Atheros Communications Ships
its 20-Millionth Wireless Chipset
High-Performance Single-Chip 802.11g
and 802.11a/g Solutions Create Strong Market Demand
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 31, 2005—Atheros
Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHR), a leading developer of advanced wireless
LAN (WLAN) chipsets, today announced it shipped its 20-millionth chipset during
the fourth quarter of 2004. In just under three years, the company has delivered
six generations of WLAN silicon, each with greater features, better performance
and competitive prices.
Atheros has achieved numerous industry milestones in its
six-year history. The company introduced the world’s first 802.11a chipset in
2001, the first dual-band 802.11a/b chipsets in 2002 and 802.11a/b/g chipsets in
2003. In 2004, it also rolled out the industry’s first single-chip 802.11g and
802.11a/b/g solutions for client devices, as well as a single-chip 802.11g
Access Point (AP) device. Atheros’ move to single-chip integration is part of
its strategy to provide the industry with high-performance, low-cost wireless
solutions, in order to drive ubiquitous wireless connectivity.
“Surpassing the 20-millionth chipset milestone is a
remarkable achievement, made possible through the innovation and dedication of
our employees as well as the continued support of our customers,” said Craig
Barratt, president and chief executive officer of Atheros. “Since the shipment
of our first products in late 2001, we have continuously introduced new and
innovative chipsets that demonstrate our ability to do high levels of
integration and provide industry-leading performance in a standard digital CMOS
manufacturing process. All of us at Atheros will continue providing our
customers with innovative, cost-effective wireless solutions that improve the
overall wireless user experience.”
Demand for Atheros solutions is at an all-time high. During
the fourth quarter of 2004, Atheros shipped more than 4.7 million chipsets to
its customers, further demonstrating the widespread adoption of its products in
the WLAN market. During 2004, Atheros experienced increased demand for WLAN
products using dual-band 802.11a/b/g technology. These products provide greater
capacity and throughput than single-band 2.4-GHz WLAN devices that contend with
interference from neighboring WLAN networks and non-wireless networking products
also operating in the 2.4-GHz band. A wide variety of products – access points,
routers, CardBus cards, digital media adapters and media extenders – have been
introduced into the market to meet the demands of consumers. The introduction of
the world’s first low-cost, highly integrated single-chip 802.11a/b/g chip in Q4
will accelerate the adoption of dual-band technology.
In 2004, there was high demand for the Atheros 802.11g
single-chip solution, which enables manufacturers to incorporate inexpensive but
high-performance wireless connectivity into a wider array of products. This
single-chip product includes “Atheros only” features – Super G® and eXtended
Range – that enable customers to achieve significantly greater throughput and
range compared to other 802.11g-based products. The solution has been adopted by
industry-leading retail providers such as D-Link and NETGEAR, as well as premier
PC OEMs including Lenovo, NEC, Sony and Toshiba.
“We saw a tremendous amount of growth in the wireless LAN
space in 2004,” said Mike Feibus, principal analyst of TechKnowledge Strategies.
“Key market drivers included rising consumer awareness and adoption of Wi-Fi,
growth in the attach rate of Wi-Fi capabilities as a standard feature in
laptops, and an increase in enterprise deployments of wireless LAN products with
multi-band and advanced security features such as WPA and AES encryption. At the
same time, a core driver of WLAN adoption has been the availability of low-cost,
innovative solutions.”
Atheros has received numerous accolades for its leadership
and continued innovation, including an Outstanding Financial Performance Award
from the Fabless Semiconductor Association and #1 ranking on the Silicon Valley
/ San Jose Business Journal’s Fast 50 list of fastest growing private companies
in Silicon Valley. Additionally, Atheros has been selected as a finalist for
Company of the Year – Small/Medium category in Electronic Engineering Times'
2005 ACE Awards. The Atheros AR5006X single-chip 802.11a/b/g WLAN solution was
recently named a MobileTrax Mobility Award Winner for 2004, and has also been
selected as an EDN Innovation Awards finalist in the ASSP/SOC category.
About Atheros Communications, Inc.
Atheros Communications is a leading developer of
semiconductor system solutions for wireless communications products. Atheros
combines its wireless systems expertise with high-performance radio frequency
(RF), mixed signal and digital semiconductor design skills to provide highly
integrated chipsets that are manufacturable on low-cost, standard complementary
metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes. Atheros technology is being used by
a broad base of leading customers, including personal computer and networking
equipment manufacturers. For more information, visit
www.infor@atheros.com or send
email to info@atheros.com
# # #
Atheros, the Atheros logo and Super G are
registered trademarks of Atheros Communications, Inc. All other trademarks
mentioned in this document are the sole property of their respective owners.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Except for the historical information
contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including
statements regarding the features, performance, capabilities and benefits of
Atheros’ products, Atheros’ ability to continue to innovate and develop new and
cost-effective solutions, and the expected acceleration of the adoption of
dual-band technology, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, the difficulties
inherent in developing new and enhanced products; the effects of competition;
the rate of growth of the market for WLAN solutions; the effects of the
potential adoption of wireless solutions and standards other than Wi-Fi; general
economic conditions; and other risks detailed in Atheros’ Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 as filed with the SEC and in
other reports filed with the SEC by Atheros from time to time. These
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Atheros disclaims
any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Cheryl Patstone, 408-773-5344,
cheryl@atheros.com or Greg Wood, A&R Partners, 650-762-2838,
gwood@arpartners.com.
