Broadcom's DSP-Based Architecture Results In The Highest-Performance Fast-Ethernet Transceivers.

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1997--

Broadcom Tests Benefits Of Digital IC Architecture Using The

Industry's First Deployment Of Quad Fast-Ethernet Silicon

Broadcom Corp., a world leader in providing silicon solutions for the high-speed data communications market, Wednesday announced the production availability of a family of single-chip, quad Fast-Ethernet integrated circuits, which incorporate a number of industry firsts in Fast-Ethernet transceiver design.

These products, which include the BCM5203, BCM5205 and BCM5208 Quad PHY products, are used in 100Base-T hubs and switches found in high-speed networking applications.

Broadcom's use of advanced digital communications techniques has enabled the company to develop a series of highly integrated transceivers and repeater controllers, which significantly reduce the cost, power and form factor of Fast-Ethernet products.

The industry firsts incorporated in Broadcom's Quad-PHY Fast-Ethernet designs can be summarized as follows:

--Broadcom's Quad PHY products feature the industry's first killer

packet protection capability over all networking cable lengths.

--These products are the industry's first to employ a Digital

Signal Processing (DSP) design architecture.

--Broadcom's products represent the industry's first quad

transceiver design available in volume production.

--These products are the industry's first to offer low-power, 3.3

volt operation. At 550 milliwatts per port, Broadcom's Quad PHY

transceivers represent the lowest power CMOS solutions in the

industry.

--With the advent of Broadcom's extensive interoperability

testing, these products are the first to achieve proven

interoperability with all existing PHY solutions and/or

platforms.

"We are pleased to see that the results of our extensive interoperability tests validate our strategy of developing integrated, all-digital, single-chip, quad solutions using standard CMOS process technology," noted Marty Colombatto, Broadcom's director of marketing for high-speed networks. "In addition, because Broadcom's Quad PHY products are fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3u specification, which has been tested by the University of New Hampshire, we are uniquely qualified to provide the industry's most robust solution at the lowest cost."

"Broadcom's superior integration and low cost are key advantages for our customers," said Henry Nicholas, Broadcom's president and chief executive officer. "However, when you consider the fact that Broadcom's family of advanced Quad PHY products are the only DSP-based, fully compliant TX PHY implementations in volume production today and that they also support 3.3 volt operation, then it is clear that Broadcom's solutions are the optimum choice for next-generation LAN products."

Included in the performance testing were the company's new Fast-Ethernet devices including the BCM5203, 100Base-TX/FX Quad PHY Transceiver, the BCM5205 5-Port Integrated 100Base-TX Repeater, the BCM5020 Repeater Management Device and the BCM5208 10/100Base-TX/FX Quad-PHY Transceiver.

Broadcom's Fast-Ethernet products mark the industry's first successful implementation of killer packet protection. Killer packets are sequences of data that are statistically guaranteed to occur, which cause the corruption of transmitted data.

The unique architecture implemented in Broadcom Fast-Ethernet product designs employ a feature called "baseline wander correction," which automatically compensates for baseline wander noise problems, thereby assuring killer packet protection over a full range of networking cable lengths.

Broadcom's devices are uniquely all-digital solutions, which have significant cost/performance advantages over existing analog solutions. An all-digital implementation allows for higher integration and solves cross talk and noise issues among multiple transceivers. As a result, Broadcom's products are immune to process, voltage and temperature variance. This results in reliable performance over a broad range of operating conditions.

Of particular importance to customers, Broadcom's all-digital design assures consistent process yield and production deliveries. Broadcom's proprietary Digital Decision Feedback Equalization techniques, which are common to all of Broadcom's Fast-Ethernet products, provide a better than 3dB performance improvement in signal-to-noise ratio over even an "ideal" analog solution.

Broadcom is a worldwide leader in the broadband communications market, providing integrated, system-level silicon solutions to manufacturers of 100Base-T networking, cable modem, digital cable-TV set-top box, xDSL and digital broadcast satellite equipment.

The company's QAMLink digital transmission architecture has been adopted by the leading manufacturers of cable modems and digital cable-TV set-top boxes. Broadcom's Quad-PHY 100Base-T digital transmission technology is used by leading manufacturers of hubs, switches, routers and line cards.

The company has strategic customer relationships with the leading data communications equipment manufacturers, including 3Com, Bay Networks Inc., Cisco Systems, Intel, Motorola, NextLevel Systems (formerly General Instrument) and Scientific-Atlanta. Broadcom is based in Irvine and can be reached at 714/450-8700 or at http://www.broadcom.com . -0-

Quad PHY is a trademark of Broadcom Corp.

CONTACT: Broadcom Corp., Irvine

Laura Brandlin, 714/450-8700 (Public Relations)

[e-mail]

or

Catherine Batchelor, 760/944-8933 (Public Relations)

[e-mail]

or

Marty Colombatto, 714/450-8700 (Technical Contact)

[e-mail]