Centillium Contact:

Susie Reeves

Reeves & Associates

(650) 577-0688

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CENTILLIUM DELIVERS EIGHT G.LITE DSL PORTS IN A SINGLE CHIP SET; REDUCES POWER DISSIPATION TO 650 MW PER PORT

Optimized G.Lite CO and CPE Chip Set Solutions Dramatically Lower Costs of Mass DSL Deployment

FREMONT, Calif. – October. 19, 1998 – Centillium Technology Corporation, a leading innovator in the emerging market for DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) chip set, today unveiled a breakthrough solution designed to address the high costs and technical challenges associated with mass deployment of broadband digital services. As the industry’s first end-to-end chip set solution designed specifically for G.Lite DSL, the CopperLite product family solves these problems at both the central office and the end-consumer level.

The two-chip CopperLite Central Office (CO) chip set supports the industry’s highest port density – up to eight DSL ports per chip set – with speeds of up to 1536 kilobits per second (Kbps) downstream and 512 Kbps upstream over traditional copper telephone lines. The CopperLite solution enables network equipment makers to provide more DSL lines using less rack space in a central office or digital loop carrier, eliminate costly infrastructure upgrades by offering the industry’s lowest power consumption (0.65 watts), and ensure software upgradability over time by delivering ample processing power.

The two-chip CopperLite Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) chip set provides all of the required functionality for a G.Lite DSL modem supporting multiple PC interfaces, including Universal Serial Bus (USB), PCI, and Ethernet. This highly integrated solution offers low total system cost and fast time-to-market for PC and DSL modem OEMs.

The complete CopperLite end-to-end solution (CopperLite CO plus CopperLite CPE) enables service providers to quickly and cost-effectively deploy splitterless ADSL services based on DMT line code technology and the G.Lite standard currently being defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

"Our mission at Centillium is to remove the barriers to mass deployment of broadband digital services," said Faraj Aalaei, vice president of planning and business development, Centillium. "CopperLite is the industry’s first end-to-end DSL solution built from the ground floor up specifically for the G.Lite standard. While other semiconductor companies have scaled back their full rate DSL products for the consumer market, which defeats the entire purpose of the G.Lite standard, Centillium has focused on G.Lite from the beginning."

"On the central office side, we optimized our digital signal processor to achieve high port densities with low power requirements," continued Faraj. "Networking equipment based on CopperLite maximizes the number of ports per rack and requires fewer infrastructure upgrades in the central office, which means broadband data services can be deployed faster and more profitably than ever before. On the customer premises equipment side of the equation, we specifically designed our chip set solution for the cost-sensitive consumer market. As a licensee of USB technology from Intel, we are the first CPE chip set vendor to offer instant plug-and-play recognition in a DSL modem."

"Most people don't realize how difficult it is to install DSL equipment in a digital loop carrier or co-locate it in a central office," said Shannon Pleasant, industry analyst, In-Stat. "The CopperLite CO chip set helps solve the key issues for incumbent local exchange carriers by enabling them to install DSL networking equipment in existing rack spaces without making expensive infrastructure upgrades. At the same time, CopperLite makes it easier for competitive local exchange carriers to co-locate DSL networking equipment because it reduces the requirements for physical space and power."

CopperLite Central Office Solution

The two-part CopperLite central office chip set consists of the CT-L10DC08 Digital chip and CT-L10AC08 Analog chip. Networking equipment manufacturers can use these cost-effective, power-efficient chip sets as the foundation for multi-port line cards in carrier-class DSL Access Multiplexers (DSLAMs) and digital loop carriers. The CopperLite CO chip set offers the following features to help lower costs and ease deployment of DSL services in central offices:

Very High Port Density – By providing very high port densities, networking products based on the CopperLite CO chip set will enable DSL service providers to amortize their expensive investments in common equipment over a large number of subscribers.

Very Low Power Requirements – The CopperLite CO chip set dissipates just 0.65 watts per port. The digital signal processor (DSP) features built-in sleep-mode power management to ensure operational efficiency. Unlike other DSL chip sets, CopperLite does not require heat sinks and cooling systems. As a result, networking equipment vendors can support more DSL ports within their heat dissipation budgets in central offices or digital loop carriers.

Highly Integrated – The CopperLite CO solution supports up to eight DSL ports with just two chips. This compares with many other chip sets that require 30 or more chips for the same number of ports. No external memory is required, which means lower total system costs and smaller PCBs. No real-time microprocessor intervention is required, which means networking equipment manufacturers can utilize inexpensive processors with less engineering effort.

Programmable – The CopperLite CO chip set is based on a software-upgradable DSP, which ensures long product life cycles without the need for costly hardware upgrades. Broadband service providers can easily and cost-effectively upgrade their networking equipment as DSL standards evolve over time.

Rate Adaptive – CopperLite adapts to changing line conditions, enabling connections at the highest possible speeds at all times. This allows carriers to deploy DSL services on copper lines with varying conditions, reducing installation and network engineering efforts.

Provisionable – CopperLite allows digital services to be provisioned in 32 Kbit steps. This enables DSL service providers to offer a multitiered service offerings.

CopperLite CPE Solution

The two-part CopperLite CPE chip set consists of the CT-L10DT01 Digital chip and CT-L10AT01 Analog chip. Centillium specifically optimized the analog/digital front-end of the CopperLite solution for the CPE market. As a result, personal computer and CPE OEMs can use this highly integrated chip set as the foundation for developing cost-effective DSL modems. The CopperLite CPE chip set offers following features to help lower costs and ease deployment of DSL services for end users:

Ease of Installation – The USB interface makes connecting a CopperLite-based modem to a PC as easy as plugging a phone line into a jack. Because USB provides instant plug-and-play recognition, users can add or remove CopperLite-based equipment without having to install add-in cards, shut down or reboot the computer, or exit a running software application. The PC automatically recognizes, configures, and immediately enables functionality.

No External Memory or Processing Requirements – Unlike other G.Lite chip-set solutions, the highly integrated CopperLite architecture does not require external memory or real-time microprocessor intervention. As a result, overall CPE system performance is completely unaffected by the addition of a CopperLite-based modem.

Programmable – The CopperLite CPE chip set is based on a software-upgradable DSP, which ensures long product life cycles and future proofing without the need for costly hardware upgrades. End users can easily and cost-effectively upgrade their customer premises equipment as DSL standards evolve over time.

Availability

Limited sampling of both products are available now; high-volume production is slated for first quarter of 1999.

About Centillium

Founded in April 1997, Centillium Technology is a fabless semiconductor company developing ITU-T G.lite-compliant Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) solutions for manufacturers of telecommunications equipment. The company was co-founded Shahin Hedayat, Faraj Aalaei, Babu Mandava, Tony O’Toole, and Kamran Elahian, one of the best known figures in Silicon Valley. Mr. Elahian has co-founded two highly successful semiconductor companies, Neomagic and Cirrus Logic, as well as numerous other ventures.

Centillium has raised over $20 million from several leading investment firms, including U.S. Venture Partners, Walden International Ventures, Vertex Ventures, Korea Technology Banking, and VentureStar, as well corporate investors that include Askey Computer, GVC, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, Sumitomo Electric Industries, and ZyXEL Communications.

Additional information on Centillium is available at http://www.centillium.com.

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© 1998 Centillium Technology Corp. CopperLite is a trademark of Centillium Technology Corp. All products or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.