Linksys Executive Joins Intel and Bell Canada for Keynotes at HomePlug® Technology Conference; Inaugural September Event Explores the HomePlug Alliance's Proven Worldwide Standards for the Digital Home Ecosystem

Business Wire, Sept 9, 2005

SAN RAMON, Calif. -- The HomePlug(R) Powerline Alliance announced the addition of Mr. Malachy Moynihan of Linksys - a Division of Cisco Systems, Inc. to the growing list of market leaders voicing support for the Alliance's proven worldwide standards at the first HomePlug Powerline Technology Conference.

Moynihan, who is vice president of engineering and product marketing for Linksys, joins Intel's Digital Home Group general manager Don MacDonald and Bell Canada's vice president of consumer services Bradley Fisher to round out the keynote addresses at the HomePlug Alliance's first showcase event, scheduled for September 27-28 at the Burlingame Embassy Suites hotel near the San Francisco airport (http://www.homeplug.org).

Moynihan joins the Conference program following the late-August election of Intel, Linksys and Motorola to the HomePlug Implementers' Forum Board of Directors, indicating expanding support from industry-leading companies for the HomePlug global standard for powerline communications technology.

"We are honored that Linksys will help us deliver a message of unity and collaboration around the HomePlug technology," said Pete Griffin, chairman of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and RadioShack Corporation's director of corporate technology. "Cisco is the world's leader in managed IP networks, and their Linksys Division is the dominant force in the home networking product marketplace. Support from a networking partner of this magnitude for the HomePlug initiative sends a strong message to the industry about the Alliance's cohesive future direction and impact."

In light of Cisco's recent acquisition of European networked entertainment manufacturer KISS Technologies, Moynihan's keynote address is expected to outline his division's plans to link the consumer electronics environment with home networking gear.

"Linksys has joined the HomePlug Implementers' Forum Board of Directors as a sign of our commitment to the technology," said Mr. Moynihan. "We believe that a hybrid network, with HomePlug technology providing the broadband backbone component, is an appropriate topology that could evolve in the digitally connected home of the future. A natural extension of that premise is that the consumer electronics devices of the future may require the benefits that a HomePlug-wired backbone offers: stability, whole-house coverage, ubiquity, ease-of-use and high levels of security."

The two-day HomePlug Powerline Technology Conference will feature expert speakers and panelists from a cross-section of industries who will not only elaborate on their companies' interest in HomePlug technology but also deliver the details of various field trials and commercial deployments. The conference will also highlight the range of industry segments involved in to-the-home and in-the-home solutions in use today. In addition, Conference attendees will learn about the most compelling uses and ideas in the fast-growing powerline communications markets, the recently approved HomePlug AV standard, and future product categories for HomePlug technology.

"We fully expect the contribution of Linksys to the Conference agenda to open the industry's eyes to accomplishments to come in the advancement of the digital home ecosystem," said Matthew Theall, the newly elected president of the HomePlug Implementers' Forum Board of Directors and Intel's powerline initiative manager.

Additional speakers and executives at the Conference include representatives from Arkados, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Comcast, Conexant, Current Technologies, devolo, Duke Power, Earthlink, Intellon, Leviton, NETGEAR, Parks Associates, Philips, RadioShack Corporation, Sharp and Sony, among others.

Sponsors of the Conference to date include Arkados, Current Technologies, Earthlink, Intel, Intellon, Leviton, Motorola, PowerPlus Communications, RadioShack Corporation, Sony and Spidcom Technologies.

All interested parties are invited to join the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and contribute to the development of its specifications and broaden the growing list of applications. Companies interested in receiving information about the HomePlug Powerline Alliance are invited to contact Executive Director Rob Ranck (rranck@inventures.com) for details on membership and activities.

About the HomePlug(R) Powerline Alliance:

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Inc. is an industry-led initiative established to create specifications for home powerline networking products, command & control among platforms within the home and broadband access services to the home. Additionally, the Alliance is chartered to foster and accelerate demand for HomePlug-enabled products and services worldwide through the sponsorship of market and user education programs. Membership in the Alliance has grown to include about 50 industry-leading companies. HomePlug Sponsor companies include Cisco (CSCO); Comcast (CMCSK); EarthLink (ELNK); Intel Corporation (INTC); Motorola (MOT); RadioShack Corporation (RSH); Sharp (SHCPFM); and Sony (SNE). Contributor members include Arkados, Inc. a subsidiary of CDKNet.com, Inc. (OTCBB:CDKN); Conexant (CNXT); and Intellon Corporation. Additional information about the Alliance, including a complete listing of certified products, is available at http://www.homeplug.org.