Monday February 8, 7:57 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Broadcom and Tut Systems Demonstrate 10 Megabit Per Second Home
Phoneline Networking
'No New Wires' Technology Capable of Scaling to 60 Megabits per Second On Standard Telephone Wiring
INDIAN WELLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 1999-- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq:BRCM - news), a leading developer of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband communications to the home and within the business enterprise, and Tut Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:TUTS - news), a developer of high-speed data connectivity solutions over copper wire, today unveiled a technology demonstration of high-speed home networking at the Demo '99 Conference in
Indian Wells, Calif. Using existing phone wires within the home, this technology will allow consumers to create broadband networks for a variety of new shared Internet, multimedia, entertainment, home office/small office, and home security applications.
Together, Broadcom and Tut Systems are working within the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) to deliver easy-to-use, interoperable and affordable, high-speed consumer networking solutions using existing telephone wire in the home. Tut Systems is a pioneer in home networking technology and the developer of HomeRun(TM), which has been adopted by the HomePNA as the 1 megabit-per-second (Mbps) standard. Broadcom Corporation is a recognized industry leader in broadband communication and networking chipset technology. Leveraging each company's strengths, Broadcom and Tut Systems have developed a dual-speed network that supports HomePNA 1.0 specified equipment as well as a new class of consumer-based networking appliances for both 1 and 10 Mbps applications.
The new Broadcom technology shown in this demonstration, called MediaShare(TM), was developed in partnership with Tut Systems. Operating in tandem with Tut Systems' HomeRun technology, through a jointly developed signaling protocol, the Broadcom® MediaShare technology is a multi-megabit, rate-adaptive solution that runs at speeds in excess of 10 megabits per second, without interrupting regular phone service or requiring the installation of new wiring in the home.
Higher speed in-home networks are needed to support applications such as multiple broadband Internet connections, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and high-quality digital audio/video streaming throughout the home.
MediaShare technology will enable high-speed, robust connections using standard phoneline wiring at consumer-level price points. MediaShare is a rate-adaptive technology, and future implementations will be capable of scaling to transmission rates in excess of 60 megabits per second. Data rates of this order are required for the distribution of HDTV and high-quality videoconferencing within the home.
''Broadcom's and Tut Systems' combined expertise has made it possible to raise the bar on home networking performance beyond 10 megabits per second,'' said Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III, Broadcom's President and CEO. ''This technology is key to the widespread use of new classes of IP consumer devices within the home, while maintaining compatibility with a large legacy installed base. MediaShare is a driving force behind seamless interoperability of phoneline, powerline and wireless
networks in multi-tiered home networks of the future. Furthermore, its bandwidth scalability makes it ideally suited as a backbone technology for these new classes of networks.''
Demo '99 brings together the best new products and technologies of the year and presents them to the personal technology industry's key influencers. The Broadcom/Tut Systems demonstration illustrates the breadth of advanced applications that can be supported by efficiently combining voice, data and video traffic on existing in-home phone wiring. In this demonstration, IP telephony, digital video and shared web browsing run concurrently on a single phoneline network while
supporting standard telephony and dial-up modem operations.
''Standards for home networking technology and a clear road map for the future are key factors in the process of delivering reliable, easy-to-use, and affordable home networking solutions to consumers,'' said Kevin Hause, Manager of Consumer Device Research at International Data Corporation (IDC). ''As such, IDC believes that phoneline technology will become the dominant home networking medium for the next five years.''
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.
About Tut Systems Inc.
Tut Systems designs, develops and markets advanced communications products which enable high-speed data access over the copper infrastructure of telephone
companies, as well as the copper telephone wires in homes, businesses and other buildings. These products incorporate Tut's proprietary FastCopper(TM)
technology in a cost-effective, scalable and easy to deploy solution to exploit the underutilized bandwidth of copper telephone wires. The Company's products
include Expresso high bandwidth access multiplexers, associated modems and routers, XL Ethernet extension products and integrated network management
software. Tut's HomeRun technology, an in-home application of FastCopper(TM), has been chosen by the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) as
the initial specification for in-home networking over phonelines.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 for Broadcom Corporation:
This release may contain forward-looking statements involving risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual future events or results to differ materially
and adversely from those described in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom include, but are not limited
to, the volume of product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the loss of a
significant customer; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of the
Company's products; the Company's ability to specify, develop, introduce and market new products and technologies on a timely basis; the timing of customer
qualification and industry interoperability certification of new products and the risk of non-qualification or non-certification; the rate of adoption by customers and
end-users of new and emerging technologies in the high-speed networking, cable set-top box, cable modem, direct broadcast satellite and terrestrial digital broadcast,
and digital subscriber line (xDSL) markets; the rate of adoption and acceptance of new industry standards in the foregoing markets; fluctuations in manufacturing
yields and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of products; the effects on operations and management of business expansion and
facility relocations; uncertainties associated with international operations; the Company's ability to retain and hire key executives, technical personnel and other
employees in the numbers, with the capabilities and at the compensation levels needed to implement its business and product plans; problems or delays in achieving
higher levels of design integration and in migrating product designs to smaller geometry processes; intellectual property disputes; changes in product or customer
mix; the quality of the Company's products; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; potential business disruptions, claims, expenses and
other difficulties resulting from ''Year 2000'' problems in computer-based systems used by the Company, its suppliers or customers; general economic conditions
and market conditions in the markets addressed by Broadcom; and the other factors discussed in the Company's filings from time to time with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Broadcom disclaims any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by it or on its
behalf.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 for Tut Systems, Inc.:
Various matters set forth in this press release, such as statements relating to the expected performance characteristics, specifications, market acceptance, specific uses
and market position of Tut Systems, Inc. are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, Tut
Systems' ability to finalize development of technology and products related to the MediaShare technology, the submission to and adoption of the technology as a
standard recognized by the Home Phoneline Network Alliance, the price/performance requirements of customers, the ability of Tut Systems to sell or license
products incorporating the technology, the impact and pricing of competing technologies, the introduction of alternative technological solutions and other risks
detailed from time-to-time in Tut Systems' SEC filings and reports.
Note to Editors: Broadcom is a registered trademark of Broadcom Corporation. MediaShare is a trademark of Broadcom Corporation. HomeRun and FastCopper
are trademarks of Tut Systems Inc. |
