ShareWave's Multimedia-Capable, Wireless LAN Technology is Key Ingredient in Panasonic's New Home Gateway and PCMCIA Home Network Card.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2001

Low-Cost Card Works with Panasonic's Gateway to Deliver Broadband

Content to Laptops and Internet Appliances

ShareWave, Inc., a provider of semiconductor technology for multimedia-capable wireless home networks, announced today that its groundbreaking wireless LAN technology, including its Whitecap(TM) network protocol and wireless network controllers, is an essential component of Panasonic's new 11Mbps PCMCIA wireless networking card, the KX-HGC200. The card is designed to work with the Panasonic Concourse(TM) Broadband Networking Gateway (the KX-HGW200 in the U.S. and the KX-HGW100 in international markets), as well as notebook computers and Internet appliances supporting PCMCIA interfaces.

ShareWave's technology is the ideal solution for the home because it's multimedia-capable and consumer-friendly. ShareWave's wireless LAN is capable of seamlessly transmitting high-fidelity multimedia content - including MPEG2 video and CD-quality audio - wirelessly throughout the home. Coupled with the Panasonic Concourse(TM) Broadband Networking Gateway and PCMCIA cards, ShareWave's technology allows consumers to wirelessly access broadband multimedia content from cable or DSL provider.

Panasonic's KX-HGC200 wireless card permits mobile users easy access to high-bandwidth broadband content, as well as more traditional operations, such as sharing files, printers and other resources. It requires a simple, two-step set-up. The user inserts the card into the PCMCIA slot in the computer and slips an additional card into the gateway itself1. The KX-HGC200 is due January 2001 with a suggested retail price of $199.95. The Panasonic KX-HGW200 Concourse(TM) Broadband Networking Gateway is currently available at a suggested retail price of $299.95.

The ShareWave and Panasonic solutions also provide key benefits to broadband service providers, enabling them to increase revenues, decrease installation costs, and accelerate the rate of broadband deployment. These multimedia-capable products will help broadband service providers bring breakthrough incremental services to the home, such as video-on-demand, voice over IP, and streaming Internet audio and video. "With ShareWave's technology, Panasonic can offer a home-optimized wireless networking product," said Frank Lasorsa, assistant general manager, Home Networking Department, Communications/Home Office Products division for Panasonic. "These products meet key consumer needs for multimedia support, ease-of-use, and reliability, and enables us to feature consumer-friendly price points."

ShareWave's solution is designed to work in noisy home environments. For example, it supports Forward Error Correction (FEC), a technology that continuously monitors the data error rate and corrects problems on the fly. ShareWave's products are also designed to be easy to install and use. It supports features such as open enrollment, master redundancy, and peer-to-peer networking, all designed to make the network simple for consumers to set up and operate. Finally, ShareWave is designing its products with a forward interoperability path with the IEEE 802.11b enterprise wireless LAN standard. "ShareWave's Whitecap network protocol provides consumers using Panasonic's PCMCIA card and home gateway with superior ease-of-use and reliability features," said E. Jock Ochiltree, ShareWave CEO and president. "Our technology meets the needs of consumers and service providers better than any other wireless networking or home networking solution on the market. "

In addition to forming the basis of traditional networking products, such as Panasonic's Concourse(TM) Broadband Networking Gateway, ShareWave's pioneering technology will also enable a new range of wireless consumer devices such as wireless MP3 players, mobile web pads, networked personal video recorders, and digital audio and video jukeboxes.

Cahners In-Stat Group predicts the worldwide home networking equipment and residential gateway market will grow from approximately $600 million today to more than $5.7 billion by 2004. They also anticipate that new home networking connectivity services will account for another $3 billion by 2004. (According to "The Connected Home: The Emerging Market for Home Networking Technology and Services," March, 2000.)

About ShareWave, Inc.

ShareWave provides semiconductor technology for multimedia-capable wireless home networks. ShareWave is privately held with its headquarters in El Dorado Hills, CA. ShareWave has received funding from APV Technology Partners, Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, KLM Capital, Kyushu Matsushita Electric Co., Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Philips Electronics NV, SBC Communications, Inc., SOFTBANK Technology Ventures, Vulcan Ventures, Inc., and other public and private investors. ShareWave has announced partnership agreements with Cisco, NETGEAR and Kyushu Matsushita Electric (for products bearing the Panasonic brand name). For more information on ShareWave and our products, visit www.sharewave.com.

About Panasonic

Panasonic and Matsushita Electric are involved with a variety of groups that focus on networking, including HAVi, EchoNet, the IEEE 1394 Trade Association, HomePNA, HomePlug, UPnP and OSGI. Panasonic products are marketed in the United States by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), a division of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America (MECA). MECA is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., (NYSE:MC) of Japan, one of the world's largest producers of electronic and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use. All prices are in U.S. dollars. (Consumers seeking more information on the company's products can call Panasonic's Customer Call Center at 800-211-PANA or access Panasonic's home page at www.panasonic.com. Media interested in Panasonic press releases can gain information via the Panasonic Web site at Internet Keyword: Panasonic Press Room or through New Directions Public Relations' toll-free fax-back system at 888-734-7490. )

Editor's Note: ShareWave will be demonstrating products during CES at the Hilton in Las Vegas. Please contact Carmella Lyman at [phone] to schedule an appointment.

(1) The wireless card is only compatible with Window 95, 98 and Windows ME.

ShareWave and Whitecap are registered trademarks of ShareWave, Inc. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holder.