Broadcom Chipset Increases Satellite Bandwidth up to 50 Percent; EchoStar's DISH Network Endorses New Broadcom Technology.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 20, 2001

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq:BRCM), the leading provider of integrated circuits enabling broadband communications, today announced the availability of the industry's most highly integrated, highest performance silicon solution for reception of consumer satellite TV services. Broadcom has designed a chipset that can increase channel offerings for satellite TV companies while utilizing existing satellite bandwidth. The Broadcom(R) BCM4500 Advanced Modulation Receiver and BCM3440 CMOS Satellite TV Tuner together enable service providers like EchoStar's DISH Network(TM) to gain a more than 35 percent increase in useable bandwidth from their existing satellites. The BCM4500 also achieves a bandwidth improvement of up to 50 percent compared to standard digital video broadcast satellite (DVB-S) transmissions that are in use today.

Broadcom designed this new chipset to enable satellite TV providers to offer additional high-definition television services and more channels while using the current satellite frequencies licensed to Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) providers. For example, Broadcom's chipset will allow a DBS operator to deliver three high-definition TV (HDTV) channels over a single satellite transponder instead of the two channels currently available. Satellite TV broadcasters can also use this technology to transmit a greater number of revenue-generating HDTV channels to each customer without requiring consumers to change their hardware. The Broadcom chipset is adaptable to current industry set top boxes that were manufactured with an expansion port, such as the DISH Network Model 6000 HDTV satellite receiver.

"Our customers want access to more channels, and they are increasingly demanding bandwidth-intensive HDTV channels," said Mark Jackson, Senior Vice President of EchoStar Technologies Corp. "Broadcom's advanced satellite TV compression technology can allow us to begin planning for future expansion of our high definition TV services while continuing to offer our customers the variety and premium quality channels they have come to expect from DISH Network."

Broadcom's BCM4500 receiver achieves breakthrough levels of data throughput by implementing 8PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation along with advanced Forward Error Correction based on turbo codes, which enable low-power, reliable communications.

"Broadcom is now delivering satellite technology that outperforms anything available today. We believe that the BCM4500 and BCM3440 will contribute to the continued expansion of the direct-to-home video market, and help accelerate the two-way satellite market," said Tim Lindenfelser, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Broadband Communications Business Unit. "Broadcom has established a clear leadership position in developing cost-effective CMOS chips for converging communications markets that boost performance to previously unattainable levels."

Product Features

The BCM4500 is a highly integrated, all-digital satellite receiver that supports BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK and 16QAM modulation, operating with both advanced modulation satellite systems and legacy QPSK systems. The advanced modulation turbo-code Forward Error Correction (FEC) decoder delivers extremely high performance, approaching theoretical capacity limits, with no requirement for external RAM. This versatile receiver provides full variable rate operation from 1-30 Mbaud, providing multiple operating points for optimal system deployment. Other features include an integrated microcontroller for configuration, acquisition and performance monitoring, and a host interface that operates via high-level application programmers interface to reduce host software development time and simplify system integration.

The BCM3440 Direct Conversion Satellite Tuner delivers superior performance for the direct broadcast satellite market, and offers all the advantages of standard logic CMOS process. CMOS technology is significant because it is a widely available, cost-effective technology and provides a path for integration with other Broadcom satellite products.

Designed to operate with the BCM4201 QPSK Satellite Receiver and the BCM4500 Advanced Modulation Receiver, the BCM3440 provides extremely low phase noise to enable high performance 8SPK operation with low-cost QPSK LNBs (Low Noise Block Converters). It is designed to support the full DVB-S operating range with support for 950 to 2150 MHz L-Band input frequencies. The BCM3440 is based on a direct-conversion architecture to reduce external component count and increase performance.

The BCM4500/BCM3440 chipset is currently sampling and is priced at $20 for volume quantities. The BCM3440 is packaged in a 48-pin TQFP, while the BCM4500 is offered in a 128-pin MQFP. The BCM94500 Advanced Modulation Reference Design, which integrates the chipset, is available today for system evaluation, test and design.

About DISH Network

DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation. DISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art direct broadcast satellite TV system in the United States that is capable of offering over 500 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming, as well as advanced satellite TV receiver hardware and installation. DISH Network was ranked number one in overall customer satisfaction among cable/satellite TV subscribers by J.D. Power and Associates in 1999 and 2000. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX). DISH Network currently serves over 6 million customers.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is the leading 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 applications for digital cable set-top boxes and cable modems, high-speed local, metropolitan and wide area and optical networks, home networking, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), carrier access, residential broadband gateways, direct broadcast satellite and terrestrial digital broadcast, digital subscriber lines (xDSL), wireless communications, System I/O(TM) server solutions and network processing. Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and may be contacted at 949.450.8700 or at www.broadcom.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation 

Reform Act of 1995:

This release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, and reflect management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by us based upon information available to us at this time. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will" and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. Such information is subject to change, and we will not necessarily inform you of such changes. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with the BCM4500, BCM3440 and BCM94500 products include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the recent significant economic slowdown in the technology sector and semiconductor industry; the timing and successful completion of technology and product development through volume production; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for satellite TV receiver products; delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets; the timing of customer-industry qualification and certification of our products and the risks of non-qualification or non-certification; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the loss of a key customer; the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the effectiveness of our expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; changes in our product or customer mix; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; intellectual property disputes and customer indemnification claims and other types of litigation risk; the availability and pricing of foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party semiconductor foundries and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; our ability to specify, develop or acquire, complete, introduce, market and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner; the effects of new and emerging technologies; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly facilities; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies and in achieving higher levels of design integration; the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations; our ability to retain and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the numbers, with the capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement our business and product plans; the quality of our products and any remediation costs; the effects of natural disasters and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; and other factors.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Forms 8-K and 8-K/A, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Broadcom(R), the pulse logo(R) and SystemI/O(TM) are trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. EchoStar and DISH Network are trademarks of EchoStar Communications Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.