Motorola Launches Pre-Configured Hardware/Software Combination to Support Essential Telecom Protocols.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2001

New Products Speed Time to Market, Expand Market Reach for OEMs

Motorola Computer Group, a business unit of Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT), which provides embedded equipment for nine of the world's top 10 telecommunications original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Wednesday announced three new software products based on popular telecommunications protocols -- Frame Relay, Link Access Procedure-D (LAPD) and Signaling System 7/Message Transfer Part 2 (SS7/MTP2) -- already integrated on a computing platform.

Motorola's new products offer, from a single source, a pre-configured combination of hardware, protocol software and operating system drivers that help eliminate the need for OEMs to do any porting, thus, giving them the customizable features and interfaces they need to get their products to market quickly.

The software is tested, certified and fully integrated with Motorola's family of flexible 860 and 8260 PCI mezzanine cards (PMCs).

"The use of these software protocols is growing incredibly fast and by adding these additional layers of communications capability to our processor PMC hardware platforms, we're now able to provide our telecom OEM customers fully-integrated communications engines," said Paul Virgo, director of product marketing, telecommunications business, Motorola Computer Group.

"This is significant in the eyes and minds of our customers, as it allows them to focus on developing their own end-user applications such as billing or call management, rather than having to put together what they generally consider a commoditized platform."

Motorola Computer Group's suggested pricing structure allows OEMs to pay for the actual number of SS7 links needed, rather than pre-determined bundled license packages. This structure at a suggested list price of $150 per link gives even greater flexibility to OEMs in specifying and paying for exactly what they need.

The frame relay and LAPD products have a suggested list price of $695 each per system for unlimited use.

Frame Relay, LAPD and SS7/MPT2 communications capabilities are essential for connectivity into telecom infrastructures.

-- Frame Relay, projected by research firm Vertical Systems Group Inc. to grow
22 percent annually to $8.3 billion by 2002, is a connection-oriented, data
link protocol standard that is designed to provide multiplexing of virtual
circuits over a single physical interface for efficient use of media bandwidth.
It is engineered to replace dedicated line transport service for wide area
networks (WANs) interconnection of local area networks (LANs), and can be used
for such applications as ATM interworking and data transmission in wireless
infrastructures.

-- LAPD is a data link protocol standard for use with the ISDN D channel for
signaling and control. LAPD is designed to provide sequence control, error
detection and recovery of multiple logical links on the same physical link. It
is used in ISDN for signaling and data transmission and for data transmission
capability in wireless infrastructure.

-- SS7/MTPL2 is an international standard that defines protocols for
out-of-band signaling for wireless and wireline call setup, routing, control
and Intelligent Network (IN) functions. It is designed to support voice
transport and services over the circuit-switched network. Message Transfer Part
Level 2 is the data link portion of the SS7 signaling link, equivalent to the
OSI Data Link Layer.

The three software products will be offered on the MPMC860 communications adapter that is powered by Motorola's MPC860 PowerQUICC(TM) Integrated PowerPC(R) Microprocessor, a versatile one-chip integrated microprocessor and peripheral combination; and on the MPMC8260 communications adapter, which incorporates Motorola's MPC8260 PowerQUICC II(TM) microprocessor for telecommunications and networking applications.

The MPMC8260 product portfolio is significantly more powerful and flexible than the 860 and also includes octal interfaces, ATM, combination E1/T1 or E3/T3 and computer telephony capabilities such as H.110 and SCbus interfaces. In addition, Motorola plans to include support for an increasing number of Compact PCI communication boards and operating systems.

About Motorola

Motorola Computer Group (MCG) is the world's leading supplier of business-to-business embedded computing platforms for use in telecommunications, network storage, imaging, medical equipment and semiconductor production and test equipment applications. It offers design, manufacturing and systems integration capabilities, as well as a broad range of services and training.

MCG is a business unit of the Motorola Integrated Electronic Systems Sector (IESS). IESS provides the DigitalDNA(TM) technology that helps make its customers' products smarter, safer, simpler and more synchronized. www.motorola.com/computer

Motorola Inc. is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2000 were $37.6 billion. www.motorola.com

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