ST takes lead in advanced telecom protection

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: STMicroelectronics has made a significant step forward in broadband equipment protection by unveiling the industry's first device meeting forthcoming industry standards setting out tougher criteria for voltage surges.

ST's LCP12 IC protects against high-voltage surges on the tip and ring connections of Subscriber Line Interface Cards (SLICs), which connect telecom local loops to the access network. These voltage surges can be caused by lightning strikes or by electromagnetic coupling or direct contact with AC power lines.

The LCP12 provides the protection specified by telecom standards used throughout the Americas, Europe and the Far East, such as the GR-1089 CORE standards, ITU-T-K.20/21 covering operator and customer-premises equipment, and the similar Mainland China YD/T standards. As the only protection device rated for surge currents up to 75A for the 5/310us waveshape at 4kV, the LCP12 is uniquely able to comply with forthcoming revisions to the Chinese standards.

The new device integrates thyristors to protect against positive and negative surges on two wires, and provides a higher level of protection than its predecessor, the LCP02. Moreover, the LCP12 is fully compatible with existing equivalent devices, hence providing a drop-in upgrade capable of satisfying the new tougher protection standards going forward. With its wide firing-voltage range, from -120V to +120V, the LCP12 is compatible with most dual battery-voltage SLICs in use today.

The LCP12 is housed in the industry-standard SO-8 wide package and is available to qualified customers, priced from $1.196, with a minimum order quantity of 1,000 units.