PRESS RELEASE:Conexant Systems
Unveils SmartPA Tech
( BW)(CA-CONEXANT)(CNXT) Conexant Develops Breakthrough Smart
Power Amplifier Technology That Will Enable up to Triple the Talk Time for
Mobile Handsets and Third-Generation -3G- Wireless Terminals
Business Editors & High-Tech Writers
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2000--
Conexant will incorporate its power-management technology into the
company's next generation of code division multiple access (CDMA)
power amplifiers
Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT) today unveiled advanced
power-management technology that will significantly improve the efficiency
of power amplifiers for mobile handsets and third-generation (3G) wireless
terminals. The SmartPA(TM) technology, for which patents are pending, is
expected to provide handset designers with a convenient, single-chip solution
for giving consumers up to triple the battery life possible with current handset
designs. Conexant will embed the SmartPA technology in a new family of
CDMA power amplifiers which will begin general sampling in the second
calendar quarter of 2000, with volume production scheduled for the second
half of the year.
Conexant's new SmartPA(TM) technology re-architects the
power-management circuitry in a power amplifier, partitioning it and using
innovative switching techniques so that a mobile handset's power
consumption can be optimized at various power levels. The SmartPA
architecture is particularly effective at low power ranges where handsets
operate 90 percent of the time. Using this advanced architecture, Conexant's
power amplifiers will be able to dramatically increase the power efficiency
of a handset design, independent of the rest of the handset system.
Conexant's power amplifiers will also be compatible with the current
generation of baseband devices, giving designers maximum flexibility for
developing a wide variety of handset designs.
"As a leading pioneer in CDMA power amplifiers, Conexant has spent years
analyzing power efficiency issues that we believe represent the single most
important challenge for mobile handset designers," said Moiz Beguwala,
senior vice president and general manager for Conexant's Wireless
Communications Division. "SmartPA technology offers a universal solution
to the problem, and gives designers an extremely easy-to-implement
technology that will be embedded directly into our power amplifiers. It will
provide significant advantages for both IS95 CDMA handsets and for future
3G terminals that will demand even better power management for supporting
voice and data applications."
Power amplifiers provide the energy for transmitting a wireless signal
through the handset's antenna to the basestation, and are the handset's
biggest determinant of battery life and talk time. Until now, power amplifiers
were not capable of running at the optimum dynamic load in response to
changing power output conditions, and this has significantly reduced power
efficiency over time. In developing its SmartPA technology, Conexant has
exploited a combination of specialized mixed-signal integrated circuit (IC)
design expertise and the company's leadership in 50GHz heterojunction
bipolar transistor (HBT) gallium arsenide (GaAs) process technology and
multichip module IC (MMIC) packaging techniques.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements relating to future results of the
company (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: global and market conditions,
including, but 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; the
availability and extent of utilization of manufacturing capacity; pricing
pressures and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; fluctuations
in manufacturing yields; product obsolescence; the ability to develop and
implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related
intellectual property; the successful implementation of the company's
diversification strategy; labor relations of the company, its customers and
suppliers; timely completion of Year 2000 modifications by the company and
its key suppliers and customers; and the uncertainties of litigation, as well as
other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from
time to time in the company'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. Other brands and names contained in this release are
the property of their respective owners.
About Conexant Systems
With revenues of approximately $1.5 billion, Conexant is the world's largest
independent company focused exclusively on providing semiconductor
solutions for communications electronics. With more than 30 years of
experience in developing communications technology, the company draws
upon its expertise in mixed-signal processing to deliver integrated systems
and semiconductor products for a broad range of communications
applications. These products facilitate communications worldwide through
wireline voice and data communications networks, cordless and cellular
wireless telephony systems, personal imaging devices and equipment, and
emerging cable and wireless broadband communications networks. The
company aligns its business into five product platforms: Network Access,
Wireless Communications, Digital Infotainment, Personal Imaging, and
Personal Computing. Conexant is a member of the S&P 500 and
Nasdaq-100 Indices. For more information, visit Conexant at
www.conexant.com.
--30--SL/na*
CONTACT: Conexant Systems, Inc.
Thomas Stites, 949/483-1492
thomas.stites@conexant.com
or
Benjamin Group/BSMG Worldwide
Carolyn Fromm or Heather McLaughlin, 714/245-7500
carolyn_fromm@benjamingroup.com
heather_mclaughlin@benjamingroup.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS HARDWARE
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