PR releases

CSR demonstrates true single-chip WiFi at WLAN Event

Cambridge, UK - April 20, 2005 - CSR plc (LSE: CSR.L), a leading provider of wireless technology, is today demonstrating its first single-chip Wi-Fi silicon for consumer electronic devices, UniFi-1, at The Wireless LAN Event at London’s Olympia. UniFi-1 is embedded in an SDIO card, plugged into an O2 XDA II smartphone, as well as a cardbus2 card in a laptop PC. This system will demonstrate the ease of voice calls over IP (VoIP) using Skype, via Wi-Fi connection from phone to access point and back to a PC.

During the Skype demonstration, the XDA II and PC laptop are connected to the Internet over a Wi-Fi connection to a wide area network (WAN) via an access point (supporting 802.11b/g). Using the Skype VoIP software, users of the two devices can speak freely and hear the conversation clearly, one user with the XDA II and the other using a Bluetooth headset paired with the PC.

This demonstration will also respond to the issues of coexistence with the other radios found in the handset or PC. The XDA II includes integrated GSM and Bluetooth radios and the PC features a Bluetooth connection to a mono headset. The demonstration will show that UniFi will not interfere with, or be disrupted by these other RF sources. CSR has optimised UniFi for this purpose and employs all commonly used frequency / time domain coexistence schemes for other 2.4GHz wireless standards.

The UniFi-1 product family, which started sampling at the end of 2004, has been designed specifically for easy integration into consumer electronic devices. The SDIO card features UniFi-1 Portable, designed specifically for cellular phones and other pocket-sized devices. The single band (2.4GHz) b/g device features an exceptionally small chip-scale package, measuring only 5.8x6.4mm, which incorporates the RF, modem, baseband and hard MAC (media access controller) in a true single-chip format. The PC card features the dual band a/b/g UniFi-1 Enterprise device, in a BGA single–chip package. The chip architecture itself, coupled with the lack of external components required, ensure that the UniFi silicon offers extremely low power consumption, a low bill of materials (BOM) and superior Wi-Fi performance.

“This is our first opportunity to demonstrate our working UniFi technology for Wi-Fi to the general public,” commented Simon Finch, VP strategic marketing, CSR. “Wi-Fi is to provide new ways for consumers to make fuller use of their mobile phones, PDAs or other devices. UniFi enables device manufacturers to add Wi-Fi at minimal cost and impact on physical design – and to pass these advantages onto the consumer.”

CSR is exhibiting on stand 613, The Wireless LAN Event, Olympia, London, from 20 to 21 April.

About CSR

CSR plc (Cambridge Silicon Radio) is a leading provider of single-chip radio devices for short-range wireless communication. CSR offers developed hardware/software solutions for Bluetooth based around BlueCore, a fully integrated 2.4 GHz radio, baseband and microcontroller. BlueCore features in over 60 per cent of all qualified Bluetooth enabled products and modules listed on the Bluetooth website with industry leaders including Nokia, Dell, Panasonic, Sharp, Motorola, IBM, Apple, NEC, Toshiba, RIM and Sony using BlueCore devices in their range of Bluetooth products.

CSR is now producing its fourth generation BlueCore devices to support the recently released Enhanced Data Rate standard. In November 2004 CSR announced the first single chip IEEE802.11a, b, g embedded solution specifically targeting the mobile phone and consumer electronics markets.

CSR has its headquarters in Cambridge, UK, and offices in Richardson, Texas, USA; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea; Taipei, Taiwan; Aalborg, Denmark; and Lund, Sweden.

More information can be found at www.csr.com and the partner web site www.btdesigner.com

More information about Bluetooth technology can be found on the SIG web site at www.bluetooth.com