picoChip: Redline adopts picoChip for its RedMAX 4C™ Mobile WiMAX basestations

Business Wire, Sept 30, 2008

Industry's only proven true IO-MIMO and reliable 802.16e PHY enables Redline to support its multi-technology and multi-application platforms, enabling additional services and differentiated offerings

CHICAGO -- picoChip today announced that Redline Communications, a leading provider of standards-based WiMAX access and broadband wireless infrastructure products, has selected picoChip's PC8532 modem to power its next generation RedMAX 4C[TM] Mobile WiMAX basestations. picoChip's industry leading, complete and robust reference designs are the market's only solutions to deliver true IO-MIMO with uplink CSM - a critical feature of mobile WiMAX.

The agreement gives Redline access to a software defined radio (SDR) platform with best-in-class performance/cost ratio. As an example of the flexibility, Redline has added its low-complexity maximum-likelihood receiver to the picoChip design in order to increase uplink system performance for coverage and capacity. The software-defined system supports upgrades to future standards, such as LTE, 802.16e Release 1.5 and 802.16m.

Redline sells to carrier and enterprise level organizations in both developed and key high-growth markets around the world, and has more than 166 deployments of its WiMAX Forum Certified[TM] systems to date. The company has previously delivered mobile broadband to UK and Silicon Valley train networks and created North America's largest education sector wireless network.

According to Kevin Suitor, Redline's Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, the robust, proven nature of the picoChip solution was key to its decision: "picoChip has delivered a solution that we can trust to work effectively and reliably. The ability to deliver a differentiated product which integrates our own IPR, coupled with the efficiency and scale of a commercial silicon solution, gives us the best of both worlds."

Speaking about the agreement, picoChip's CEO and president, Guillaume d'Eyssautier, stated: "As a previous visionary and leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrants*, with strong engineering expertise, Redline was naturally a skeptical and demanding customer. Our ability to offer advanced IO-MIMO capability and future support for 16m and LTE helped, but the fact that they were persuaded by the quality our PHY is testament to the strength of the picoChip offering. We are very excited to have Redline as a key customer."

The Redline RedMAX 4C Mobile WiMAX platform, which is based on the WiMAX industry's 802.16e-2005 standards for mobile WiMAX, supports a wide range of fixed, portable and mobile wireless services including support voice and video over IP, broadband Internet access used to support high value education, medical, transportation and municipal applications, VPNs (virtual private networks) and other advanced communications services.

The RedMAX 4C is designed to enable operators to maximize the reach and customer density required for a profitable carrier business model. It includes a modular, standardized oTCA (micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture) chassis basestation that is small, lightweight and easy to deploy. RedMAX 4C will also include a suite of indoor and outdoor fixed and portable end-user devices including laptops, mobile handsets and PDAs. Redline's new WiMAX offering is also designed to facilitate the integration of its existing RedMAX products with its RedMAX 4C technologies, providing operators a path to true mobility.

picoChip is the leading supplier of multi-core DSP delivering extremely high performance at competitive cost points. It offers a powerful platform to develop products for emerging global wireless communications markets such as WiMAX, WCDMA, LTE, TD-SCDMA and 4G. picoChip's products scale from femtocell access points and picocells to sophisticated multi-sector carrier macrocells.

* Listed as a visionary (2004) and leader (2005) in Gartner's web enabled application delivery Magic Quadrant