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Philips Introduces Industry's Leading Low-Pow

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Philips Introduces Industry's Leading Low-Power Wireless LAN Solution for the Connected Consumer Monday September 8, 10:01 am ET Complete 802.11b chipset offers lowest standby power, smallest form factor and highest integration for mobile handheld devices SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2003-- Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG - News; AEX:PHI) today announced a complete semiconductor solution for low-power IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN connectivity that will change the way people use cellular handsets, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), Voice over IP handsets and other portable infotainment devices. Consumers will be able to access data, the Internet and multimedia content through WLAN networks without dramatically compromising battery life. Philips' low-power 802.11b solution addresses a new era of handheld multimedia products featuring integrated WLAN access to enterprise, home and public networks. "The WLAN market is expected to experience strong growth with 33.3 million chipsets to be sold in 2003 to 94.4 million in 2007," said Allen Nogee, principal analyst with industry research firm In-Stat/MDR. "In addition to the traditional add-on PC card applications, one of the strong drivers of this continued growth will be the emergence of handheld products that integrate WLAN features. This new segment will demand the benefits of WLAN connectivity without sacrificing battery life and usability. Philips is the first company to provide a complete solution optimized to meet these new demands." Philips' expertise in low-power mobile phone technology helped to create an 802.11b solution with an impressive total standby power consumption of 3 milliwatts (mW) for the complete solution, the lowest standby power available today. This low power performance was achieved through its advanced system architecture, integrated ARM7 controller with associated memories and intelligent power management hardware and software algorithms. In addition, the Philips solution places no load on the host processor, which allows WLAN to be integrated into mobile devices without compromising application performance and battery life. Philips' new low-power WLAN solution is also the smallest form factor available today. It consists of a single RF System-in-Package (Philips' BGW100) and a single-chip baseband processor and MAC (Philips' SA2443). The entire solution, consisting of the ICs plus all required external components, consumes only 300 mm(2) of board space -- at least 50 percent smaller than other comparably equipped solutions. This aggressive form factor was achieved with an advanced RF System-in-Package (SiP) and an optimized baseband/MAC architecture utilizing on-chip memories and low-pin count host interfaces. The Philips' two-chip solution requires fewer than 30 external components making it the most highly integrated solution on the market. The chipset architecture and packaging reduce the number of required components enabling quicker design cycles, lower risk, simplified manufacturing and an overall reduction in the bill of materials (BoM). "We are excited about the market opportunity for WLAN-enabled handheld devices. Our low-power chipset is a solid first step towards a new range of converged devices and our vision of the connected consumer," said Paul Marino, vice president and general manager, Connectivity, Philips Semiconductors. "Philips is committed to providing seamless connectivity for cellular handsets, PDAs and other handheld devices to make it easier for people to connect to information, services and entertainment." Pricing and Availability Philips' complete low-power 802.11b solution is expected to sample in the fourth quarter of 2003 with general availability planned in the first quarter of 2004. Suggested pricing for the chipset is planned at US $12.00 in 10,000 quantities. About Royal Philips Electronics Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of $30.1 billion (EUR 31.8 billion) in 2002. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 164,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at: www.semiconductors.philips.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: Philips Marijke Sas, [phone] (Europe) [e-mail] Paul Morrison, 408-474-5065 (USA) [e-mail] Robyn Kao, [phone] (Asia Pacific) [e-mail] or press room: www.semiconductors.philips.com