* Microsemi's PowerDsine releases midspan PoE products
PowerDsine last month was acquired by a semiconductor manufacturer called Microsemi.
PowerDsine was one of the major proponents of Power over Ethernet, or PoE, the technology to send both electrical power and Ethernet signals over the same cable. The technology is specified in the IEEE’s 802.3af standard.
Microsemi closed the deal by offering PowerDsine shareholders $8.25 per share in cash and 0.1498 shares of Microsemi common stock for every ordinary share of PowerDsine.
Microsemi is based in Irvine, Calif., and describes itself as “a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of high performance analog and mixed signal integrated circuits and high reliability semiconductors.” Its semiconductors manage and control power, protect against voltage spikes and handle signals – so PoE seems to be a fairly natural extension of its business into the market for communications equipment.
Microsemi said it expects PowerDsine’s expertise to be useful not only for PoE but also across commercial analog and mixed-signal products.
After the acquisition was completed in early January, the combined company has already released more products in the PowerDsine line. Last week it released a midspan product, the 3500 Series, for adding power to Ethernet lines running to IP phones or wireless LAN access points. One model offers 24 ports, the other has 12 ports of 10/100Mbps Ethernet.
This week, the company released a single-port gigabit PoE midspan. The 3001G supports devices connected at 10, 100 or 1,000Mbps. It offers an interlocking feature, which allows users to link together multiple one-port midspans as new devices are added.
