VLSI Announces Bluetooth Market Entry
/the the Bluetooth announcements are stating to come in/too bad vlsi is ready Phillips acquisition target - is here the reason?/
Unveils Ericsson-Endorsed Application Development Solution and Adds Bluetooth to Industry-Leading IP Portfolio
SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 1999--VLSI Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:VLSI - news) today announced that it is incorporating Bluetooth into its industry-leading range of wireless capabilities, alongside its portfolio for standards such as GSM, CDMA, DECT, and future Third Generation (3G) protocols.
VLSI is a leader in the design and manufacture of custom and semicustom ICs for wireless communication applications, and the addition of Bluetooth to the company's capability portfolio further secures VLSI's leadership position.
VLSI also announced today that it has co-developed with Ericsson the first Bluetooth baseband processor, and under a distribution agreement with Ericsson, VLSI will make this chip available on the open market. VLSI further announced today the availability of a development kit for Bluetooth hardware and software development.
The VLSI Bluetooth Developer's Kit enables customers to rapidly develop and market Bluetooth products by providing a full development environment and by offering access to low-risk, Ericsson-IP-based ''standard silicon.''
VLSI is integrating the VLSI/Ericsson-developed Bluetooth blocks into the VLSI Velocity(TM) Rapid Silicon Prototyping design reuse methodology, thus becoming the first Bluetooth supplier capable of delivering embeddable and custom Bluetooth-enabled solutions based on highly reusable Intellectual Property (IP).
VLSI's leading-edge design-reuse methodology offers customers the ability to integrate Bluetooth functionality cost-effectively into their end products, via either Bluetooth-specific devices or custom ICs combining Bluetooth with other system functionality (GSM, DECT, USB, etc.).
''We're delighted to add Bluetooth IP to our communications portfolio,'' said Thierry Laurent, senior vice president and general manager of VLSI's Communication Products Group. ''This further strengthens VLSI's wireless leadership position. Bluetooth has already generated enormous market interest and holds great promise for the future, and now, thanks to the Developer's Kit, manufacturers can leverage VLSI's Bluetooth know-how to translate that market interest into the first wave of exciting new products.''
Jorgen Nordin, senior manager, Bluetooth Licensing and Partnering, for Ericsson Mobile Communications AB added, ''Ericsson is very happy to endorse the VLSI Bluetooth Developer's Kit as an important step in enabling early development of Bluetooth-compliant products.''
VLSI Bluetooth Developer's Kit
The Developer's Kit will be integrated into VLSI's Velocity Rapid Silicon Prototyping System. It includes additional daughter-cards and software code for the Bluetooth communications protocol stack. The daughter-card is the key element of the Developer's Kit and contains the Bluetooth baseband processor chip. The daughter-card can work in stand-alone mode; users will also be able to plug it into one of several expansion slots on the Velocity Rapid Silicon Prototyping boards.
Each Bluetooth daughter-card includes a single-chip baseband device, embedded software stack, radio module, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and some discrete components. A radio module is connected to this daughter-card and provides a radio link between the two daughter-cards that form part of the kit.
The complete Developer's Kit delivers an application-focused version of VLSI's Rapid Silicon Prototyping methodology, accelerating development of core-based Bluetooth-enabled system-on-a-chip ICs, providing true hardware-software co-development and enabling fast, accurate debugging and verification of complex embedded systems. This shortens time-to-market, reduces development risk and lowers project costs.
The Developer's Kit enables rapid development of Bluetooth-compliant hardware and application software, advancing the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's (SIG) objective of driving a wave of industry-standard wireless local digital communications products into the marketplace by end of 1999.
Bluetooth Background
Bluetooth is initially aimed at the cellular phone, laptop, personal digital assistant (PDA) and peripherals markets. The Bluetooth initiative replaces cables connecting computing and communications equipment with a universal, low-cost radio link. Computers, phones, printers, headsets, pagers, personal organizers, pointing devices, joysticks, remote controls -- even household appliances -- are all candidates for Bluetooth-enabled communications.
Founding members of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group include Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba; VLSI has been involved in this group since the beginning. The Bluetooth initiative has since attracted over 500 technology adopters committed to providing Bluetooth-based products, virtually guaranteeing that Bluetooth will become a new universal digital communications standard for a wide range of consumer electronic products.
The Bluetooth SIG's roadmap calls for Bluetooth end products to become available in 1999 from a wide variety of suppliers. Achieving the SIG's goals depends on end product manufacturer success in developing innovative, customer-valued Bluetooth-enabled products on schedule, on budget and with minimal risk. This is where the VLSI Bluetooth Development Kit comes into the picture.
Support
In recognition of the wide range of applications and markets into which Bluetooth technology will be integrated, VLSI will shortly be making further announcements concerning a number of key partnerships in areas of hardware and software support.
Availability
VLSI will make the Developer's Kit available to customers committing to design Bluetooth end products incorporating VLSI silicon. VLSI will be shipping Developer's Kits by June 1999, following the release of Bluetooth Specification v1.0. The VLSI Developer's Kit is offered along with an upgrade subscription for a total price of $65,000.
About VLSI
VLSI Technology, Inc. designs and manufactures custom and semicustom integrated circuits for leading firms in the wireless communications, networking, consumer digital entertainment and advanced computing markets.
VLSI's value proposition is based on full-service customer support, deep libraries of vertical market-focused IC intellectual property, unparalleled custom circuit design expertise enabled through the Velocity Rapid Silicon Prototyping design style, and one of the world's most flexible and efficient custom circuit manufacturing facilities in San Antonio.
The company is based in San Jose, Calif. with 1998 revenues from continuing operations of $547.8 million, and approximately 2,200 employees worldwide. For more information, visit the VLSI homepage, www.vlsi.com.
Note to Editors: Velocity is a trademark of VLSI Technology, Inc. Other trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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Contact:
VLSI Technology
Earle Speranza, 408/922-5268
earle.speranza@vlsi.com
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