PR releases

Metalink Unveils Complete Chipset For Emerging 802.11n Standard Supporting Breakthrough 240Mbps Wireless LAN Speed

New MtW8170 Baseband Device Joins Available MtW8150 Radio Frequency IC (RFIC) to Form Complete, Unmatched Solution for Wireless Multimedia Networking

 LONDON, UK, June 27, 2005 - Metalink Ltd. (NASDAQ: MTLK), a provider of high-performance wireline and wireless broadband communication silicon solutions, today unveils its complete WLANPlus(tm) family of multimedia networking products and announces its new baseband chip.  The MtW8170 baseband device, combined with the company's already available MtW8150 radio frequency (RF) IC, will comprise a single chipset targeting the emerging IEEE 802.11n standard for next-generation WiFi®.

Metalink's WLANPlus(tm) chipset is the first Real-MIMO-based (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) wireless chipset designed for delivering data throughput of more than 240 Mbps over the air with full-home coverage for video-distribution applications.  The technology is aimed at enabling a new era of wireless home networking with the breakthrough speed, reach and performance to accommodate demanding video applications. Metalink's WLANPlus chipset can be embedded in digital video recorders (DVRs), set top boxes (STBs), HDTVs, media adaptors and other consumer electronics products to enable seamless multimedia connectivity throughout the home.  This is achieved using several key technologies including Real- MIMO, advanced coding, channel bonding, a highly efficient media access control (MAC) packet-aggregation scheme, and Quality of Service (QoS) features.

According to Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates, "Cable and satellite television providers will step up deployment of multiroom digital video recorder solutions starting in 2005, such that the number of units will exceed 25 million in 2009.  These devices will bring new levels of convenience and flexibility to TV use while making recorded programming available throughout the home, and they will expand the notion of home networking connectivity beyond broadband connections and PC-centric content.  Wireless home networking chipset developers are among the companies who will gain significantly from the rise of entertainment and multimedia networks, and the year holds many opportunities for players like Metalink, which are enabling consumer electronics manufacturers to integrate these multimedia networking capabilities into video server platforms and additional next-generation entertainment products."

"High-quality video distribution capabilities are the last hurdle before home networks can be transformed for use in the wireless entertainment age. Metalink's new WLANPlus chipset offers superior throughput and coverage, outperforming existing WiFi products and effectively addressing market need for home video delivery," said Barry Volinskey, associate vice president, marketing with Metalink.

Product Details:

Metalink's MtW8170 baseband device, combined with the MtW8150 RFIC, is a complete solution for multimedia delivery over wireless LANs.  The complete chipset provides throughput of up to 243Mbps over the air, and supports the critical whole-house coverage requirement of at least 60 Mbps of effective throughput to any room within 60 feet of the transmitter. The MtW8170 uses 2x2 or 2x3 MIMO technology to deliver the extended throughput and QoS necessary for video applications. In addition to Real-MIMO technology, Metalink's chipset utilize sophisticated techniques such as channel bonding, advanced forward error correction (FEC) and antenna loading to increase WLAN performance, and achieves a 50 percent improvement in MAC efficiency as compared to earlier 802.11 solutions.

 Adhering to 802.11n standard drafts, the chipset fully supports advanced 802.11i security features and the 802.11e QoS standard.

The MtW8170 will be available in sample quantities in the third calendar quarter of 2005. 

About Metalink

Metalink Ltd. (NASDAQ: MTLK) develops high performance silicon solutions revolutionising the broadband experience by facilitating the convergence of telecommunication, networking and entertainment.

Metalink's DSL and WLAN technologies are designed to enable true broadband connectivity in every home.

Metalink's DSL products offer service providers a cost-effective network upgrade to support triple-play services. Using Metalink's innovative VDSL technologies operators can deliver fibre-like speeds over existing copper infrastructure. Metalink's chipsets are deployed in millions of DSL lines by leading service providers worldwide.

Metalink aims to redefine the home broadband experience by introducing WLANPlus(tm) - a high-throughput wireless LAN technology, 5-10 times faster than currently available wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g technologies. Featuring MIMO technology adopted by the 802.11n standardisation, WLANPlus enables room-to-room networking of multiple high-definition video streams.

Metalink is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Yakum, Israel. The company has subsidiaries in California, South Korea, and Japan as well as offices in Beijing, China and Atlanta, Georgia. Further information is available at http://www.metalinkbb.com