Conexant Develops Breakthrough Smart Power Amplifier Technology That Will Enable up to Triple the Talk Time for Mobile Handse

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.Conexant will incorporate its power-management technology into the company s next generation of code division multiple access (CDMA) power amplifiers.

Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT) today unveiled advanced power-management technology that will significantly improve the efficiency of power amplifiers for mobile handsets and third-generation (3G) wireless terminals. The SmartPA(TM) technology, for which patents are pending, is expected to provide handset designers with a convenient, single-chip solution for giving consumers up to triple the battery life possible with current handset designs. Conexant will embed the SmartPA technology in a new family of CDMA power amplifiers which will begin general sampling in the second calendar quarter of 2000, with volume production scheduled for the second half of the year.

Conexant s new SmartPA(TM) technology re-architects the power-management circuitry in a power amplifier, partitioning it and using innovative switching techniques so that a mobile handset s power consumption can be optimized at various power levels. The SmartPA architecture is particularly effective at low power ranges where handsets operate 90 percent of the time. Using this advanced architecture, Conexant s power amplifiers will be able to dramatically increase the power efficiency of a handset design, independent of the rest of the handset system. Conexant s power amplifiers will also be compatible with the current generation of baseband devices, giving designers maximum flexibility for developing a wide variety of handset designs.

"As a leading pioneer in CDMA power amplifiers, Conexant has spent years analyzing power efficiency issues that we believe represent the single most important challenge for mobile handset designers," said Moiz Beguwala, senior vice president and general manager for Conexant s Wireless Communications Division. "SmartPA technology offers a universal solution to the problem, and gives designers an extremely easy-to-implement technology that will be embedded directly into our power amplifiers. It will provide significant advantages for both IS95 CDMA handsets and for future 3G terminals that will demand even better power management for supporting voice and data applications."

Power amplifiers provide the energy for transmitting a wireless signal through the handset s antenna to the basestation, and are the handset s biggest determinant of battery life and talk time. Until now, power amplifiers were not capable of running at the optimum dynamic load in response to changing power output conditions, and this has significantly reduced power efficiency over time. In developing its SmartPA technology, Conexant has exploited a combination of specialized mixed-signal integrated circuit (IC) design expertise and the company s leadership in 50GHz heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) gallium arsenide (GaAs) process technology and multichip module IC (MMIC) packaging techniques.

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About Conexant Systems

With revenues of approximately $1.5 billion, Conexant is the world s largest independent company focused exclusively on providing semiconductor solutions for communications electronics. With more than 30 years of experience in developing communications technology, the company draws upon its expertise in mixed-signal processing to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products for a broad range of communications applications. These products facilitate communications worldwide through wireline voice and data communications networks, cordless and cellular wireless telephony systems, personal imaging devices and equipment, and emerging cable and wireless broadband communications networks. The company aligns its business into five product platforms: Network Access, Wireless Communications, Digital Infotainment, Personal Imaging, and Personal Computing. Conexant is a member of the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Indices. For more information, visit Conexant at www.conexant.com.

CONTACT: Conexant Systems, Inc. Thomas Stites, 949/483-1492, thomas.stites@conexant.com Benjamin Group/BSMG Worldwide Carolyn Fromm or Heather McLaughlin, 714/245-7500 carolyn_fromm@benjamingroup.com, heather_mclaughlin@benjamingroup.com