Marvell claims that its Alaska M 88E2180 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver is the world’s first octal multi-Gigabit Ethernet transceiver that’s compatible with both the IEEE 802.3bz standard and the NBASE-T Alliance specification for 2.5- and 5-Gbit/s operation over CAT5e cables. With this device, developers have an easier path to multi-Gigabit Ethernet networking infrastructures. That migration path comes in because the transceiver can be deployed immediately on legacy cable systems, and then transition to multi-Gigabit Ethernet.

The Alaska devices, part of a Marvell’s Ethernet transceiver family, can be coupled with the company’s Marvell’s Prestera switch families to provide a solution that is enables the transition to the multi-Gigabit campus environment. For 802.11ac and 802.11ax WLAN access points, Marvell’s Armada embedded processors can connect to a companion device of the Alaska M 88E2180 transceiver, the Alaska M 88E2110 transceiver, to deliver 2.5/5 Gbits/s bandwidth, meeting the demand for Wi-Fi network speeds and the move to 2.5/5GBASE-T.

The Alaska M 88E2180 is optimized for low-power consumption and offers a small footprint. It’s sampling now, with full availability in the third quarter.