BROADCOM FORMS A JOINT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WITH PHILIPS.

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM), a provider of silicon solutions enabling broadband communications, has formed a joint development program with Philips Semiconductor to create a next-generation silicon tuner solution that allows manufacturers to implement cost-effective, very low power tuner designs in cable modems.

Under the joint program between the companies, Philips will exclusively supply Broadcom with a new direct-conversion silicon tuner solution specifically designed for existing cable modem applications. Broadcom has implemented the tuner technology into a chip, which it plans to sell to customers under the product name BCM3419.

Direct-conversion silicon tuner technology offers significant advantages over dual-conversion tuners used in existing cable modems. This advanced technology reduces the design complexity and cost of implementing tuner designs in cable modems by eliminating expensive SAW filters required with dual-conversion tuners. The power and cost savings as a result of using direct-conversion tuner technology also offer necessary design benefits to several emerging cable modem applications, such as VoIP over cable and outdoor wireless access points.

"The technology demands for cable modems are changing to reflect the growing number of uses seen by cable operators, including line powered or battery backed voice modems," said Jay Kirchoff, Broadcom's director of Cable Modem Marketing for the Broadband Communications Business Group. "Working with Philips on this next-generation tuner technology will allow our customers to support a growing number of cable modem applications that are not possible today with dual-conversion tuners."

"Our partnership with Broadcom will allow us to accelerate the adoption of our advanced tuner technology," says Robert Murray, international product marketing manager of Philips Semiconductor MST TV Front End BU TV Systems." We also see significant benefits in the use of Philips technology in the Broadcom BCM3419, where both companies will work together to significantly improve the quality and reliability of cable modem products made by Broadcom's large customer base."

The BCM3419 uses the industry's first direct conversion tuner implementation delivered in a single-chip solution. The silicon tuner supports both current requirements for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), as well as advanced orders of QAM used by many of Broadcom's chips. The advanced capabilities in the BCM3419 result in improved product performance and reliability and fewer system support components. The BCM3419 allows customers to improve the bill of materials (BOM) cost of existing cable modems.

"An immediate benefit of using the Philips' technology in the BCM3419 is the improved market competitiveness the product can offer our customers," said Kirchoff. "This advanced silicon solution cuts the number of tuner support components in half, while reducing the time and complexity of manufacturing."

Availability

Samples of the BCM3419 are available now. The BCM3419 is priced at $5.00 in 25,000 piece quantities and is packaged in a 40-pin KML package.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a provider of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband communications and networking of voice, video and data services. Using proprietary technologies and advanced design methodologies, Broadcom designs, develops and supplies complete system-on-a-chip solutions and related hardware and software applications for every major broadband communications market. Our diverse product portfolio includes solutions for digital cable and satellite set-top boxes; cable and DSL modems and residential gateways; high-speed transmission and switching for local, metropolitan, wide area and storage networking; home and wireless networking; cellular and terrestrial wireless communications; Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway and telephony systems; broadband network processors; and SystemI/O server solutions.

Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Broadcom can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.broadcom.com/.

For more information, call 949/450-8700.