Conexant's Second Generation ADSL Solution Enables Development of Industry's Most Compact, Power-Efficient ADSL Equipment for the Central Office.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 30, 1999--

Conexant's Multi-Port ADSL Chipset Provides Low-Cost,

Flexible Solution for Central-Office Equipment Manufacturers

Conexant Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT) Monday announced its AccessRunner(TM) chipset that significantly reduces the size, cost, complexity and power requirements of multi-port Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) central-office equipment.

This programmable, multi-port ADSL chipset delivers both full-rate (8Mbps) and G.Lite (1.5Mbps) remote-access services.

The AccessRunner chipset is a complete solution including the data pump, Analog Front End (AFE) and ATM Transmission Convergence (TC), and combines the flexibility of a programmable solution with the low power, low cost and high performance of a customized ASIC Discrete Multitone Transceiver (DMT).

It cuts overall equipment costs by integrating the receive op-amp and filters, and by eliminating the need for a memory device on each port. Instead, the multi-port architecture of the AccessRunner allows a single memory device attached to the line card's controller to be used for controlling all ports.

"Conexant's AccessRunner family lets DSL equipment manufacturers build the most compact and power-efficient ADSL line cards, while significantly reducing overall equipment cost and complexity," said Babak Nabili, product line manager, ADSL Central Office Products for Conexant's Network Access Division.

"This chipset offers designers a flexible option allowing them to put as many ports as they want on the line card while still retaining all of the benefits of the underlying AccessRunner technology. The greater the density of the line card, the greater the cost and space savings of the AccessRunner chipset."

Consuming less than 800mW per port (not including the line driver), the multi-port AccessRunner chipset reduces power requirements by nearly 30 percent per port as compared with alternative solutions. The two-chip solution also takes only five square inches of space per port -- nearly 40 percent less space than alternative solutions -- including all analog support circuits and transformer.

Conexant's AccessRunner product builds on the foundation established by its earlier octal ADSL central-office device set, which was based on technology from a transfer agreement with PairGain Technologies Inc. in March 1998.

The new product improves upon the earlier generation by implementing more advanced semiconductor manufacturing and packaging technologies, as well as incorporating the latest ITU standards and ensuring interoperability with other ADSL equipment.

The AccessRunner chipset is compliant with ADSL standards including ANSI T1.413 Issue 2, ITU G.992.1 (G.DMT) and ITU G.992.2 (G.Lite). It also provides the low overhead framing, fast start-up and retraining capabilities necessary for G.Lite operation.

Conexant is dedicated to achieving widespread interoperability between client and central office ADSL solutions, and is a driving member in all interoperability testing including the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG) Interoperability Showcase, ADSL Forum and the University of New Hampshire.

Conexant offers a broad range of central-office DSL solutions. Similar to its previously announced solution, the new AccessRunner chipset can be used with Conexant's CN8228 ATM Universal Test and Operations Physical Interface for ATM (UTOPIA) Level II physical-layer (PHY) chip, which concentrates eight lines of data-pump traffic to make more efficient use of the UTOPIA bus, while reducing pin count and optimizing routing capability.

The new multi-port chipset offers an ideal solution for multi-port digital loop carriers, and for DSL Access Multiplexers (DSLAMs) used to deploy ADSL services in central office applications. Conexant also is the world leader in Symmetrical DSL (SDSL) solutions, offering its up-to-4.64Mbps ZipWire family for such business connectivity applications as high-speed Internet access, telecommuting and branch office support.

ADSL technology enables the transfer of data, video and voice communications at speeds more than 100 times faster than 56Kbps modems, and more than 50 times faster than ISDN. Telephone companies are now using ADSL technology to deliver high-speed Internet access and other advanced services to homes and businesses.

Full-rate ADSL technology delivers data rates of up to 8Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream. G.Lite ADSL reduces data rates to 1.5Mbps downstream and 512Kbytes upstream, and eliminates the need for telephone companies to install splitter equipment or special wiring at the customer premises.

Samples of Conexant's central-office multi-port AccessRunner chipset will be available in September, along with an evaluation module and other support materials. Volume production is scheduled to begin in December. The chipset will be priced at $30 per port in OEM volumes of 10,000.

With revenues of more than $1.2 billion, Conexant is the world's largest independent company focused exclusively on providing semiconductor products for communications electronics. With more than 30 years of experience in developing communications technology, the company draws upon its expertise in mixed-signal processing to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products for a broad range of communications applications.

These products facilitate communications worldwide through wireline voice and data communications networks, cordless and cellular wireless telephony systems, personal imaging devices and equipment, and emerging cable and wireless broadband communications networks. The company aligns its business into five product platforms: Network Access, Wireless Communications, Digital Infotainment, Personal Imaging and Personal Computing.

Conexant is a member of the Nasdaq-100 Index, which represents the largest and most active stocks listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market across major industry groups.

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