BROADCOM'S 65NM GBE SWITCH ENABLES DEPLOYMENT OF ETHERNET.

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM, Irvine, Calif., a global leader semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, has announced the industry's first 65 nanometer (nm) 5-port Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch in a single-chip design that enables the ubiquitous deployment of GbE connectivity to consumer electronic devices and home networking equipment. 65nm process technology allowed Broadcom to develop an intelligent switching solution with the industry's smallest footprint, achieving unprecedented performance and a 30% reduction in power versus previous generations of Broadcom(R) silicon. For the first time, a GbE switch is now available with a power level and price point that can drive the transition from Fast Ethernet (FE) to GbE in home routers, residential gateways, set-top-boxes and other consumer electronics devices.

Broadband connectivity is now ubiquitous and the demand to share a high-speed connection and multimedia content throughout the home is growing by leaps and bounds. The digital home is quickly becoming a reality, and whether users download movies, share music and photos, or telecommute using a VPN router, they want to share all of their content across one home network.

The desire to share bandwidth-intensive content across a large number of computers and consumer electronics devices puts a strain on home networks. This is particularly true in the WLAN market where the migration from 802.11g to 802.11n Wi-Fi(R) technology will boost network speeds in excess of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps). As a result, home networks will need to transition from FE to GbE connectivity to create the wired infrastructure necessary to support these increased network speeds.

"Our new switch takes the digital home to the next level by enabling the deployment of Gigabit Ethernet in any consumer product that currently has Fast Ethernet," said Martin Lund, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Network Switching line of business. "As the leader in Ethernet switching silicon, Broadcom has the experience, technology and design capabilities to provide cost effective, low power solutions that can drive the mass adoption of GbE switches in home networks."

Announced today is the 5-port Broadcom BCM53115 GbE switch that provides better network performance in a smaller, cooler device. It offers a comprehensive Layer 2 (L2) feature set, support for digital subscriber line (DSL)/cable modem and wireless LAN (WLAN) connectivity, and features an industry-leading 5 gigabits of switching capacity on a single chip. The BCM53115 also provides a 30% power reduction versus previous generations of Broadcom products.

The new GbE switch is also unique in its ability to provide intelligent traffic management through Broadcom's compact field processor (CFP) which provides quality of service (QoS) and ensures a better user experience. The CFP makes it possible for consumers to share HD video, download music to a handheld multimedia player, transfer photo libraries, and make VoIP calls simultaneously across the same network.

Technical Information

The BCM53115 leverages Broadcom's experience in switching silicon to enable mass deployment of Gigabit Ethernet. Additional features include the following:

-- 5-port GbE switch in 65nm with integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps PHYs -- IPv4 and IPv6 security -- L2 and L3 multicast support for IPTV -- A VoIP engine to help prioritize voice over IP packets -- Two GbE uplinks for connectivity to CPUs and wireless LANs -- LoopDTech(TM) and CableChecker(TM) technologies to help reduce network down time and minimize installation, maintenance and network support efforts

The 65nm process is the most advanced lithographic node for manufacturing semiconductors in large volumes today. It provides significant benefits over 90nm and 130nm processes by enabling lower power consumption, smaller size, higher yields and higher levels of integration. With the depth and breadth of Broadcom's advanced portfolio of market-proven IP, the company is able to drive innovative new products to market and differentiate its solutions from the competition.

Availability and Pricing

Featuring the lowest power and smallest size in the industry, the BCM53115 single-chip GbE switch is currently sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request.

Broadcom offers a full range of software APIs and reference designs, as well as its FASTPATH(R) management software that can speed time-to-market for systems OEMs.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom(R) products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything(R).

Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,300 U.S. and 1,000 foreign patents, more than 7,100 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data.

Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe.

For more information, call 949/926.5000 or visit http://www.broadcom.com.