AsicAhead Enters WiMAX Market with Breakthrough Single-Chip Programmable Radio

AA1001 Advanced RFIC First to Offer ''On the Fly'' Reconfiguration Supporting the IEEE 802.16e Standard and Multiple Frequency Bands

HASSELT, Belgium--May 22, 2006--AsicAhead NV, a wireless fabless semiconductor company serving mobile and wireless markets, today entered the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) market with the only single chip programmable radio that can be reconfigured in the field to support multiple frequency bands, as well as all currently specified IEEE 802.16e bandwidth configurations. This advanced mobile Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) -- the patent-pending AA1001 -- eliminates the need for multiple RFICs, and enables WiMAX-connected devices and systems such as Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), wireless data devices and mobile phones to be deployed worldwide. Its small footprint, low power consumption, and significantly lower Bill of Materials (BOM), make it ideal for mobile devices.

The AA1001's reprogrammable wideband transceiver overcomes all major challenges faced by WiMAX developers -- regional frequency band variation, multiple radio bandwidths and the need for low power. In addition, the AA1001 eliminates the need for expensive Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) filters and a Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO), lowering the overall BOM.

"Our mission is to provide state-of-the-art standard products that can be reconfigured to any company's specific system requirements, delivering wireless connectivity anywhere, anytime, at any speed," stated Joan Ceuterick, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of AsicAhead. "OEMs who have sampled the AA1001 tell us it is the most advanced single-chip WiMAX RF solution available today."

Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of AsicAhead Frank Op 't Eynde said, "We have maximized the level of integration and flexibility -- and all this in standard CMOS. In addition, designing-in the AA1001 for WiMAX applications requires only the customary RF productization skills."

Multiple Business Benefits

The AA1001 RFIC offers multiple business benefits for early adopters of WiMAX, who wish to address worldwide markets. It is ideal for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Original Design Manufacturer (ODMs) developing broadband wireless access, mobile data and cellular applications.

The AA1001 enables the design and deployment of new products, especially in the nomadic and mobile markets. Use of this single worldwide RFIC solution empowers OEMs / ODMs to take advantage of economies of scale and simplifies product procurement. In addition, the AA1001 is software upgradeable, enabling fast entry into new regional markets with new frequencies. It covers all frequency bands continuously from 700MHz to 6GHz. AsicAhead also provides a dual band reference design.

Pricing and Availability

The AA1001 RFIC will be in production next quarter. Small quantity pricing is $18 for 10,000 units. Large volume pricing will align with prices of RFIC solutions for cellular technologies.

About AsicAhead

AsicAhead NV is a fabless semiconductor company that serves the mobile and wireless markets with reconfigurable RFIC components for flexible, cost-effective deployment of devices and systems worldwide. AsicAhead's advanced, patent-pending single-chip programmable radios support a universal frequency range and multiple standards, and can be switched between communication protocols and bandwidths on the fly. Privately held, AsicAhead was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Hasselt, Belgium. For further information, please visit http://www.AsicAhead.com.