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Texas Instruments Applies Communications Infrastructure Leadership to WiMAX Market With New Offerings

Posted on: Monday, 27 February 2006, 09:00 CST

DALLAS, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Extending its leadership in wireless infrastructure applications, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced a new portfolio of digital and analog products for WiMAX applications. By addressing the complete signal chain, TI enables OEMs to leverage their existing 3G designs to quickly develop WiMAX products. The availability of field-ready infrastructure products will spur deployment of WiMAX-enabled services into the market. These products will also support other applications built around OFDM technology. [For more information, please go to http://www.ti.com/wimaxwi ]

Earlier this year, the WiMAX Forum announced the first WiMAX Forum Certified(TM) products, based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 and ETSI HiperMAN standards. Forward Concepts estimates that by 2009, sales of fixed and mobile WiMAX equipment will reach $2 billion.

End-to-End Infrastructure Solution Speeds Product Development TI's new WiMAX portfolio includes: * Support for fixed and mobile wireless infrastructure applications, as well as multiple frequency bands. As a result, OEMs can develop a single infrastructure platform that can be quickly and cost- effectively configured for each operator's or country's requirements. * The TMS320TCI6482 DSP at 1 GHz plus a WiMAX physical layer software library optimized for the DSP platform. * A portfolio of radio frequency (RF) products as well as data converters, up/down converters and amplifiers. * Reference designs, AMC and ATCA cards from several third parties. [See http://www.ti.com/wimaxwi for additional press releases.] * Support for MIMO Smart Antenna technology via ArrayComm. ArrayComm and TI have recently collaborated on a reference design for WiMAX infrastructure applications.

"TI has played a key role in growing the wireless infrastructure market," said Kent Novak, worldwide manager of TI's high speed communications business unit. "Our WiMAX portfolio further demonstrates our leadership and these new products allow OEMs to leverage their own intellectual property while reducing the cost, risk and lead time for entering the WiMAX market."

"Manufacturers anticipated that the move to 3G would lead to a single standard for wireless infrastructure technology," said Jagdish Rebello of iSuppli Corporation. "However, multiple standards continue to flourish today, leaving wireless operators and OEMs with a wide variety of air interface technologies to support. OEMs look for ways to extend their technology investments and establish leadership positions in emerging markets, like WiMAX. TI is well positioned to provide customers with a portfolio of products, enabling them to re-use their common platforms in emerging and future markets."

TI's WiMAX portfolio is also attractive for infrastructure vendors, who now can leverage components used across a wide variety of technologies. This applicability for multiple markets translates into high volumes, which drive down their cost and helps create a low-cost alternative for emerging vendors to enter the burgeoning WiMAX sector.

TI demonstrated its ongoing commitment and support to the WiMAX industry by joining the WiMAX Forum earlier this year. As a WiMAX Forum member, TI will collaborate with other companies to understand the needs and concerns of the growing WiMAX industry while helping to drive standards.

TI announced its first WiMAX products last year and plans several additions to its portfolio of WiMAX products throughout this year.

Trademarks

Code Composer Studio is a trademark of Texas Instruments. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Texas Instruments Newest Communications Infrastructure Technology Prepares Service Providers for WiMAX and Beyond DSP-based Solution Enables Manufacturers to Roll out Advanced WiMAX Infrastructure Technologies More Quickly

DALLAS (Feb. 27, 2006) - Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced its newest 1 GHz DSP-based 802.16e base station solution, enabling its customers to develop customized, high-performance WiMAX systems. This new product supports the mobile WiMAX standard and addresses the growing market need for this emerging technology. TI's newest WiMAX infrastructure solution incorporates the TMS320TCI6482 high-performance DSP, optimized baseband software and development tools. For more information, please visit http://www.ti.com/wimaxwi .

"The quick ratification of the 802.16e mobile WiMAX standard late last year, indicates a strong interest by the technology's supporters to bring products to market at the same time as other advanced wireless standards, like 3G EV-DO and HSDPA," said Gemma Tedesco, In-Stat senior analyst. "Additionally, the WiMAX chipset market is anticipated to reach $950 million by 2009, offering companies like TI a unique opportunity to capitalize on this quickly-growing industry, while developing technologies similar to those that have given them strong market leadership."

Reusing Technology to Meet Future Demands

TI's flexible system solution supports both fixed and mobile applications across multiple frequency bands. This flexibility enables equipment manufacturers to create cost-effective system configurations that can be used for multiple WiMAX applications including cellular backhaul, rural deployments, portable mobility and last mile connectivity.

At the heart of TI's solution for WiMAX is the TMS320TCI6482 DSP, designed for wireless infrastructure applications. TI's 1 GHz DSP improves cost and power per channel by efficiently processing WiMAX physical layer, IFFT/FFT and MIMO/beamforming algorithms. The programmable DSP-based solution can be easily software upgraded in the field to support advanced features, thereby protecting manufacturers' and service providers' initial technology investment.

Complementing the TCI6482 DSP is a commercial quality software library implementing key physical layer functions of the WiMAX standard. The highly optimized and tested software reduces product development time, while allowing manufacturers to customize the software and add their own intellectual property. TI's phased software development approach enables customers to get to market quickly with a working system, while allowing them to use additional software components to add capabilities and services over time. This level of flexibility is very important to the manufacturers who need to differentiate their product offering from their competitors.

Creating a WiMAX solution using TI's DSP and software libraries is made easier through the use of TI's leading software development environment and hardware platforms. TI's new Platinum Edition of its Code Composer Studio(TM) Integrated Development Environment is available today, providing new debug and code profiling features for the TCI6482 DSP. Further, hardware platforms are available from TI and its third party partners in a variety of form factors, including ATCA Mezzanine Cards (AMC) housing one or multiple TCI6482 DSPs. The combination of high performance, programmable DSPs, application libraries and the right development tools allow equipment manufacturers to get started easily and get to market quickly with highly flexible, differentiated WiMAX basestation solutions.

"Our customers are asking for a flexible and cost-effective means of supporting WiMAX networks," said Sandeep Kumar, TI's wireless infrastructure strategic marketing manager. "TI's solutions make it easier for them to upgrade their systems to support advanced features as WiMAX evolves. Additionally, because our solutions are based on programmable DSPs, our customers can reuse their hardware and software to support other emerging OFDM standards."

Broad Portfolio of Products for Advanced WiMAX Base Stations

TI's new DSP-based solution for WiMAX joins an already robust set of products available from TI to address this emerging standard. Last year, TI announced its broad line of radio frequency chipsets for 2.5GHz, 3.5GHz and 5.8GHz frequencies. TI has also announced today a new member of its radio frequency (RF) family, the TRF3703, an ultra-low-noise 4 GHz quadrature modulator. With a seamless interface to TI's high-speed DAC5687 digital-to- analog converter (DAC), the new quadrature modulator provides a direct means of converting baseband or intermediate frequency (IF) signals to RF transmission levels.

Availability

TI's new WiMAX base station solution includes the TCI6482 DSP and highly optimized symbol rate and chip rate software libraries. The solution is currently available, with full production expected later this year.

For more information on this product and TI's complete line of communications infrastructure solutions, please visit http://www.ti.com/wi .

Texas Instruments Introduces Ultra-Low-Noise 4 GHz Quadrature Modulator for

2.5/3G, WiMAX Infrastructure Transmitters New TRF3703 IQ Modulator Supports Direct Baseband-to-RF Conversion, Saving Design Cost and Complexity

DALLAS (February 27, 2006) - Advancing its leadership as a provider of enabling technology for the wireless industry, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced a high-performance, low-noise in-phase quadrature (IQ) modulator supporting radio frequency (RF) transmissions up to 4 GHz in wireless infrastructure equipment. The new TRF3703 modulator supports third-generation (3G) CDMA and GSM wireless telephone networks, as well as WiMAX (802.16e) metropolitan-area data networks (MANs). With a seamless interface to TI's high-speed DAC5687 digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the new quadrature modulator provides manufacturers of wireless infrastructure equipment an affordable means to directly convert baseband or intermediate frequency (IF) signals to RF transmission levels, thereby reducing the bill of materials, space and power consumption, while offering faster development times and manufacturing cost savings. [For more information, please go to http://www.ti.com/\wimaxwi ]

"The TRF3703 quadrature modulator demonstrates TI's ability to provide best-in-class technology for WiMAX infrastructure equipment, just as we have for wireless 2G and 3G infrastructures," said David Briggs, manager for TI's wireless infrastructure business unit. "TI's intent is to drive this emerging market by providing the most complete infrastructure signal chain, enabling manufacturers to develop more complete, flexible end equipments that reduce the overall total cost of ownership for service providers."

The TRF3703 builds on TI's success with earlier quadrature modulators and other signal-chain devices, adding ultra-low-noise and high-frequency RF transmission modulation to TI's comprehensive line of analog and digital products for wireless infrastructure. The device is capable of accepting modulated input signals ranging from zero (DC) to 350 megahertz (MHz), then providing RF output modulation from 400 MHz up to 4 GHz. This broad range of input-to-output levels allows the modulator to support direct conversion in equipment devoted to a wide range of transmission standards.

Implemented using TI's advanced silicon-germanium (SiGe) manufacturing process, the next-generation TRF3703 offers performance characteristics over a wide frequency range that are ahead of anything available in comparable products. A low noise floor of -164 decibel-milliwatt per Hertz (dBm/Hz) and an outstanding linearity of 25 dBm for the third order intercept point (OIP3) help in eliminating (reducing) the need for additional filtering. The adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) is 77 dBc for -11 dBm single-carrier WCDMA transmission, helping to ensure the clear separation of channels.

Cost-Effective Solutions for the Entire Signal Chain

The TRF3703 is a key element in TI's strategy to provide cost-effective solutions for the complete wireless signal chain. TI has been a leading-edge supplier of technology for wireless infrastructure applications for over 10 years, and is the only company today that supplies a complete analog and digital solution for the entire WiMAX infrastructure signal chain. Analog solutions from TI include data converters, RF chipsets and op amps, as well as reference designs to help speed development. TI's TMS320TCI6482 programmable digital signal processor (DSP), operating at speeds up to 1 GHz, is capable of handling multiple 3G air interface standards and a range of base station form factors on a single chip. The TCI6482 DSP's unique combination of high performance and power efficiency provides infrastructure OEMs with a platform to upgrade current systems easily and expand product portfolios efficiently.

Design Flexibility

The TRF3703 quadrature modulator interfaces to a variety of DACs for flexibility in RF transmitter design. With a seamless interface to TI's high- performance DAC5687 converter, the modulator provides a complete, easily implemented solution for direct up-conversion. The low-noise DAC5687 saves on external implementation by integrating phase, gain and offset adjustment features for interfacing to quadrature modulators. The TRF3703-DAC5687 combined solution replaces two RF up-conversion stages, saving mixers, buffer amps, local oscillators and RF filters. Transmitters designed using this architectural combination save space, power, components and cost compared with heterodyne solutions.

Operating from a single 5-volt supply, the TRF3703 modulator is implemented as a double-balanced mixer. The RF output block consists of a differential to single-ended converter and an RF amplifier that is capable of driving a single-ended 50-ohm load without any external components. Output compression of 10 dBm, unadjusted carrier leakage of -40 dBm (at 2GHz) and unadjusted sideband suppression of -40 dBc (at 2GHz) all serve to keep signal quality high and simplify design.

Availability, Pricing and Packaging

The TRF3703 quadrature modulator is sampling now, with volume production scheduled for Q2 2006. The device is packaged in a space-saving 4x4 mm, 24- pin QFN (quad flatpack no-lead) package. Pricing is planned at $7 per unit in quantities of 1K units.

ArrayComm and TI Collaborate on Smart Antenna Technology For Wireless

Infrastructure Applications

Combined Solution Increases Range, Data Rates, Capacity and Coverage Quality

for WiMAX and 3G

SAN JOSE, Calif. and DALLAS (February 27, 2006) - Addressing wireless service providers' needs to reduce operating expenses while increasing network performance, ArrayComm and Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced a collaboration to combine ArrayComm's smart antenna technology with TI's high-performance digital signal processing for wireless infrastructure applications. Compared with existing systems, this combined solution provides operators with four-fold improvements in wireless system coverage, data rates more than doubled, and a capacity increase as much as ten times, all with better coverage quality for 802.16/WiMAX and WCDMA/HSDPA networks. Service providers using the combined solution will reduce capital and operating costs while increasing network performance. For more information, please visit http://www.ti.com/wimaxwi .

The combination of ArrayComm's Network MIMO(TM) smart antenna software and TI's family of high-performance TMS320TCI6482 DSPs on a single reference design provides base station equipment manufacturers with critical differentiation including shorter time to market, higher equipment performance and greater flexibility as wireless standards evolve.

"Our collaboration is a win-win for both the service provider and the base station equipment manufacturer," said Steve Sifferman, executive vice president of operations with ArrayComm. "TI has the industry's most powerful, versatile and complete DSP platform for wireless infrastructure solutions. Coupling TI's DSP with our smart antenna software will yield substantial improvements in the service providers' network implementations for both 3G and WiMAX."

The first element of this collaboration is a reference design for WiMAX infrastructure applications that incorporates ArrayComm's Network MIMO software, offering unique support of multiple input / multiple output (MIMO), adaptive antenna system (AAS) and combined MIMO/AAS modes. ArrayComm's Network MIMO software implements all the antenna processing aspects of the WiMAX profiles approved by the WiMAX Forum Mobile Task Group (MTG) for IEEE 802.16e. MIMO and AAS, used in combination, increase subscriber data rates, improve cell-edge link budgets, manage interference, and maximize overall network capacity. The result is a significant performance advantage for WiMAX. The Network MIMO architecture leverages more than 14 years of ArrayComm experience in commercial smart antenna applications, yielding a software solution that accelerates development of advanced base station products and reduces technical risk.

For the first time, ArrayComm' Network MIMO software has been ported to TI's 1 GHz TMS320TCI6482 DSP. This optimized DSP performs at nearly twice the clock speed of other available solutions, yet consumes only three watts of power, making it the industry's most power efficient DSP for wireless infrastructure systems. The TCI6482 DSP's unique combination of high performance and low power provides infrastructure OEMs with a platform to upgrade current systems easily and expand product portfolios efficiently. The software programmable nature of the TCI6482 DSP allows users to upgrade their solutions to meet the needs of evolving standards. Also, it simplifies feature changes and upgrades to meet certification requirements.

"ArrayComm's expertise in smart antenna technology matched with TI's industry-leading TCI6482 DSP creates a unique combination that can positively impact equipment manufacturers' ease of use and time to market," said Jerold Givens, DSP platform manager, communications infrastructure, Texas Instruments. "In addition, this solution will help carriers to lower their deployment costs and further protect their network investments."

About ArrayComm

ArrayComm LLC, a Ygomi Group company, is the leader in antenna processing for wireless systems. ArrayComm software delivers large gains in range, capacity, data rates, and coverage quality for all wireless communications protocols, in base station, client device, or MIMO architectures. ArrayComm smart antenna software is implemented in WiMAX, PHS, GSM, WLL, WCDMA, and HC- SDMA networks, and it is operating in more than 275,000 commercial deployments today. For wireless equipment manufacturers, tapping ArrayComm's unmatched experience in smart antenna applications enables significant performance and time-to-market advantages while reducing development cost and technical risk. For more information, please visit http://www.arraycomm.com/

Trademarks

All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ArrayComm and Network MIMO are trademarks of ArrayComm LLC.

Texas Instruments and Mercury Computer Systems Announce a WiMAX AMC for Next-

Generation Mobile Broadband Market

Mercury's MTI-203 WiMAX AMC is Designed with TI's Latest Wireless Infrastructure DSP WiMAX Solution to Support 20 MHz Multi-Antenna Solution on

a Single AMC Module

DALLAS (February 27, 2006) - Texas Instruments (TI) and Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. today announced their collaboration on the development of the Mercury MTI-203 AMC (Advanced Mezzanine Card) for WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) wireless infrastructure digital base band applications.

WiMAX is an evolving standard for point-to-multipoint wireless networking that provides high-throughput broadband connections over long distances for a number of applications including high-speed enterprise connectivity for businesses.

The highly integrated module is designed to support TI's newly announced WiMAX/802.16e infrastructure solution for wireless applications, which includes software, analog, and RF products from TI. The multi-standard support for the TMS320TCI6482 digital signal processor (DSP) is expected to provide a fertile development ground for OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), a technique for transmitting large amounts of digital data over a radio wave, and other emerging air interfaces in general.

The Mercury MTI-203 will be anchored with three TCI6482 DSPs and a supporting compute node to create a WiMAX infrastructure base band solution. The module will enable all physical layer processing required for a 20 MHz, TDD, multi-antenna solution with Smart Antenna MIMO enabled. As a base band development platform, the MTI-203 is designed to support advanced features such as Smart Antenna and MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) transmission across a breadth of air interfaces. Visit http://www.mc.com/atca for more information on Mercury's MTI-203 AMC and other TI DSP AMC modules including the MTI-104 and MTI-101 AMCs.

"Combining TI DSPs and an FPGA on the same AMC module provides the best of both worlds -- customers can benefit from partitioning their application to the most appropriate processing technology on the same AMC," said Mark Skalabrin, Vice President and General Manager of the Advanced Solutions business at Mercury. "TI and Mercury worked closely together to specify a turnkey base band solution on an AMC that will focus on solving customers' problems using the best technology available."

The MTI-203 DSP/FPGA AMC expands the capabilities of the Mercury Ensemble2(TM) family of blades and AMC modules to support highly integrated DSP/FPGA applications. The Ensemble2 AdvancedTCA(R) platform is specifically designed around the performance, scalability, and reliability of the serial RapidIO(R) embedded system interconnect for data plane applications. Leveraging Mercury's renowned expertise in architecting and building efficient, scalable platforms for highly demanding applications in embedded computing, Ensemble2 is expected to deliver unprecedented levels of integration and scalability across a broad class of heterogeneous processing architectures that includes digital signal processors, communications processors, FPGAs, and network processors.

Ensemble2 is ideally suited to support WiMAX development activities: - Multiple heterogeneous AMCs to customize application -- option to plug in host processor, radio cards, Network Interface Card (NIC) AMC. - Scalability through a combination of AMCs and Carrier Cards -- the use of RapidIO(TM) for chip-to-chip and across-the-chassis connectivity allows seamless scaling from a single sector system to multi-sector, multi-antenna, multi-carrier WiMAX base station implementation. - Flexibility to easily expand specific processing nodes to address application performance bottleneck. Additional FPGA or DSP modules over RapidIO support specific application requirements. - Homogeneous interconnect between processing nodes to enable ease of programming over RapidIO between DSPs, communication processors, and FPGAs.

Mercury's MTI-203 utilizes TI's 1 GHz DSP and optimized WiMAX software library to speed development and time to market for equipment manufacturers developing WiMAX solutions. The TMS320TCI6482 DSP improves cost and power per channel by accelerating PHY processing and can also be easily upgraded to support future infrastructure needs while protecting manufacturers' and service providers' initial technology investment. The WiMAX-optimized software from TI minimizes product development time, while enabling the manufacturer to add their own customized software. This approach enables reduced implementation risk, enables quicker time to market, and provides room for competitive differentiation on the end product.

"When combined with TI's highly optimized and robust WiMAX software library, the MTI-203 and the Ensemble2 system provide exceptional flexibility and value for WiMAX base station developers," said Jerold Givens, manager, DSP communications infrastructure group at TI. "We are pleased to work with Mercury to deliver a high performance, flexible solution that speeds development of WiMAX products."

Availability

Early customer access of the Mercury MTI-203 module is planned for September 2006. For more information on the MTI-203 AMC, visit Mercury's website at http://www.mc.com/ensemble2 , or contact Mercury at (866) 627-6951 or webinfo@mc.com .

About Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.

Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. is the leading provider of high-performance embedded, real-time digital signal and image processing computer systems. Mercury's products play a critical role in a wide range of applications, transforming sensor data to information for analysis and interpretation. In military reconnaissance and surveillance platforms the Company's systems process real-time radar, sonar, and signals intelligence data. Mercury's systems are also used in state-of-the-art medical diagnostic imaging devices including MRI, CT, PET, and digital X-ray, and in semiconductor imaging applications including photomask generation and wafer inspection. Mercury provides advanced 3D image processing and visualization software and optimized systems to diverse end markets including life sciences, geosciences, and simulation. The Company also provides radio frequency (RF) products for enhanced communications capabilities in military and commercial applications.

Based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Mercury serves customers in North America, Europe and Asia through its direct sales force and a network of subsidiaries and distributors. Visit Mercury on the web at http://www.mc.com/ .

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors & Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries.

Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com/ .

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those relating to the Mercury MT-203 AMC or work in collaboration with Texas Instruments. You can identify these statements by our use of the words "may,""will,""should,""plans,""expects,""anticipates,""continue,""estimate,""project,""intend," and similar expressions. These forward- looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, including unforeseen weakness in Mercury's markets, effects of continued geo-political unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology, and methods of marketing, delays in completing engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, continued funding of defense programs, the timing of such funding, changes in the U.S. Government's interpretation of federal procurement rules and regulations, market acceptance of Mercury's products, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, and inability to fully realize the expected benefits from acquisitions or delays in realizing such benefits, challenges in integrating acquired businesses, and achieving anticipated synergies, and difficulties in retaining key customers. These risks and uncertainties also include such additional risk factors as are discussed in Mercury's recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2005. Mercury cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Mercury undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.

Trademarks

Ensemble2 is a trademark of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. RapidIO is a registered trademark of the RapidIO Trade Association. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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Texas Instruments Incorporated

CONTACT: Marcia Barnett of Texas Instruments Incorporated,+1-214-480-2050, or mpickett@ti.com ; or Erin Arnold, +1-972-341-2506, orearnold@golinharris.com , or Nicole Aguillard, +1-713-513-9572, ornaguillard@golinharris.com , both of GolinHarris, for Texas InstrumentsIncorporated; or Mara Craggs of ArrayComm LLC, +1-408-952-1868, ormcraggs@arraycomm.com ; or Kathy Donahue of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.,+1-978-967-1126, or kdonahue@mc.com . Please do not publish these numbers ore-mail addresses.

Web site: http://www.ti.com/http://www.ti.com/wimaxwihttp://www.ti.com/wihttp://www.arraycomm.com/http://www.mc.com/atcahttp://www.mc.com/ensemble2http://www.mc.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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