SUNNYVALE, Calif., November 29, 2001-- Atheros Communications Inc. today announced that Thomas Foster has joined the company as vice president, sales. Mr. Foster will report to Rich Redelfs, Atheros' president and chief executive officer, and will have overall responsibility for the company's worldwide product sales.

Mr. Foster comes to Atheros with expertise in all areas of sales, marketing and new business development. He most recently served as vice president, Asia Sales at Virata Corp., a leading supplier of communications processors for DSL, satellite, wireless and other broadband networking equipment. Mr. Foster established a strong presence for Virata in Asia by opening offices in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, and grew Asia Pacific and Japan revenues from zero to greater than two-thirds of the company's business.

Before Virata, Mr. Foster was a founding member of the management team at Hyundai Electronics - Digital Video Systems, a new business venture and startup division chartered to develop and market digital video products for the direct broadcast and interactive TV markets. In his role as executive director, International Sales, Mr. Foster was responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining the business plan and sales strategy for all regions outside North America. He has also held sales management positions at Compression Labs and IBM / ROLM.

"We are extremely pleased that Tom has made the decision to join our executive team," said Mr. Redelfs. "His vast international experience and proven track record in semiconductor sales make him the ideal person to drive Atheros' sales growth and customer distribution strategies."

"Atheros brings together a unique combination of breakthrough technology, some of the leading wireless experts in the world, and a leadership position in the 802.11a market which is gaining momentum globally," said Mr. Foster. "I am very excited to be in a position to contribute to the company's continued success."

Foster holds a B.S. degree in Business Management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.

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 currently 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.

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