SAN JOSE, CA., June 11, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Parthus Technologies plc. (Nasdaq:PRTH) (LSE:PRH), a leading provider of platform-level intellectual property targeting the mobile Internet, is unveiling its ground breaking new In8Stream(TM) 802.11 IP platform at the Planet 802.11 conference in Philadelphia. Based upon PacketGenie(TM) technology, from Telematix - a leading developer of multi-protocol wireless networking technology. In8Stream(TM) offers advanced multi-mode wireless LAN (WLAN) capabilities across the entire range of IEEE 802.11 WLAN standards b, a, g and emerging standards including e, i and h through one flexible and powerful architecture.
Parthus is leveraging from its position as number one supplier in the Bluetooth IP licensing market (Dataquest) to target leadership in licensing 802.11 IP solutions. This will be Parthus' first public exhibition of the In8Stream(TM) demonstration, which runs a suite of applications requiring high-speed wireless connectivity.
"The world of wireless local area networking for the home, office and various public hotspot environments (such as airports, malls, coffee-shops), as targeted by Parthus' 802.11 technology, is one of the fastest growing segments of the communications industry," said Allen Nogee, Senior Analyst of Wireless Technology with Cahners-in-Stat. "We estimate that the number of 802.11 chipsets will grow rapidly from the 15 million to be shipped this year, to over 50 million shipping annually by 2005."
Fully IEEE 802.11 compliant, In8Stream(TM) incorporates a multi-mode b/a/g MAC Hardware core, a complete software stack for station or access point applications and 802.11a multi-protocol baseband core. The In8Stream(TM) architecture incorporates numerous differentiating features including:
-- The architecture substantially reduces memory and processor costs
which enables Parthus to deliver an IP platform with the lowest
cost of deployment in the industry
-- In8Stream(TM) has been architected around a programmable
communications processor, enables higher bandwidth versions of the
802.11standard to be easily accommodated A mixed hardware and
software architecture means emerging standards such as 802.11i, e
and h can be implemented in software without the need for new
silicon.
"Leveraging our extensive experience developing and deploying short range wireless technologies, we are confident that our In8Stream(TM) Platform will make a significant impact on the market," said Gerry Maguire, VP and GM of Wireless Solutions Division, Parthus Technologies. "Parthus has produced a world-class 802.11 solution for all current and emerging standards. It means that our customers can benefit greatly from a highly innovative architecture, which delivers the lowest cost of deployment in the industry. In addition, licensees are also supported by an extensive development environment and verification suite," added Maguire.
In8Stream holds a number of significant differentiators. When the following features are combined they translate directly into a significant reduction in costs for 802.11 products.
-- A comprehensive multi-mode architecture
-- Minimal on-chip memory requirements (In8Stream(TM) shares
host system memory and does not require external memory)
-- Reduced silicon die size (Parthus estimates In8Stream(TM)
designs are less than half the size of multi-protocol
implementations)
-- The compact In8Stream(TM) architecture also delivers superior
energy consumption performance over alternative solutions,
making the platform particularly well suited for battery operated
devices like PDAs, laptops and hand-held computers.
About 802.11
802.11 is a family of specifications for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). There are currently three specifications in the family: 802.11, 802.11a and 802.11b. The most recently proposed standard, 802.11g (which will be added late this year), offers wireless transmission in the 2.4 GHz ISM band at data rates up to 54 megabits per second (Mbps) compared with the 11 megabits per second of the 802.11b standard.
About Bluetooth:
Bluetooth is rapidly becoming the de facto standard for wireless communication between a range of personal electronic devices such as mobile phones, handheld devices, PC peripherals, automotive, home and industrial appliances. By eliminating the need for cables between inter-connecting devices, individuals can share voice and data using broadband and secure local wireless connections. By 2005, Cahners In-Stat forecasts that Bluetooth technology will be used in almost 780 million devices, ranging from mobile phones and desktop computers to digital cameras and automobiles.
About PacketGenie(TM):
Telematix Corporation has developed a unique packet processing technology called PacketGenie(TM), which has been optimized for multi-protocol wireless networking applications. PacketGenie(TM) along with an accompanying software stack provides a flexible multi-protocol MAC and baseband implementation, which can be configured to work with all planned variants of the 802.11 standard. PacketGenie(TM) based designs are up to 75% smaller in silicon die-size and consume a fraction of the power of traditional DSP- and CPU- based implementations. More information is available at http://www.telematix-corp.com.
About Parthus:
Parthus Technologies is a leading provider of platform-level intellectual property (IP) targeting the mobile Internet marketplace. Platform level-IP (i.e. incorporating the radio, baseband and software design in one integrated solution) greatly reduces licensees cost, risk, complexity and time-to-market for new generation semiconductor products. Parthus offers an unrivalled portfolio of platform level-IP spanning wireless communications (Bluetooth; 2.5G GSM/GPRS; 3G W-CDMA), and application processing and multimedia technologies (PDA/Smartphone for Microsoft, Symbian and Linux OS; mobile multimedia; GPS Location; application acceleration). Parthus leverages nine years of IP development expertise to deploy platforms either as stand-alone, or as converged solutions that further enhance the cost, power and performance characteristics of platform level-IP. Parthus licenses its technologies to some of the worlds leading semiconductor companies. Parthus is headquartered in Dublin with offices in nine countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:PRH) and NASDAQ (Nasdaq:PRTH). More information on Parthus is available at http://www.parthus.com.
Parthus Safe Harbor Statement:
This document may contain "forward looking statements". Any "forward looking statements'' in this document are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including, without limitation, statements to the effect that the company or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans" and similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include uncertainties relating to the ability of management to complete the planned merger with Ceva, Inc. and to successfully integrate the operations of the two companies, uncertainties relating to the acceptance of semiconductor intellectual property offerings, expansion of our business, quarterly variations in results, and other uncertainties that are discussed in our 2000 Annual Report on Form 20-F which is on file with the SEC since June 26, 2001.