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Broadcom: Gbit IP Phone Won't Jam Up Traffic: Page 2 of 2

While the BCM1103 has a USB port that allows peripherals to be connected to the phone, it really shines on the security front, according to Paul Shore, director of VoIP client products at Broadcom. The hardware encryption offloads the RISC processor and reduces latencies, he said.

The scheme is based on a unique ID stored in a one-time-programmable cell. That ID is then used as the base key for public and private key exchange. The approach differs from current designs in which the ID is stored in reprogrammable flash memory that can be tampered with and changed, said Boora. The new design is "like a fingerprint for every phone," he said. "It's virtually unbreakable."

In a base configuration, the BCM1103 would require the addition of a physical layer, NAND and flash memory, and magnetics to complete a design, said Boora, though the plan is to integrate the Gigabit Ethernet PHY at a later date. The chip already includes GPIO and PCI interfaces.

Pricing is set at $25.00 per unit in 10,000 piece quantities.