Mitel Introduces Industry's Largest Capacity WAN Switching Chip.

Business Editors

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2000

MITEL (NYSE:MLT)(TSE:MLT.)

New IC Helps Meet Internet-Driven Bandwidth Requirements

by Doubling Channel Capacity and Improving Quality of Service

(QoS) in Carrier-Class Networking Equipment

A new Wide Area Network (WAN) access switching chip announced today by Mitel Semiconductor, a division of Mitel Corporation, delivers the highest available channel capacity to converged networks.

The MT90866 switches up to 4,096 x 2,432 channels, twice the bandwidth of alternative solutions.

The MT90866 manages voice, data and video traffic in large-scale carrier-class equipment that bridges information on packet-based data networks to the circuit-switched public telephone network. When different types of packet-based and circuit-switched traffic converge onto the network infrastructure, the result can be delay, jitter, echo and data loss - conditions that degrade Quality of Service. Mitel's MT90866 incorporates a phase locked loop (PLL), a block of circuitry that minimizes these effects by optimizing system timing and synchronization. This helps customers achieve consistent and predictable information delivery, a benchmark requirement for high QoS.

"As a high capacity, integrated switching chip, the MT90866 assists our customers in building networking equipment that accommodates increased Internet bandwidth requirements, and will meet their expectations for cost, performance and QoS," said Mark Wirth, product line manager, broadband networks business unit, Mitel Semiconductor. "The MT90866 supports multiple system requirements, with the PLL delivering the superior timing and synchronization that are increasingly demanded by the fast-growing communications market."

WAN access switching chips are used in such applications as carrier-class access, concentrators, remote access, Voice-over-Internet Protocol gateways, and computer telephony integration. The market for access applications is forecast to reach US$10.7 billion by 2003.*

Three-in-one switch supports flexibility, high QoS

The MT90866 WAN Access Switch is a specialized 3-volt time division multiplex (TDM) timeslot interface that supports voice, data and video traffic. The device incorporates three switching functions into a single product: 4,096 x 2,432 channels between backplane and the local streams, 2,432 x 2,432 channels among local streams, and 2,048 x 2,048 channels among backplane streams.

With the industry's highest switching capacity between backplane and local streams, the MT90866 provides customers with an easy route to meeting increased bandwidth requirements. Backplane switching capability supports diagnostic testing, and provides the flexibility to increase system bandwidth while minimizing board connector and bus size. The three-in-one capability reduces component count and enables system designers to flexibly accommodate a range of equipment requirements.

Integrated PLL Provides Performance Advantage

The new WAN Access Switch is Mitel's first timeslot interchange to integrate a Telcordia Stratum 4e-compliant PLL. This high-quality PLL satisfies H.110 timing requirements and eliminates the need for a separate timing device, thereby reducing cost and board space when compared to using two separate components. The PLL provides holdover mode, at frequency of 0.07 ppm, time interval error correction, master/slave mode, and wander attenuation from 1.9 Hz. This is beneficial in multi-trunk systems, since it supports constant timing and synchronization in the event that the trunk carrying the primary timing reference is disabled.

Standards Compliance

Mitel's MT90866 is compliant with the ECTF H.110 specification, allowing it to support the compact PCI platform. Compact PCI is emerging as the standard for CTI, telecom and datacom equipment, since it supports the convergence of multiple TDM-based and packetized data formats over the same network.

Support, Pricing, and Availability

Mitel's WAN Access Switch is supported by a demonstration evaluation board, software drivers, reference design and applications notes. The device is sampling now, supplied in a 256-pin LQFP or 250-pin LBGA package. The IC will be shipping in production volumes by March 2001, for US$60 in 10k quantities.

About Mitel

Mitel Semiconductor specializes in connectivity solutions for the communications and medical industries with a product range that includes components for both wired and wireless networks; microelectronics for enabling the convergence of voice and data; optoelectronic devices for high-speed Internet systems; and applications-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for medical applications such as pacemakers and hearing aids. For more information visit www.mitelsemi.com.

Mitel is a global provider of semiconductors and communication systems for converging voice and data networks in a rapidly evolving Internet economy. The company has annual revenues of $1.4 billion and employs 6,000 people worldwide. For more information visit www.mitel.com.

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, among others, the risks discussed in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are encouraged to consider the risks detailed in those filings.

*Forecast generated through Mitel and Dataquest estimates.