Broadcom Selected for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ Wi-Fi Direct™ Test Suite and Among the First to Obtain Certification

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that the Broadcom® BCM43224 dual-band 802.11n 2x2 MIMO PCIe half mini card has been selected for the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct™ test suite. It is among the first products to obtain Wi-Fi Direct designation from the Wi-Fi Alliance® and will be a benchmark for all future certification testing in numerous Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ labs around the globe. Wi-Fi Direct enables devices to communicate directly with each other without having to connect first to an access point and be part of a traditional network, thus creating many new wireless device-to-device applications and usage models.  

Broadcom is incorporating Wi-Fi Direct across its entire portfolio, including the feature in all of its connectivity, media and mobility products. The company is offering its InConcert® Maestro™ Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) along with its Wi-Fi-Direct certified devices. This combination will allow simple and easy-to-develop wireless gaming, content sharing, and printing applications. Having the industry's broadest range of Wi-Fi chips with designs in countless product categories including mobile phones, tablets, notebooks/netbooks, Blu-Ray players, gateways, access points/routers, printers, televisions, set-top boxes, games, and portable media players, Broadcom will offer consumers an entire ecosystem of devices that seamlessly connect with one another using Wi-Fi Direct.

Highlights/Key Facts:

• Broadcom is a strong supporter of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Since the launch of 802.11g, Broadcom has been selected to participate in eight Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ client and access point test suites.
• In the past, Wi-Fi devices had to connect first to an access point in order to communicate with other devices in a given network.  Wi-Fi direct enables devices to communicate directly with one another without having to interact with an access point.  This not only makes communication between devices simpler and faster, but means devices can connect anywhere and anytime.
• No longer is a portable device limited to communications within one single network; it can move easily between networks, establishing one-to-one connections on an as needed basis.
• Broadcom powers the vast majority of cellular handsets that have the 802.11n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ mark.
• According to ABI Research, 82 million Wi-Fi-enabled portable consumer electronics, 262 million notebooks/netbooks/media tablets and 216 million Wi-Fi enabled handsets are set to ship this year.  Combined, these three categories are projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent from 2009 to 2014.
• Wi-Fi Direct-certified Broadcom drivers for the mobile, media and PC segments enable a full ecosystem of products capable of sharing user generated content amongst one another, without an access point.
  • Broadcom includes the InConcert Maestro API as part of the Wi-Fi driver package for its certified Wi-Fi Direct chipsets. The InConcert Maestro API framework offers application developers easy access to Wi-Fi Direct functionality on Broadcom chipsets.
  • Developers can now effortlessly write exciting applications that make use of the device-to-device communication mechanisms as defined by the technology tested in Wi-Fi Direct certification.
  • The InConcert Maestro API allows OEMs and carriers to offer new and exciting easy-to-use services and consumer applications.  For example, with InConcert Maestro and the underlying Wi-Fi Direct mechanisms, friends in a train or on a beach can now discover each other's wireless devices, connect and play a game, chat or exchange files without requiring any other device or network assistance.
• Key Features of Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices include:
  • Wi-Fi direct devices communicate directly with one another without a traditional access point. This means devices can connect anywhere, anytime, greatly increasing the number of connection possibilities.
  • Portable device communication is no longer constrained to one single network; moving easily between networks, establishing one-to-one and one-to-many connections on the go.
  • Legacy compatibility: Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can form groups with most Wi-Fi CERTIFIED client devices.
  • Security protections: Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices have the very latest WPA2™ security mechanisms.
  • One-to-one connection or a group of several devices can connect simultaneously.
  • Ease of use: Wi-Fi Direct devices are easy to use, with Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ and support for device and service discovery.  
  • Wide industry support: Many chipset vendors and device makers developed the specification together within the Wi-Fi Alliance.
  • Wi-Fi Direct fully leverages Wi-Fi's advantages:  Performance, range, ubiquity, flexibility, etc.  Wi-Fi Direct is a software-only protocol, which means there is no need for additional radio, antenna, etc. for device-to-device connectivity.

Supporting Quotes:

Edgar Figueroa, CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance

"We congratulate Broadcom Corporation on achieving selection to the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct™ test bed, with its product being among the first to receive Wi-Fi Direct certification. Broadcom now has station and access point products in numerous Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ test beds. Broadcom's participation in the development of this program has been instrumental in the achievement of an industry-wide certification for this revolutionary new Wi-Fi technology."

Michael Hurlston, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom's WLAN line of business

"Now that the final certification is in place, we expect that Wi-Fi Direct will enhance the tremendous growth of this already burgeoning market. Consumers will be able to connect whenever and wherever they want, unleashing a new realm of applications for device-to-device connectivity. Broadcom is on the forefront of this revolution that promises to transform the way millions of people use Wi-Fi."

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Broadcom Wireless Connectivity Group

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About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications.  Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment.  We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices.  These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom, one of the world's largest fabless communications semiconductor companies, with 2009 revenue of $4.49 billion, holds more than 4,300 U.S. and 1,800 foreign patents, and has more than 7,900 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video, data and multimedia.

A FORTUNE 500® company, Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe.  Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at www.broadcom.com.

Cautions regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and business, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change.  Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words.  Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, references to Wi-Fi Direct's ability to enhance the growth in the wireless space and the capabilities of customers using this technology.  These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with the Wi-Fi Direct certification include but are not limited to:

• the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability, as well as the ability of our customers, to manage inventory; and
• the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in our target markets.

Additional factors that may cause Broadcom's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the list that can be found at http://www.broadcom.com/press/additional_risk_factors/Q32010.php.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.  The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.

Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, the Connecting everything logo, InConcert® and Maestro™ are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU.  Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Mobile & Wireless

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