SHAREWAVE UNVEILS "BODEGA", INDUSTRY'S FIRST MULTIMEDIA AND QOS ENABLED WI-FI (802.11b) SOLUTION

"Bodega" Wireless LAN Platform Features Whitecap(tm)2 Technology, Which Adds Wi-Fi (802.11b) Compliance to Multimedia and QoS Capabilities

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. (May 2, 2001)- ShareWave, Inc., a provider of semiconductor technology for multimedia-capable wireless home networks, today unveiled "Bodega," its next-generation wireless home networking platform. Bodega features ShareWave's new Whitecap2 Network Protocol, which incorporates support for Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b) in addition to ShareWave's innovative multimedia and quality-of-service (QoS) capabilities. Whitecap2 is the industry's only Wi-Fi compliant technology capable of seamlessly transmitting high-fidelity multimedia content -- including MPEG-2 video and CD-quality audio -- wirelessly throughout the home. Whitecap2 is also the industry's first embodiment of many of the core elements of the upcoming IEEE 802.11e wireless LAN standard.

ShareWave will be holding technology demonstrations of Bodega at the Networld + Interop (N+I) conference in Las Vegas May 7-9. At N+I, ShareWave will be exhibiting in the Wi-Fi Pavilion booth #1014, as well as conducting private demonstrations in the Las Vegas Hilton.

Home networking products based on Bodega can interoperate with other Wi-Fi networks and devices, but also feature Whitecap2's unique home-oriented capabilities, including multimedia and QoS support, ease of use, and resistance from common household interferers such as microwave ovens and cordless phones.

In addition to the Whitecap2 Network Protocol, Bodega includes ShareWave's new SW2200 Series of Network Controllers, which support a variety of digital interfaces and applications, from desktop and notebook PCs to digital set-top boxes and residential gateways. The SW2200 Series includes the SW2210 Wireless PCI/USB Controller, SW2220 Wireless PCMCIA Controller, SW2230 Wireless Mini PCI Controller, SW2250 Wireless 10BT Controller, and SW2270 Wireless Multi-Link Controller.

The Bodega platform also includes ShareWave's Cresta(tm)3 radio reference design, a Wi-Fi compliant radio enabling low cost, high performance wireless home networking products, and a broad range of system reference designs.

ShareWave is targeting production shipments of Bodega for Q3 2001, and consumer products based on Bodega are expected to be available in Q4 2001.

Office to Home Compatibility

Bodega enables consumers to create a home network that meets their requirements for multimedia support, ease of use and reliability, yet still supports the Wi-Fi devices they bring home from work, such as notebook PCs. In addition, products based on Bodega will interoperate with the increasing number of Wi-Fi networks being deployed in public areas such as schools, airports and hotels.

"With the introduction of Bodega, ShareWave has taken another step toward our vision of changing how people interact with digital content - entertainment, information and communications - throughout their home," said E. Jock Ochiltree, president and CEO for ShareWave. "Whitecap2's compliance with the Wi-Fi wireless LAN standard, plus its differentiated home features, set our platform apart from any other home networking solution on the market."

Whitecap2 Technology

ShareWave's Whitecap2 technology is a cornerstone of the Bodega platform. Whitecap2 incorporates a number of innovative technologies that provide industry-leading multimedia support, such as contention-free access, dynamic stream support, parameterized QoS, a peer-to-peer topology and delayed acknowledgements. Whitecap2 also has a variety of ease of use and reliability features, such as forward error correction (FEC), channel agility, coordinator redundancy and device authentication. Many of these features have been incorporated in the IEEE 802.11e draft specification. IEEE 802.11e adds multimedia and QoS support to the current IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11a standards.

In addition to providing Wi-Fi compliance, Whitecap2 provides support for a broad range of new digital content and services, including video and audio on-demand, voice over broadband, and high speed Internet sharing. Whitecap2 also enables a new range of wireless consumer devices such as networked set-tops, digital video recorders, residential gateways, wireless MP3 players, mobile web pads, and digital audio and video jukeboxes.

The increasing penetration of broadband technology is a principal driver for wireless home networks, which extend the broadband experience to multiple computers and electronic devices anywhere in the home. Once broadband services become widely deployed, ShareWave's Wi-Fi compliant and multimedia capable products can take full advantage of the new range of programming, content, and interactivity.

"With Whitecap2's Wi-Fi's compliance, QoS and multimedia enhancements, ShareWave is at the forefront of bringing 802.11e to reality and pioneering the special needs of the home," said Kurt Scherf, vice president of research for Parks Associates. "It is this degree of functionality that will not only hasten the adoption of wireless home networks, but will give a boost to service providers as well."

According to a recent report from Parks Associates, the number of connected PCs and entertainment products in U.S. households - a prime market for ShareWave's solution - will total nearly 150 million by the end of 2005.

About ShareWave, Inc.

ShareWave provides semiconductor technology for multimedia-capable wireless home networks. The company is privately held with its headquarters in El Dorado Hills, CA. ShareWave has received funding from APV Technology Partners, Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, KLM Capital, Kyushu Matsushita Electric Co., Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Philips Electronics NV, SBC Communications, Inc., SOFTBANK Technology Ventures, Vulcan Ventures, Inc., and other public and private investors. ShareWave has announced partnership agreements with Cisco, Kinaare Networks, Kyushu Matsushita Electric (for products bearing the Panasonic brand name) and NETGEAR. For more information on ShareWave, visit the company's web site at www.sharewave.com.

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ShareWave and Whitecap are registered trademarks of ShareWave, Inc. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.