Atheros Supports ITU's International Agreement to Open 5GHz Spectrum Globally for Wireless LANs.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 1, 2003

ITU World Radio Conference Allocates Additional 455 MHz of Spectrum for WLAN use, Including 355 MHz for Mixed Outdoor/Indoor Use

Atheros Communications, the leading developer of advanced wireless LAN (WLAN) chipsets, today announced its endorsement of an agreement reached by the U.S., European and other delegations at the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) World Radio Conference (WRC) to allocate 455 MHz of unlicensed spectrum in the 5-GHz band for global WLAN use. Once the agreement achieves final plenary approval, 100 MHz of spectrum (5.150-5.250 GHz) will be allocated for indoor WLAN use, while an additional 355 MHz will be allocated for mixed indoor/outdoor use (5.250-5.350 GHz and 5.470-5.725 GHz). The international agreement at the WRC effectively opens at least 19 non-interfering 5GHz channels for global WLAN use. The FCC has already begun to enact the agreement, which will result in a total of 24 non-interfering 5GHz channels in the U.S., and most member nations of the European Community have already opened 19 non-interfering 5GHz channels for WLAN use.

"The agreement in Geneva is a defining moment for the WLAN industry as a whole," said Craig Barratt, president and chief executive officer of Atheros. "The decision means that the universal 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g networks that Atheros supports will offer access to nine times as many non-overlapping channels as 802.11b and 802.11g-only networks in the U.S., and seven times as many non-overlapping channels in Europe. This generous portion of additional spectrum, negotiated among WLAN industry players including Atheros and various governments, ensures the future scalability of wireless LAN technology for current and future solutions. The Global Allocation in Geneva will provide adequate spectrum for high capacity public & private wireless networks free of interference problems that limit the use of available bands."

The international agreement this month at the WRC follows a February agreement among various agencies of the U.S. government and telecommunications industry, including the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), NASA and the Department of Defense to allocate 255 MHz of additional spectrum in the U.S. for wireless LAN use under coexistence rules which protect existing government users of the 5GHz bands. Atheros' market-leading multi-mode and 802.11a WLAN chipsets already operate in the portions of the 5GHz band newly allocated for wireless LAN use by the WRC. WLAN devices based on Atheros' chipsets are being sold in all 19 European Union countries and throughout the world.

About Atheros Communications, Inc.

Atheros Communications is the leading developer of networking technologies for secure, high-performance wireless local area networks. As the industry innovator and market-share leader in multi-mode wireless solutions compliant with the IEEE 802.11 specifications, Atheros is driving transparent connections among electronic devices in the office, home and on the road. Atheros technology is being used by many of the world's leading wireless equipment manufacturers including Accton, Actiontec, Acrowave Systems, AIRAYA, AirVast Technology, ALPS, Ambit, Askey, ASUS, BenQ, Contec, CyberTAN, Dacom, Delta Networks, D-Link, Gemtek, Gigabyte Technology, Global Sun Tech, HP, IBM, ICOM, Intel, Intermec, I-O Data, Linksys, NEC, NETGEAR, Philips, Proxim, Samsung, Senao, SMC Networks, Sony, Symbol, TDK, TECOM, Toshiba, USI, W2 Networks, Wistron NeWeb, Z-Com and others. For more information, visit www.atheros.com or send email to [e-mail].

Atheros and the Atheros logo are registered trademarks of Atheros Communications, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.