Broadcom Offers First Gigabit Ethernet-over-Copper Transceiver to Comply with GBIC Power Requirements.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2001

Universal Copper Plus Fiber Transceiver Enables Widely Installed Base of GBIC-Ready Ports to be Deployed with Gigabit Ethernet over Existing

Category 5 Infrastructures

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq:BRCM), the leading provider of integrated circuits enabling broadband communications, today announced the Broadcom(R) BCM5421S, the first Gigabit Ethernet-over-Copper Transceiver to comply with the restrictive 1.5W power requirements of Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) modules. This device, which features a 50% power reduction over previous generations of Gigabit Ethernet-over-Copper Transceivers, enables the integration of legacy equipment containing GBIC module slots with Gigabit copper networks. The BCM5421S is implemented in 0.13-micron CMOS technology, allowing it to benefit from the cost and power dissipation improvements of the most advanced commercially available deep submicron process technology.

"This device will enable millions of legacy GBIC ports in high speed network equipment to connect to local copper links," said Marty Colombatto, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Networking Business Unit. "Previously announced copper GBIC solutions exceed the power limit of the specification for GBICs by more than one watt, making them useful only for new equipment designs specifically intended to support the higher power requirement. Furthermore, the high power requirements of these early copper GBICs are potentially harmful to legacy equipment."

"We are very enthusiastic about this new device from Broadcom, which will enable the development of power-compliant copper GBIC modules for Gigabit Ethernet applications," said Craig Fosnaught, High Performance Adapter Group Product Manager for Molex Incorporated (Nasdaq:MOLX)(Nasdaq:MOLXA), a leading manufacturer of interconnection products. "The BCM5421S will enable Molex to address the installed base of four to five million GBIC-ready ports, allowing network equipment with GBIC ports to link to Gigabit Ethernet networks."

In addition to GBIC applications, the BCM5421S supports all single-port 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet-over-Copper) applications. An on-chip SerDes (Serializer/Deserializer) is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3z Ethernet standard and can interface directly to optical modules. This makes the BCM5421S a universal transceiver for both copper and fiber media, with a switch between media possible either automatically or through software control. This flexible device can also be used as a single-chip solution for Gigabit Ethernet media conversion. With its integrated SerDes interface, the BCM5421S provides bidirectional conversion between Gigabit fiber and Gigabit copper networks.

The BCM5421S incorporates Broadcom's fourth-generation Gigabit Ethernet transceiver technology implemented in the advanced 0.13-micron CMOS process. Because this process technology is expected to be leading edge for the next two to three years, customers designing with the 5421S can lock in the benefits of 0.13-micron without having to redesign or requalify a new part. The 0.13-micron Gigabit physical layer core of the BCM5421S has already been proven in production in Broadcom's quad-port BCM5404 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver and the recently introduced BCM5421 transceiver, which will enable a rapid production ramp for the BCM5421S chip. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) manufactures Broadcom's family of 0.13-micron transceivers. Broadcom and TSMC worked collaboratively over the past two years to develop the mixed-signal modules that enable Broadcom to achieve superior performance, lower cost and lower power in its 0.13-micron transceiver family.

In addition to supporting the IEEE 802.3 standard Gigabit Media Independent Interface (GMII), and the industry standard Ten Bit Interface (TBI), the BCM5421S also supports the RGMII and RTBI, SerDes, and SGMII interfaces. The SerDes and SGMII are reduced pin-count (4 and 6 respectively, versus 25) Switch/MAC interfaces. RGMII is a reduced pin-count (12 versus 25) version of the GMII, and RTBI is a reduced pin-count version of TBI utilizing standard ASIC technology. The reduced pin count interfaces reduce system cost and simplify system and board level design.

The BCM5421S incorporates all three Ethernet speeds -- 10, 100 and 1000 Megabits per second (Mbps) at half and full duplex -- with standards based auto-negotiation to ensure compatibility with all existing Ethernet network equipment operating over existing legacy Category 5 copper cable plants. Broadcom's Ethernet@WireSpeed(TM) technology enables equipment manufactured using the BCM5421S to automatically select the maximum speed possible based on channel conditions, even over impaired cable plant, regardless of the maximum speed advertised by the end-equipment. The device is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3, 802.3u and 802.3ab Ethernet standards. It also offers the industry's highest level of margin in excess of IEEE specifications for noise cancellation and transmission jitter, Near End Cross Talk (NEXT), Far End Cross Talk (FEXT) and Echo, ensuring consistent and reliable operation.

Broadcom's exclusive cable plant diagnostic capability allows users, IT managers and networking equipment manufacturers to remotely analyze the quality and attributes of the cable, thereby avoiding unnecessary service calls or equipment returns. Built-in diagnostics including a link quality indication LED help pinpoint the cause of network malfunctions without deploying field service personnel or bringing down the network. The device also supports automatic detection and correction of wiring pair swaps, pair skew or pair polarity problems.

Price and Availability

The BCM5421S Gigabit Ethernet-over-Copper Transceiver is currently sampling to Broadcom's early access partners and is priced at $27 in quantities of 1,000 units.

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, SystemI/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.

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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.

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