The OS81050 is a highly-integrated Intelligent Network Interface Controller (INIC) specifically designed for the 25 Mbps MOST® network (MOST25) with an optical physical layer. The OS81050 interfaces directly to a MOST FOT header. This enables MOST data transmission via polymer optical fiber (POF). Like all INIC circuits, the OS81050 implements time-critical, resource-intensive and fail-safe relevant parts of the network driver on-chip. The INIC makes a MOST device accessible according to the rules of the MOST Specification, even without participation from the External Host Controller (EHC). The INIC provides a message-based interface for control and packet data. Configuration is encapsulated within a Function Block (FBlock INIC) which allows the EHC to manage INIC in the same way as other functions in the system.