ArrayComm's i-BURST Personal Broadband System Modem Chip Ready for Production.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 2002

New ASIC delivers low cost, small form factor and low power

consumption for i-BURST wireless modem manufacturers

ArrayComm, Inc. today announced that its first-generation baseband application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for the i-BURST(TM) Personal Broadband System has successfully come off the fabrication line at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest semiconductor foundry. The CMOS ASIC, which is a successful conversion from an early-stage field-programmable gate array (FPGA) format, is designed for integration into i-BURST Personal Broadband System PCMCIA modems, PDA modules and other devices. The new ASIC delivers over ten times lower cost, a small form factor and low power consumption for wireless modem manufacturers.

The i-BURST system offers the freedom of mobility with transmission speeds similar to a typical home broadband DSL line, all at prices competitive with today's wireline connections. By providing an affordable and quality-engineered supply of highly integrated, low-power ASICs, ArrayComm will greatly speed i-BURST Personal Broadband System device manufacturers' time-to-market. ArrayComm has already delivered engineering samples to its licensee Kyocera Corp. of Japan.

"Consumers should not have to re-learn their computing behavior or buy entirely new devices to enjoy wide-area, high-speed Internet access," said Nitin J. Shah, ArrayComm's chief strategy officer. "i-BURST Personal Broadband ASICs can easily integrate with desktop computers, laptop PCMCIA cards, PDAs and manufacturers' other consumer electronics products. Once customers have personal broadband in their hands, they can do all the things they're accustomed to today -- access a corporate VPN, watch streaming video, send e-mails or play games -- at one megabit per second, while on the move."

The i-BURST Personal Broadband ASIC is a dedicated, compact implementation of the i-BURST physical layer protocol. It contains a fully i-BURST-compliant transmitter and receiver with traffic-, broadcast-, and paging-channel support; radio control functions; variable order modulation; forward error correction; constellation shaping; and burst-by-burst link adaptation, among other features. The chip is fabricated in an advanced CMOS process and packaged in a 1.0mm ball pitch 484-pin Fine Pitch Plastic Ball Grid Array (FPBGA).

"ArrayComm is demonstrating true industry leadership with the introduction of its i-BURST wireless broadband ASIC solution," said Keith Lobo, a member of ArrayComm's board of directors, former CEO of Quickturn Design Systems, and a 20-year veteran of the ASIC industry. "Now manufacturers can build a range of end user devices for the i-BURST Personal Broadband system without having to invest in their own development of a unique ASIC to do the job. This will enable rapid adoption of this technology within the consumer electronics community."

"ArrayComm has achieved an exceptionally efficient ASIC implementation," said Raymond Leong, vice president of ArrayComm's ASIC business. "This ASIC features a small chip area and low gate count, while maintaining optimal performance. The first-generation Personal Broadband modem chip is the first in our roadmap of improving functionality and performance for i-BURST devices. For our customers, this success means that they can now offer low-cost, small form factor devices with maximum performance and consumer appeal."

ArrayComm expects broad availability of i-BURST Personal Broadband ASICs in early 2003.

About the i-BURST Personal Broadband System

The i-BURST Personal Broadband System is a carrier-grade wide area wireless data network designed for people to have high-speed Internet access wherever they are. Distinct and complementary to traditional 2G and emerging 3G systems as well as short-range 802.11 WLAN (Wi-Fi) networks, Personal Broadband technology delivers a revolutionary Internet experience, combining the freedom of mobility, low cost infrastructure and transmission speeds similar to a typical home broadband DSL or cable line. The pure IP, end-to-end system is designed much like a cellular system, with base stations deployed throughout a coverage area and wireless modems or PC cards used by consumers to access the service. The system is architected to support the full range of IP applications in a mobile environment, including e-mail, virtual private networking, high speed Web access, streaming video, gaming and voice over IP (VoIP). ArrayComm's patented adaptive antenna technology is at the heart of the system, providing incredible gains in spectral efficiency and thereby dramatically lowering per-user service costs on a network.

About ArrayComm

ArrayComm, Inc. is the world leader in smart antenna technology. ArrayComm's patented IntelliCell(R) technology -- based on fully adaptive smart antennas -- creates dedicated personal cells of voice or data for wireless subscribers. ArrayComm licenses IntelliCell technology to manufacturers and improves the cost, coverage and capacity of any personal communications system. It is installed in more than 125,000 IntelliCell-equipped base stations worldwide, serving more than 10 million people. IntelliCell technology is also the key ingredient of ArrayComm's innovative i-BURST(TM) Personal Broadband System -- the only wireless Internet access system that offers the freedom of mobility with the high speed of DSL at consumer pricing. ArrayComm was founded in 1992, and wireless industry pioneer Martin Cooper is chairman and CEO. The company has more than 200 patents issued or pending worldwide. For more information, please visit www.arraycomm.com.

ArrayComm and IntelliCell(R) are registered trademarks, and i-BURST(TM) is a trademark of ArrayComm, Inc. Other names are registered trademarks or trademarks their respective holders.