Altice Labs won the international Technology Leadership Award 2017 (TLA 2017), organized by Mentor Graphics, in a competition that recognizes CAD (computer aided design) Engineers and Designers that use innovative methods and design tools to face the complex challenges of designing advanced PCB systems, which support industry-leading products.
In its 27th edition, Altice Labs won first place in the category of “Telecom, Network controllers, line cards” with the CXO2T4 layout – NG-PON2 station equipment matrix known as OLT1T4, with competitors from over 40 countries in different categories.
CXO2T4 is the designation of matrix unit, management and control central of the OLT1T4 system, which also includes a packet switching block with a capacity of 3.2Tb of traffic from or to the 18 slots in the system.
CXO2T4 is also the management, control, and switching central unit of the OLT2T4 system. The packet switching capacity of 1.6Tb/s, the two PowerPC CPUs running at 1.2Ghz with 8GB of RAM, and its density in general, puts it at the top when compared to similar systems in the industry.
The printed circuit board consists of 26 layers, 8466 components, 33489 connections, 669 differential pairs, 234 track meters and 19647 passing holes. For its execution and validation, electrical, mechanical and thermal simulations were performed, in order to guarantee the correct operation of the unit at the first attempt.
The competition jury analyzed and decided on the excellence of this PCB, which is distinguished by the complexity, challenges and technologies used, with particular emphasis on project industrialization, aimed at the end customer.
This distinction is also a recognition that Altice through Altice Labs in Portugal leads the technological development of opto-electronics and is a center of excellence in this area of activity.