More BRCM news...well at least the May BRCM Calls will be profitable
Monday February 8, 7:59 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Broadcom Enters Home Networking Market
Broadcom Announces MediaShare Technology Providing More Than
10 Times the Performance of Existing HomePNA Solutions
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 1998--Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq:BRCM - news), a leading developer
of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband digital data transmission to the home and within the business
enterprise, today announced that it is developing products for the fast-growing home networking market.
Combining its technology expertise in cable modem, xDSL and corporate local area networks (LANs), Broadcom is
developing integrated home networking products that can transmit voice, video and data at high speeds over existing in-home
telephone wires. Broadcom's silicon technology will enable consumers to connect various devices to simultaneously access
Internet connections, software and computer peripherals, as well as supporting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony
and high-quality digital audio/video streaming throughout the home for entertainment and small office/ home office (SOHO)
applications.
''Broadcom's mission is to enable reliable, affordable broadband networks over the existing communications infrastructure,''
said Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III, Broadcom's President and CEO. ''We have proven our ability to do this in the cable modem,
digital set-top and high-speed corporate networking markets. Now we're logically and strategically extending these core
competencies into home networking. As the number of personal computers and Internet access devices increase in homes, we
continue to leverage our systems and networking expertise to deliver advanced broadband services to, and now throughout, the
home.''
''As the number of homes with multiple PCs grows more than twice as fast as the overall penetration rate of PCs, the
opportunity for networks in the home becomes increasingly significant. There are already over 800,000 homes in the U.S. which
have installed networks to communicate among computers, other types of devices and peripherals,'' said Kevin Hause, Senior
Consumer Device Analyst at International Data Corporation (IDC). ''In 1999, we expect over 80% of U.S. in-home
networking nodes to be based on phoneline technology.''
Broadcom is currently developing a new home networking technology called MediaShare(TM) that is rate-adaptive to more
than 10 times as fast as current HomePNA implementations and is compatible with existing HomePNA standards. The
objective of the HomePNA is to specify and certify interoperable in-home networking solutions that operate over existing
in-home telephone wiring. Broadcom is a member of HomePNA and is working to standardize the next generation of home
networking products. Other HPNA members include 3Com, AMD, AT&T Wireless, Compaq, Conexant, Epigram,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lucent and Tut Systems.
''Our technology cost-effectively provides a rate-adaptive solution in excess of 10 Mbps compared to current HomePNA
implementations of 1 Mbps,'' said Aidan O'Rourke, Broadcom's Director of Home Networking Products. ''Our technology is
compatible with the HomePNA standard and provides a bridge to next generation home networking solutions. MediaShare
allows consumers to have higher performance, faster and more robust in-home networks. This increase in throughput enables
consumers to distribute and share higher bandwidth content, such as multimedia applications, while providing increased
functionality and a better quality of service.''
In partnership with Tut Systems, Broadcom is demonstrating MediaShare this week at Demo '99 in Indian Wells, Calif. Demo
'99 is an invitation-only conference that provides a vehicle for technology leaders to demonstrate this year's ''market-making''
personal technology products. Broadcom's MediaShare technology operates in tandem with Tut Systems' HomeRun(TM), the
technology chosen by the HomePNA for its 1 megabit per second 1.0 specification, to create an Ethernet-like LAN over
existing home phonelines.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a leading developer of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband digital data
transmission to the home and within the business enterprise. Using proprietary technologies and advanced design
methodologies, the Company has designed and developed integrated circuits for some of the most significant broadband
communications markets, including the markets for cable set-top boxes, cable modems, high-speed networking products, direct
broadcast satellite and terrestrial digital broadcast, and digital subscriber line (xDSL). Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine,
Calif., and may be contacted at 949-450-8700 or at broadcom.com. |
