Broadcom Announces Immediate Support for the New QZSS Satellites Launched by Japan

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- ION GNSS 2010 -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its single-chip global positioning system (GPS) solution for mobile devices supports the new Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) launched by Japan earlier this month.  The BCM4751 solution has built-in support for QZSS and also supports additional satellite constellations including the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS), making as many as nine additional satellites available for use in navigation.  This built-in support will result in several GPS performance benefits, including improved urban canyon navigation in major cities such as Tokyo and availability of position fixes in more areas than competitive solutions.  

Highlights/Key Facts:

• The foundation of the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System has just been established with the launch of a new navigation satellite named Michibiki. This is the first of three satellites in this new constellation. The QZSS satellites are meant to provide refined navigation capabilities over existing systems.
• The QZSS satellites require a new set of pseudo random number (PRN) codes, support for which is already built into the BCM4751.
• Broadcom is working closely with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to test reception of live QZSS signals and codes as they become available using the BCM4751.   
• The Broadcom BCM4751 is a single-chip GPS receiver used for tracking and navigation, primarily in mobile devices.  Its massively parallel, hardware correlator architecture provides faster signal searches, accurate real-time navigation, improved tracking sensitivity and very low average power consumption.  The sensitivity and navigation performance of the BCM4751 continue to set the standard for the industry.
• Key features of the Broadcom BCM4751 GPS receiver include:
  • 65 nanometer CMOS design featuring a highly integrated radio frequency (RF) and baseband processor with extremely low power consumption.
  • The smallest complete PCB footprint: 30 mm(2) including band-pass filter, TCXO and passives.
  • High sensitivity operation.
  • Increased satellite availability: supports GPS, SBAS and QZSS satellites at L1 frequency band.
  • Integrated power management allowing direct connection to the battery.
  • Available in both wafer level ball grid array (WLBGA) and fine pitch ball grid array (FPBGA) packages.

Supporting Quotes:

Koji Terata, Project Manager QZSS, JAXA

"JAXA innovations are driving improved user experience of advanced navigation products.  For that reason, JAXA is excited to work with Broadcom to be among the first companies to demonstrate the significant performance benefits of adding the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), including aiding in urban canyon navigation, providing a straighter, more accurate and reliable navigation solution, as well as position fixes in more areas."

Scott Pomerantz, Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom's GPS line of business

"We are pleased to announce our support of Japan's QZSS satellite system which will improve the accuracy and availability of satellite navigation services. The BCM4751 already sets new standards in performance and low power consumption with state-of-the-art sensitivity and navigation performance and our support for QZSS only accelerates our customers' ability to realize the additional performance benefits provided by this exciting new system."

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Broadcom Wireless Connectivity Group

http://go.broadcom.com/sv2

Other Supporting Resources:

BCM4751 Product Page

http://go.broadcom.com/VHo

BCM4751 Graphic

http://go.broadcom.com/ROK

BCM4751 Press Release

http://go.broadcom.com/W66

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 the QZSS satellite system's ability to improve the accuracy and availability of satellite navigation services.  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 BCM4751 GPS receiver SoC solution include, but are not limited to:

• the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt our GPS technologies for mobile applications; and
• trends in the wireless networking markets in various geographic regions, including seasonality in sales and consumer products into which our products are incorporated.

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®, and the Connecting everything logo 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