Mindspeed Technologies Pushes Metro Networks to 20 Gbps.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 2001

New Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) Silicon Extends Mindspeed's Leadership

in High-Speed Solutions for the Existing Optical Internet

Infrastructure

Mindspeed Technologies(TM), the Internet infrastructure business of Conexant Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT), today introduced the industry's first semiconductor solution that will enable networking equipment to support up to 20 Gbps of bandwidth within Internet protocol (IP) ring-based metropolitan area and intra-point-of-presence (intra-POP) networks.

With Mindspeed's new M29955 RingMaker ring processing unit (RPU), carriers will be able to upgrade their OC-192 (10 Gbps) synchronous optical (SONET) networks to 20 Gbps of bandwidth with four times the effective data throughput, reducing operational costs while provisioning services quickly and reliably.

The M29955 RingMaker RPU is a complete solution including hardware and software that enables up to 10 Gbps of throughput per ring, for a total of 20 Gbps on a dual-ring resilient packet ring (RPR) network. Two RingMaker RPUs operate in parallel to sustain the full 20 Gbps data rate and jointly control the dual rings.

The new M29955 RingMaker RPU can be used to build routers, servers, switches, cable head-end equipment, digital loop carriers and other OC-192 networking platforms for today's RPR networks. It will be complemented later this year by a reference design that incorporates other Mindspeed 10 Gbps solutions including framers, serializer/deserializer (SERDES) transceivers and switch fabrics.

Mindspeed's M29955 RingMaker RPU joins the CX29950 RingMaker RPU -- now shipping in volume -- which offers up to 5 Gbps of throughput on a pair of OC-48 (2.4 Gbps) RPR network rings.

"This is a major milestone in the industry's quest for the bigger metro network pipes that carriers need in order to cost-effectively handle increasing amounts of data on their networks," said Lauren Schlicht, product line manager for Mindspeed Technologies.

"Mindspeed was the first to introduce RPR networking silicon, and we are the only company that is shipping an RPR solution in volume. Now we are pushing to even higher data rates as we expand our RingMaker family while simultaneously extending Mindspeed's family of 10 Gbps solutions.

"Mindspeed is one of the companies driving the IEEE 802.17 standards development, and future products in the RingMaker product line will support these standards."

Major communications equipment manufacturers, including Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks, have announced their support for RPR technology, which will enable metropolitan area service providers to more quickly and efficiently deliver rapidly growing volumes of packet data while optimizing fault resiliency and offering carrier-class features.

The technology enables four times the effective data throughput of similar-speed SONET networks by utilizing both rings for data and control packets and by implementing Cisco Systems' Spatial Reuse Protocol (SRP), removing packets from the network after they reach their destination.

The M29955 RingMaker RPU fully supports the Cisco's SRP specification, which is currently the most widely supported protocol for emerging RPR networks. SRP is a key element of Cisco's Dynamic Packet Transport (DPT) initiative for building networks that add higher effective bandwidth and IP features to the world's existing SONET infrastructure.

The M29955 RingMaker RPU interfaces to a framer and the system host and includes an interface for mating it to a second RingMaker device in order to create an SRP node. The RingMaker RPU supports a high-priority level for latency-sensitive data, such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) or video, and a low-priority level using the SRP fairness algorithm to control access and manage congestion on the ring.

Mindspeed has added a 1 megabyte on-chip transit buffer memory to the M29955 RingMaker RPU to improve system performance and uses the same SRP Node Application Programming Interface (SNAPI) Framework software developed for the OC-48 CX29950 RingMaker RPU.

SNAPI Framework software provides a standardized infrastructure for an SRP node on an RPR network, with native support for the RPU, framer and other devices. A scalable solution, it reduces the learning curve required to implement the SRP protocol and helps to accelerate customers' time to market.

All SNAPI software used in designs that implement Mindspeed's OC-48 RingMaker RPU can be migrated to the company's new M29955 RingMaker RPU offering.

The M29955 RingMaker RPU can forward, strip or drop packets under the control of a pair of integrated content addressable memory (CAM) devices containing lookup and statistics information. The M29955 RPU has built-in reliability features, including the ability to perform a ring wrap in the event of a node failure, fiber-facility failure or signal degradation.

It includes the option of a pass-through mode in the event of a board failure to avoid affecting the rest of the ring.

The M29955 RingMaker RPU is sampling to alpha customers now and will be available for general sampling in November. Volume production is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2002. Pricing is $1,000 in OEM quantities of 1,000, and the device is packaged in a 680-pin 40mm high-performance ball grid array (HPBGA).

About Conexant

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.

Mindspeed Technologies designs, develops and sells a complete portfolio of semiconductor networking solutions that facilitate the aggregation, transmission and switching of data, video and voice from the edge of the Internet to linked metropolitan area networks and long-haul networks.

Conexant's personal networking business is focused on wireless communications, digital infotainment and personal computing products that are used in mobile communications and the broadband digital home. 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 or www.mindspeed.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 planned disposition of certain assets; 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 Editors: Conexant and Mindspeed are trademarks of Conexant Systems Inc. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners.