.webp){kind=small}
Industry Solution
Wireline
Explore wireline FPGAs for OTN, FlexE, private line emulation and PON access, with networking IP and reference resources for adaptable transport systems.
Transforming Wireline Infrastructure with FPGAs
There is an ever-increasing need for more network bandwidth, more efficient networks, and more secure and flexible networks coming from AI, video streaming and cyber attacks. FPGAs transform wireline infrastructure by providing unparalleled speed, adaptability, and processing power for today's high-demand networks. With capabilities like real-time data handling, protocol flexibility, and ultra-low latency, FPGAs enable advancements across telecommunications, secure data transmission, and AI at the edge.
The Challenges, and Why FPGA
The Challenge
Rising bandwidth demands
Growing traffic and higher data rates demand scalable bandwidth, fast packet processing, and low latency across network infrastructure.
Why FPGA
Scalable, low-latency throughput
Parallel FPGA processing and multiple high-speed I/O channels deliver scalable throughput and low latency for growing network traffic.
The Challenge
Evolving protocols and standards
Evolving telecom standards and mixed interfaces demand support for new protocols and services without frequent hardware changes.
Why FPGA
Adaptable to Evolving Protocols
Reprogram FPGA interfaces and processing logic to support new protocols, telecom standards, and services without replacing hardware.
The Challenge
Network security threats
Networks must protect data in transit and during processing while detecting anomalies and responding quickly to emerging threats.
Why FPGA
Real-time security acceleration
Accelerate encryption and intrusion detection in FPGA hardware while analyzing network data in real time to respond quickly to threats.
The Challenge
Compute and power constraints
CPU-intensive network functions and edge AI workloads strain compute resources, power budgets, and operating costs as networks scale.
Why FPGA
CPU offload and network efficiency
Offload processor-intensive network functions to reduce CPU load and support more energy-efficient wireline networks.
Why Altera
High-speed network performance
Altera FPGAs combine high-speed transceivers, Ethernet and PCIe* hard IP, and advanced memory support for high-throughput networking.
Adaptable protocol support
Reprogrammable FPGAs and OTN, FlexE, and PLE IP help wireline systems adapt to evolving standards, services, and interface needs.
Hardware-accelerated security
MACsec IP and hard crypto blocks in selected Agilex® devices accelerate data protection while helping conserve FPGA fabric and power.
Efficient workload acceleration
Offload BNG and UPF functions and pre-process network data in wireline equipment to improve responsiveness and reduce CPU processing demands.
Networking and Network Transformation Applications
FPGAs bring transformative benefits to networking by enabling high performance and low latency through real-time data-stream processing. Adaptable protocol support accommodates evolving standards; built-in hardware acceleration for encryption and intrusion detection provides a robust foundation for secure networking; and task offload improves energy efficiency, making networks more sustainable and reducing operational costs. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) remains a focus for Communications Service Providers (CoSPs) as COTS software with configurable hardware to improve total cost of ownership (TCO) and deployment flexibility.
Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVi)
FPGAs bring hardware acceleration to Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure.
End-to-End Security
Line-rate crypto including MACsec and IPsec, plus post-quantum secure boot on select Agilex® devices, from access to core, with security you can update in the field.
Gateway
FPGAs implement flexible, reconfigurable hardware acceleration for network gateways.
Routing/Switching Overlay
FPGAs power high-speed routing and switching with integrated crypto and memory.
Optical Transport Applications
FPGAs provide the foundation for highly efficient transport solutions with capacities from 10 Gbps up to and beyond 1 Tbps. They enable scalability so networks can handle growing data demands without major hardware changes, and provide real-time processing for latency-sensitive applications. FPGAs are flexible and future-ready for evolving protocols such as OTN, FlexE, and PLE, with built-in ("hardened") functional blocks such as forward error correction (FEC) used in Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and FlexO/FlexE.
For detailed examples on OTN, FlexE, and PLE solution including block diagrams, please look at the Solution Briefs and Product Briefs in the Get Started section.
OTN, B100G OTN, and FlexO
FPGA-based Virtual ASSPs for OTN, Beyond-100G, and FlexO transport up to 800G
Flex Ethernet (FlexE) and MTN
FPGAs implement FlexE and MTN to turn Ethernet into a flexible multichannel link.
Private Line Emulation (PLE)
FPGAs enable bit-level transparent OTN transport over IP and Ethernet networks.
Access Applications
FPGA technology allows Operators and Vendors to differentiate and to optimize and future-proof their investment in PON networks. The programmability makes the FPGA a perfect vehicle for optical disaggregation and avoiding being locked into specific components.
EPON-GPON / 10G PON / 25-50G PON
FPGAs implement scalable OLT MAC solutions from GPON to 50G Asymmetric PON.
Get Started
Common Questions
OTN provides optical transport framing and associated management, FlexE groups and allocates Ethernet client capacity, and PLE carries transparent client bit streams over packet networks. Choose according to the service and transport architecture rather than bandwidth alone.
Use PLE when transparent client transport over a suitable packet network fits the service requirements. Verify clock recovery, packet-delay variation, buffering and loss behavior; RFC 9801 specifies PLE but a deployment still needs deployment validation.
Size the buffer from the bounded packet-delay variation, recovery strategy and allowable added delay for the service. Test representative network load and loss conditions because a larger buffer can improve tolerance while increasing latency.
Define the reconfigurable boundary and preserve required static traffic paths, clocks and state behavior. Validate interruption, recovery and isolation for the selected protocol; partial reconfiguration does not automatically make every interface change hitless.
Correlate link training and alignment, FEC counters, clock quality and channel margin with traffic errors. Check optics, board path and configuration against the selected device/IP guidance before changing higher-level transport mapping.