in the AC494 SoC
  • Packet Cable Media Protection
  • Enhanced Fax/Data features
  • Enhanced Jitter Buffer characteristics
  • Additional device connectivity interfaces in the AC491

The next software version will include:

  • Security feature: SRTP (Secured RTP) — Per RFC 3711, using 128-bit AES encryption
  • New Voice Compression — iLBC (mainly for Packet Cable), EVRC (mainly for CDMA)
  • Enhanced in-band call signaling — Extension of ETSI Caller ID to send/receive SMS
  • New cost saving feature: TDM Cross Connect and Time-Slot Swap Manipulations — saving external cross connect matrix device.
  • New Fax/Data Bypass modes — V.150 VBD compliant, Cisco proprietary compatible

Acoustics Chamber

We've built an acoustics chamber installed with sophisticated equipment on our echo cancellation LAB premises in Israel. The new facility provides an enhanced testing and calibrations environment in order to create excellent and high quality algorithms and products.

The benefits of the chamber are:

  • Algorithm calibration and quality tests
  • IP phones — acoustics / gains tests and calibrations
  • Standards compliance tests
  • Testing environment simulating a non-laboratory environment, free from external influences

AC494 - System on Chip

The AC494 System on Chip continues to evolve and achieve new design wins. Customers have already launched products based on the AC494, and started mass production. These products won acclaim for their voice quality, especially for the outstanding performance of the Acoustic Echo Canceller.

Following are some examples of AC494 family applications:

CMBU Launches First Seminar

Together with our global partner TI and our local Israeli distributor Startronics, we launched our first one-day seminar event on the theme of "Processors for VoIP Applications" on March 21 in Tel Aviv. Topics presented included VoIP market trends, success stories, voice quality results and live demonstrations. We emphasized the excellent Voice Quality results achieved at the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standard Institute) Speech Quality Test Event held last fall. Similar seminars are planned for APAC and Europe.