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Atheros XSPAN Technology Featured in Industry's First Embedded Draft 1.0 802.11n Enterprise-Class Notebooks

Posted on: Monday, 6 November 2006, 09:00 CST

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atheros Communications, Inc. , a leading developer of advanced wireless solutions, today announced that Lenovo has introduced several new enterprise- class notebooks within the ThinkPad T60, R60, X60 and Z61 series featuring Atheros' XSPAN(TM) draft 1.0 802.11n wireless LAN (WLAN) technology. The notebooks integrate Atheros' AR5008E-3NX chipset, which supports the PCI- Express(TM) interface and operation in both the 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and 5 GHz frequency bands. The chipset also features all the mandatory technical elements contained in the draft 1.0 802.11n specification to deliver reliable wireless connectivity, enhanced throughput at range and legacy-friendly operation.

These are the first enterprise-class notebooks from Lenovo to feature draft 1.0 802.11n capabilities and are among the first PC OEM designs to come to market employing Atheros' XSPAN technology. Atheros' new-generation WLAN technology has become a popular choice among consumers worldwide looking to upgrade to the latest, high performance wireless routers and access points (AP).

XSPAN technology enhances the enterprise notebook user's experience in a variety of environments. When used in typical legacy 802.11g or 802.11a/g environments, this new-generation 802.11n technology delivers immediate benefits by increasing the notebook's connection range by more than 50 percent over legacy notebooks. At distances of 50 to 150 feet from the AP, users of XSPAN-enabled notebooks will enjoy enhanced throughput levels that are, at a minimum, 20 percent greater than with legacy-based notebooks. At distances beyond 150 feet, this throughput advantage becomes even more dramatic, thereby enhancing the legacy network's coverage. This higher throughput-at-range is delivered by XSPAN's three-receiver MIMO design enabled by the world's only triple-radio single chip. The addition of the third receiver enables stronger sensing of the legacy AP from greater distances, which results in a dramatic increase in link robustness.

When enterprises upgrade their existing networks to 802.11n, users will enjoy significantly increased wireless bandwidth -- up to 300 megabits-per- second (Mbps) physical data rates, which typically result in six times greater throughput and 10 times the range over 802.11g and 802.11a/g. Compared to legacy standards, the higher wireless capacity provided by 802.11n will enable enterprise APs and routers to support considerably more users on the WLAN, thereby driving wireless networking efficiencies.

In 802.11n home networks, Lenovo's new XSPAN-enabled ThinkPad notebooks deliver the full range of performance benefits provided by 802.11n. This new- generation WLAN technology provides the capacity to simultaneously support an array of bandwidth hungry applications, enabling the entire family to exchange and download large files, make Internet phone calls, wage online games and surf the Internet -- all at high throughput rates.

"With Atheros XSPAN technology, Lenovo is providing users with a highly reliable, enhanced wireless experience -- even in today's legacy office and home networks," said Todd Antes, vice president of marketing for Atheros. "As the adoption of draft 1.0 802.11n access points and routers grows, users of ThinkPad notebooks featuring XSPAN will increasingly enjoy the full performance benefits that this new generation WLAN technology delivers."

In addition to the ThinkPad T60, R60, X60 and Z61 notebooks, Atheros' 802.11a/g and 802.11g wireless chipsets have been integrated into several wireless enabled laptops and a wireless router from Lenovo. The integration of Atheros' XSPAN 802.11n technology into new ThinkPad notebook models continues to extend the relationship between the two companies.

The Lenovo notebooks are available now through the retail channel and online at http://www.lenovo.com/. For more information about the AR5008E-3NX chipset, please visit: http://www.atheros.com/pt/AR5008E-3NX.htm.

About Atheros Communications, Inc.

Atheros Communications is a leading developer of semiconductor system solutions for wireless communications products. Atheros combines its wireless systems expertise with high-performance radio frequency (RF), mixed signal and digital semiconductor design skills to provide highly integrated chipsets that are manufacturable on low-cost, standard complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes. Atheros technology is being used by a broad base of leading customers, including personal computer, networking equipment and handset manufacturers. For more information, visit http://www.atheros.com/ or send email to info@atheros.com.

Atheros, the Atheros logo and XSPAN are trademarks of Atheros Communications, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the sole property of their respective owners.

NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements regarding the features, performance and benefits of Atheros' XSPAN draft 802.11n technology, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, difficulties in development and manufacture of new products and upgraded products, unforeseen problems in the performance of the AR5008 chipset upon broad deployment, and other risks detailed in Atheros' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2006 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in other reports filed with the SEC by Atheros from time to time. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Atheros disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Atheros Communications, Inc.

CONTACT: Editorial: Dakota Lee of Atheros Communications,+1-408-720-5597 or dakota@atheros.com, or Joe Roualdes of A&R Edelman,+1-650-762-2869 or jroualdes@ar-edelman.com, for Atheros; or IR: Deb Stapletonof Stapleton Communications, +1-650-470-0200 or deb@stapleton.com, forAtheros

Web site: http://www.atheros.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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