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Broadcom's 54g(TM) Technology Delivers Maximum Performance for Microsoft(R) Wireless-G Broadband Networking Products

Posted on: Tuesday, 4 November 2003, 06:00 CST

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcom Corporation , a leading provider of silicon solutions enabling broadband communications, today announced that its 54g(TM) wireless LAN technology is shipping with Microsoft(R) Wireless-G networking products. By implementing the premier 54 Mbps wireless LAN technology, Microsoft is providing its customers with Wi-Fi(R) equipment that is up to five times faster than 802.11b networks and offers the industry's most advanced security features.

54g(TM) is Broadcom's implementation of the IEEE 802.11g standard, the new mainstream Wi-Fi technology for homes, businesses and public hot spots. 54g(TM) technology provides the industry's best combination of speed, reach and security, and is compatible with the more than 60 million 802.11b and 802.11g devices installed to date. According to the NPD Group, nearly 80 percent of 802.11g products sold in US retail outlets and 95 percent of 802.11g-enabled notebook PCs sold to date incorporate Broadcom's 54g(TM) technology.

Microsoft's Wireless Base Station (MN-700), Notebook Adapter (MN-720) and PCI Adapter (MN-730) are the latest products to bear the 54g(TM) logo, signifying that they deliver the industry's best wireless speed, security and range. The 54g(TM) logo assures Microsoft customers that their Wireless-G infrastructure will work at maximum performance with 54g(TM) notebooks from the leading PC manufacturers, including Apple, Dell, eMachines, Fujitsu, Gateway and HP/Compaq. Customers upgrading existing notebook or desktop systems with a Microsoft Wireless-G adapter will connect at top speeds with 54g(TM)-based access points, and are Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM) to interoperate with other 802.11g and 802.11b infrastructure.

"Broadcom is excited that Microsoft has chosen the industry's premier 802.11g technology and is promoting the 54g(TM) brand on Wireless-G boxes," said Jeff Abramowitz, Senior Director of Marketing for Broadcom's Wireless LAN products. "The 54g(TM) logo ensures that Microsoft Wireless-G products will deliver the superior performance and robust security that consumers look for when deploying high-speed wireless networks."

54g(TM) solutions equip Microsoft Wireless-G products with highly advanced Wi-Fi security features. Broadcom-based products have been certified for Wi-Fi Protected Access(TM) (WPA), a standards-based security feature that strongly increases the level of data protection and access control for existing and future Wi-Fi systems. This comprehensive security portfolio provides powerful network protection today and future-proofs customer investments by meeting the stringent standards-based security requirements of tomorrow.

"Microsoft's goal is to bring easy-to-use, high-performing wireless products to a broad range of consumers," said Todd Greenberg, Product Manager for Broadband Networking at Microsoft Corp. "Broadcom's extensive wireless LAN portfolio made 54g(TM) the best technology choice when designing our next generation of Wi-Fi products. Microsoft's Windows(R) CE platform and software Setup Wizard, combined with the most powerful wireless technology, enable high-performance wireless solutions that address the networking needs of home and small-business users."

Broadcom's AirForce(TM) Wireless LAN Product Family

Broadcom's high performance WLAN product line, AirForce(TM), features the greatest breadth and depth in the industry. In addition to transceivers that provide IEEE 802.11g and dual-band 802.11a/g solutions, Broadcom integrates wireless network processors, communications technologies and OneDriver(TM) software solutions into reference designs that speed customer time to market. Broadcom partners are developing 54g(TM) client solutions, access points, routers, cable modems, DSL modems, Bluetooth(R) solutions and GPRS cellular products. Broadcom recently expanded its wireless family to include AirForce One(TM), the world's first single-chip wireless LAN solution that enables Wi-Fi connectivity in pocket-sized mobile devices.

All the wireless chipsets in the AirForce product line enjoy unique performance advantages that improve throughput and range via Broadcom's SmartRadio(TM) technology. In addition to advanced signal processing techniques, the all-CMOS solutions are capable of self-calibrating based on usage temperature and other environmental conditions, reconfiguring constantly for optimum performance. Competing radios are statically calibrated at the point of manufacture and are unable to adapt to changing environmental influences.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a leading provider of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband communications and networking of voice, video and data services. Using proprietary technologies and advanced design methodologies, Broadcom designs, develops and supplies complete system-on-a-chip solutions and related hardware and software applications for every major broadband communications market. Our diverse product portfolio includes solutions for digital cable and satellite set-top boxes; cable and DSL modems and residential gateways; high-speed transmission and switching for local, metropolitan, wide area and storage networking; home and wireless networking; cellular and terrestrial wireless communications; Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway and telephony systems; broadband network processors; and SystemI/O(TM) server solutions. These technologies and products support our core mission: Connecting everything(R).

Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and may be contacted at 1-949-450-8700 or at http://www.broadcom.com/ .

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates,""expects,""intends,""plans,""predicts,""believes,""seeks,""estimates,""may,""will,""should,""would,""could,""potential,""continue," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with its wireless LAN products and reference designs, such as 54g(TM) and other AirForce products include, but are not limited to, general economic and political conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the continuing significant economic slowdown and volatility in the technology sector and semiconductor industry, trends in the broadband communications markets in various geographic regions, and possible disruption in commercial activities related to terrorist activity or armed conflict in the United States and other locations; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for high speed wireless networking applications; delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets; competitive pressures and other factors such as the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; our ability to retain and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the numbers, with the capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement our business and product plans; the availability and pricing of third party semiconductor foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party semiconductor foundries and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly facilities; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability, as well as the availability of our customers, to manage inventory; the loss of a key customer; our ability to specify, develop or acquire, complete, introduce, market and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner; the timing of customer-industry qualification and certification of our products and the risks of non-qualification or non-certification; the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the effects of new and emerging technologies; changes in our product or customer mix; intellectual property disputes and customer indemnification claims and other types of litigation risk; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies and in achieving higher levels of design integration; the quality of our products and any remediation costs; the effectiveness of our expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations, particularly in light of recent events; the effects of natural disasters, public health emergencies, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; and other factors.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason.

Broadcom(R), the pulse logo, Connecting everything(R), 54g(TM), AirForce(TM), AirForce One(TM), OneDriver(TM), SmartRadio(TM) and SystemI/O(TM) are trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. Wi-Fi(R), Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM) and Wi-Fi Protected Access(TM) are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Bluetooth(R) is a trademark of the Bluetooth SIG. Microsoft(R) and Windows(R) are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Broadcom Trade Press Contact

Henry Rael

Sr. Communications Specialist

949-585-5734

hrael@broadcom.com

Broadcom Business Press Contact

Bill Blanning

Sr. Director, Corporate Communications

949-585-5555

blanning@broadcom.com

Broadcom Technical Contact

Jeff Abramowitz

Sr. Director, Marketing

408-543-3311

jeffa@broadcom.com

Broadcom Investor Relations Contact

T. Peter Andrew

Sr. Director, Investor Relations

949-926-5663

andrewtp@broadcom.com

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