picoChip launches eight-user femtocell reference design platform Lead customers steer development of PC8219 enterprise femtocell

Bath, England and Barcelona, Spain, 16 February 2009: — picoChip has announced the PC8219, a complete software-defined baseband solution for eight-user femtocells designed to run on its established PC202 processor chip. The company has developed this platform in conjunction with two of its lead customers as key development partners for the product. The PC8219 is a complete eight-user HSDPA/HSUPA femtocell baseband implementation, compliant with 3GPP Release 6 HSUPA and the new femto-specific features from Release 8. Building on picoChip’s field-proven software tested over a number of years of femtocell development, the new solution will allow customers to use their existing platforms to rapidly produce robust, carrier-class products suitable for the forthcoming enterprise femtocell market. “Eight-user femtocell deployment is emerging as a top priority for many network operators, who see the potential to offer enhanced services to business customers,” said Nigel Toon, president and CEO at picoChip. “By combining the capacity of a picocell with the lower cost and ease of installation of the residential femtocell, we believe we can assist OEMs in addressing a substantial and growing potential market and support these exciting developments for carrier-class communications.” The new design extends picoChip’s field-proven range of software reference designs based on its programmable picoArrayTM architecture. This flexible approach allows OEMs to get a head start in designing their products, creating solutions that can be optimized and field proven. Subsequent “hardening” into a system-on-chip platform can be undertaken as required by cost and volume demands. The company offers solutions for all of the major 3G standards, WiMAX, and recently demonstrated the industry’s first LTE reference designs. The PC8219 will provide high-speed data, voice and multimedia services, effectively complementing the functions of an eight-line PBX for small enterprise use. It runs on a single PC202-10 picoArray device that includes an integrated ARM9 core, providing a cost-effective, fully programmable solution that allows rapid customization, optimization and upgrades. The PC8219 is suitable for all backhaul architectures, most importantly the new Iuh from 3GPP Release 8. picoChip is the only semiconductor company focused solely on wireless infrastructure currently shipping silicon. It provides baseband solutions to address the key challenges of cost, development time and flexibility for the next generation of wireless systems. The company’s multi-core processors deliver a world-beating price/performance combination. picoChip is the industry standard architecture for WiMAX basestations, and is the leading supplier for the new wave of femtocells, with support for TD-SCDMA, HSPA, LTE, cdma2000/EvDO and GSM/GPRS/EDGE. The company’s products scale from femtocell access points to picocells and sophisticated multi-sector carrier macrocells. +++ends Editor's Note: “picoArray” is a registered trademark of picoChip. All other trademarks and servicemarks are the property of their respective owners. picoChip company contact: Rupert Baines, picoChip Designs Limited, Riverside Buildings, 108 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1225 469 744 E-mail: rupertb@picoChip.com picoChip media contact: Oliver Davies, Publitek Limited, 18 Brock Street, Bath, BA1 2LW, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1225 470 000 E-mail: oliver.davies@publitek.com About picoChip picoChip is the industry’s leading supplier of femtocell silicon with solutions for all of the world’s major wireless standards, including WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX and cdma2000. The company’s PC202 device, launched in March 2006, was the industry’s first integrated baseband processor to specifically target femtocell applications. picoChip continues this record of innovation, having recently demonstrated the industry’s first reference designs for the emerging LTE standard. For more information, visit www.picochip.com