The Atheros AR5000 solution is the industry's first production chipset based on the IEEE 802.11a standard. Incorporating a complete 5GHz "Radio-on-a-Chip" (RoC) and integrated MAC/baseband processor, the AR5000 delivers unprecedented WLAN performance. The chipset supports all 802.11a data rates up to 54 megabits per second (Mbps), as well as higher Atheros Turbo Mode(TM) rates.

"It is extremely rewarding to have a publication like PC Magazine honor our technology," said Cheryl Patstone, director of Corporate Marketing at Atheros. "All of us are in this business with the hope that what we do will have a major impact in our industry and in the day-to-day lives of people all over the world. Certainly our chipset, the world's first of its kind, promises a new era of high-speed wireless LAN connectivity in the home, office and public places."

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About Atheros Communications

Atheros Communications was founded in May 1998 by leading experts in radio and signal processing from Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and private industry. The Company's mission is to provide wireless networking technologies that drive transparent connections between all computing, communications, audio and video devices. Funded by August Capital, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Foundation Capital, New Enterprise Associates and others, Atheros has raised a total of $98.3 million in three rounds of funding. The Company employs over 140 people and has filed more than 45 wireless technology patents.

For press and analyst inquiries contact: Cheryl Patstone, 408-773-5344, cheryl@atheros.com or Greg Wood, A&R Partners, 650-762-2838, gwood@arpartners.com.