• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Conexant Launches Family of Next-Generation Home Network Processors With World-First Support for USB 2.0

Posted on: Monday, 16 February 2004, 06:00 CST

New Device Targets Multiple Wired and Wireless LAN/WAN Applications

¶ Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT), a worldwide leader in semiconductor system solutions for digital information and home entertainment networks, today announced a family of next-generation home network processors (HNPs) for a wide variety of local and wide area networking (LAN/WAN) applications including broadband wired and wireless gateways, home network attached storage, voice and video media distribution and virtual private networks. The highly integrated, single-chip CX86201/2 series is the industry's first line of HNPs to include host support for high-speed universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 connectivity between personal computers and peripheral devices. Additional LAN access technologies supported include Ethernet, HomePNA(TM), HomePlug(R), IEEE 802.11a/b/g and Ethernet WAN access technologies. The chips also include an integrated switch that supports five 10/100 megabit per second (Mbps) Ethernet ports, and optional interfaces for wireless and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) applications. ¶"Our new network processors provide our customers with full-featured, flexible platforms for broadband gateway designs that accommodate many diverse, wide and local area network topologies," said Chee Kwan, vice president of Broadband Access Products for Conexant. "The high-speed transfer rates supported by USB 2.0 are particularly well suited for accessing, storing and sharing bandwidth intensive audio and video files across multiple platforms within the home. As an additional benefit, the devices can be integrated with our wireless and video semiconductor solutions, further broadening the range of products and applications the processors can be used in, and providing our customers with even greater economies of scale."¶ The new family, which is based on the ARM926EJ-S core, operates at 180 MHz, and is offered in two configurations. The CX86201, with a five-port switch and peripheral component interconnect (PCI) support, is targeted at wired and wireless gateways. The full-featured CX86202 includes a five-port switch, USB 2.0 support, PCI and VoIP interfaces and is suited for a wide range of highly integrated home networking applications including wired and wireless gateways, home network storage, printer servers, VoIP and virtual private networks. The CX86201 and CX86202 are packaged in a 233-pin and a 292-pin ball grid array (BGA), respectively. All configurations comply with the IEEE 802.3 specification regarding the physical media and working characteristics of Ethernet in local area networks. ¶ An example of an application using the CX86201/2 series is a wireless home gateway that includes an Ethernet WAN port to connect to a broadband modem, four Ethernet LAN ports, an 802.11a/b/g access point connecting any Wi-Fi compatible device and a home storage device connected through the USB 2.0 port.

¶ Pricing and Availability

¶ Sample quantities of the chips are available now, with volume production scheduled for the second quarter of 2004. The CX86201 is priced at $16.00 and the CX86202 is priced at $18.00 in quantities of 10,000.

¶ About Conexant

¶ Conexant's innovative semiconductor system solutions are driving digital home information and entertainment networks worldwide. The company has leveraged its expertise and leadership position in modem technologies to enable more Internet connections than all of its competitors combined, and continues to develop leading integrated silicon solutions for cable, satellite, terrestrial data and digital video networks. ¶ Key products include digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem solutions, home network processors, broadcast video encoders and decoders, digital set-top box components and systems solutions, and dial-up modems. The company also offers a suite of wireless data and networking components solutions that includes HomePlug(R), HomePNA(TM) and WLAN (802.11) components and reference designs. ¶ Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company and has approximately 1,400 employees. The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. To learn more, visit us at www.conexant.com.

¶ Safe Harbor Statement

¶ This press release contains statements relating to future results of Conexant (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions; changes in product mix; product obsolescence; the availability of manufacturing capacity; fluctuations in manufacturing yields; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the uncertainties of litigation; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; costs related to our proposed merger with GlobespanVirata, Inc.; the successful completion of our proposed merger with GlobespanVirata; and the risk that our and GlobespanVirata's businesses will not be successfully integrated, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in Conexant's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

¶ Conexant is a trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc. HomePlug is a registered trademark of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Inc. and HomePNA is a trademark of the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners.

More News in this Category