Headline: VLSI Announces Bluetooth Market Entry; 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) 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.
CONTACT: VLSI Technology
Earle Speranza, 408/922-5268
earle.speranza@vlsi.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA TEXAS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED TELECOMMUNICATIONS
PRODUCT
KEY: VLSIFX
Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet
with Hyperlinks to your home page.
URL: businesswire.com
Copyright 1999, Business Wire |
