Conexant Announces Wideband CDMA Power Amplifier; New Offering Meets Handset Manufacturers' Demand for Low-Cost, High-Performance, Power-Saving PA.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2001

Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT), a worldwide leader in semiconductor solutions for communications applications, today announced a new power amplifier (PA) for wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile handsets.

Broadly supported in Europe and Asia, WCDMA provides an easy migration path from global system for mobile communication (GSM) to third generation (3G), high-speed multimedia voice and data services.

"Our new WCDMA PA represents an important step in the evolution to next-generation, high-speed data-enabled terminals," said Moiz Beguwala, senior vice president and general manager of Conexant's Wireless Communications division.

"Conexant's CDMA PAs were used to create the first production-ready CDMA handset, and we're proud to leverage our expertise in both CDMA and GSM to deliver power-efficient solutions for the terminals of the future."

Power amplifiers provide the energy for transmitting a wireless signal through the handset's antenna to the base station, and are the handset's biggest determinant of battery life and talk time.

Conexant's new CX77115 WCDMA power amplifier uses the company's proprietary SystemSmart(TM) platform to meet the stringent efficiency and spectral linearity requirements of WCDMA by using information received from the base station to determine how much power is necessary to complete a call, and adjusting the power level accordingly.

With this approach, the power amplifier is enabled to automatically operate at the optimum power level with the minimum current drain as a result of the embedded control device in the power amplifier module. As a result, the operating efficiencies at low and medium power operation are substantially increased.

Furthermore, the power amplifier does not require any regulated reference voltage supply as in most commercially available devices eliminating the need for a power management integrated circuit.

The CX77115 is packaged in a 6 x 6 mm micromodule that is impedance matched at both output and input. The small package combined with the high efficiency characteristics of the device throughout its operating range provides the designer optimum power amplifier solution for the next generation's standards.

Conexant's extensive portfolio of power amplifiers encompasses solutions for every major wireless standard including GSM, CDMA, time division multiple access (TDMA), advanced mobile phone service (AMPS), and wireless local loop (WLL) applications. Conexant's devices are based on a 50 GHz heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) gallium arsenide (GaAs) process technology and packaged as a micromodule.

Pricing And Availability

Packaged in a 6mm x 6mm micromodule, Conexant's CX77113 is sampling now, and volume production is scheduled for third quarter 2001. It is priced at under $4 each in quantities of 100,000.

About Conexant Systems, Inc.

Conexant Systems is a worldwide leader in semiconductor system solutions for communications applications. Conexant leverages its expertise in mixed-signal processing to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products through two separate businesses: Conexant and Mindspeed Technologies.

Conexant's personal networking business is focused on digital infotainment, personal imaging, wireless communications and personal computing products that are used in mobile communications and the broadband digital home.

Mindspeed Technologies is focused on Internet infrastructure products including WAN transport, multiservice access and broadband access for applications that extend from the Internet's access edge all the way to its optical core.

Conexant has headquarters in Newport Beach, and delivered revenues of $2.1 billion for fiscal 2000. The company is a member of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100 Indices. To learn more, visit the company at www.conexant.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains statements relating to future results of Conexant (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: maintaining a consistent and reliable source of energy; global economic and market conditions, such as the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions; the availability and extent of utilization of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; fluctuations in manufacturing yields; product obsolescence; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the successful separation of the company's Internet infrastructure and personal networking businesses; the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; labor relations of the company, its customers and suppliers; and the uncertainties of litigation, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Note to Technical Editors: Additional technical information is available upon request.

Note to Editors: Conexant and SystemSmart are trademarks of Conexant Systems, Inc. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners