Electronics has been part of Telephony and Telecom since the invention of the telephone. The public switched telecommunications network (PSTN) could be looked at as the original internet of things. Originally focused on voice communications based on analog technology, it eventually evolved into a digital network taking advantage of the technology advancements that were driving many other applications.

Voice communication applications provided for a telephony market that expanded throughout the world. As market segments grew, so did regional standards and corporations, thus expanding the reach of these applications. The semiconductor industry responded by providing many application-specific ICs from the end user telephones through to the components required for the central offices and core networks. As the voice applications were expanding, new applications to provide data services over the same networks created additional applications and increased demand for the semiconductor components.

More recently, systems have evolved into mainly IP-centric networks supporting voice and data services. However, many of the earlier applications and their infrastructure are still being supported throughout the world. The challenge companies supporting these applications now face is sourcing the semiconductor components that make up this equipment. With a significant drop in volume and consolidation of the supplier base, many of the components are now obsolete.

Rochester Electronics, with our core focus on long lifecycle applications, provides support for many of these ongoing telephony and telecom applications. This is achieved through our long-term partnerships with over 70 leading semiconductor manufacturers providing 100% authorized and guaranteed products. Additionally, Rochester provides continuous production on previously discontinued devices through our Build-to-Order (BTO) licensed manufacturing services.