ARM and HelloSoft demonstrate low cost VOIP phone on single DSP-enhanced ARM Core

HelloVoice™ software reference design on display at the 2003 ESC Conference

CAMBRIDGE, UK and SAN JOSE, CA  – Apr. 22, 2003 – ARM [(LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq:ARMHY)], the industry’s leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC processor solutions, and HelloSoft, Inc., a leading provider of communications software IP, today announced at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC), San Francisco, that HelloSoft has developed a complete VoIP phone software suite fully optimized for a single ARM926EJ-S™ core.   The software reference design implementing the phone suite, including voice codec and protocols running on the Linux operating system, is being demonstrated at ARM Booth No 1902 at ESC.

The traditional VoIP system architecture uses two processors to implement all software elements of an IP phone. The two processors - a RISC microprocessor and a DSP processor - are discrete components requiring separate memories, peripherals and buses, thus increasing cost for the end product.  In addition, the two processors often require separate code development environments, one for the OS and protocols running on the RISC core and one for the codecs and other DSP components running on the DSP processor.  This adds to the complexity of software development and can significantly affect the product’s time-to-market.  

The ARM and HelloSoft solution implements all VoIP functions including codecs, line echo cancellers, telephony components, and telephony signalling stack, on a single ARM926EJ-S core running the Linux OS. The optimized solution is powerful enough to implement two channels of voice for VoIP phones, wireless IP phones, residential gateways, integrated access devices and other VoIP-enabled devices.      

“The combination of a DSP-enhanced core such as the ARM926EJ-S processor and HelloSoft’s VoIP phone suite optimized to the ARM9E™ family, represents a major step forward in assisting OEMs and ODMs in significantly reducing the cost and complexity of developing VoIP phone systems,” said Denise Kerstein, networking segment manager, ARM.  “This solution will also benefit other types of products which will integrate VoIP as a service, such as cellular phones, integrated access devices, residential gateways, consumer devices and even automotive infotainment systems.”

 “ARM and HelloSoft are working together to drive the next inflection point in the VoIP market,” said Krishna Yarlagadda, CEO and president, HelloSoft.   “The effect of this ultra low cost VoIP solution from our two companies cannot be underestimated in regards to its effect on enabling the market.”

The HelloVoice™ software reference design is a complete solution including G.711, G.726 and G.729AB vocoders, G.168-2000 Line Echo Canceller, Voice Activity Detection, Comfort Noise Generation, Jitter Buffer, Packet Loss Concealment, DTMF Tone Detection and Generation, SIP/RTP/RTCP Call Signaling and Control, and multichannel system-level framework.

The ARM926EJ-S core, which HelloSoft is utilizing, is fully synthesizable and features a DSP-enhanced, Jazelle® technology-enhanced 32-bit RISC CPU, flexible size instruction and data caches, tightly coupled memory (TCM) interfaces and a memory management unit (MMU). It also provides separate instruction and data AMBA™ bus compliant AHB interfaces particularly suitable for multi-layer AHB-based systems. The ARM926EJ-S core implements the ARMv5TEJ instruction set and includes an enhanced 16- x 32-bit multiplier, capable of single-cycle MAC operations.

Availability
Voice components are available this quarter from HelloSoft.  The Integrator™ platform, used for the reference design, and the ARM926EJ-S core are available now from ARM.

About ARM
ARM is the industry’s leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions.  The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals and system-on-chip (SoC) designs to leading international electronics companies.  ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM’s microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming a volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions.  More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com/

About HelloSoft, Inc.
Hellosoft licenses Physical Layer and Networking Protocol Layer software to OEMs and semiconductor companies developing Voice-Over-Packet, 2.5G/3G Wireless, Wireless LAN, Digital Subscriber Line and Bluetooth devices. HelloSoft’s development team has deep technical expertise in communications applications and extensive experience with ARM processors. HelloSoft’s solutions are provided as a suite of integrated products that include DSP software, networking software, RTOS, a complete reference design and design services to customize these solutions per customer requirements. For more information visit www.hellosoft.com

ENDS

ARM and Jazelle are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. ARM9E, ARM926EJ-S, Integrator and AMBA are trademarks of ARM Limited.  All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders.  “ARM” is used to represent ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and Nasdaq: ARMHY); its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan; ARM France SAS; and ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.