Sequoia Communications Releases the Industry’s First Single-Chip,
Multi-Mode WEDGE RF Transceiver

Company’s WEDGE device sets new standards in cost
and power consumption for 3G handsets

San Diego, Calif. – September 19, 2005  – Sequoia Communications, the RF semiconductor company setting new benchmarks in multi-mode design and integration, today announced the release of SEQ 5400, the industry’s first single-chip, multi-mode WEDGE (WCDMA, HSDPA, EDGE, GPRS, GSM) RF transceiver based on Sequoia Communications’ FullSpectra™ polar architecture. This transceiver will lower the cost and increase the battery life of 3G phones, addressing the primary obstacles in the mass adoption of 3G technologies by consumers.

The SEQ 5400 chip is a fundamental breakthrough in RF IC technology. It is the first true multi-mode transceiver using a common basic architecture so that circuitry can be shared across all modes. Polar modulation, the standard architecture in GSM, which is also now being adopted in EDGE, has never been successfully implemented for WCDMA until now. Sequoia Communications’ FullSpectra architecture solves this RF design dilemma and delivers the highest impact in WCDMA, where power consumption and complexity are currently problematic.

“Lowering cost and increasing the battery life for mobile handsets are critical for the broad adoption of 3G technologies,” said David Shepard, CEO of Sequoia Communications. “SEQ 5400 is based on our patented approach to polar modulation and is the smallest, lowest power multi-mode WEDGE solution in the industry. The release of the SEQ 5400 will greatly benefit wireless handset manufacturers in their ability to deliver low cost 3G handsets with acceptable battery life to the consumers.”

According to Paul Struhsaker, Vice President of Engineering, Mobile Platforms at Motorola, “Addressing the high cost and short battery life in multi-mode handsets is of utmost importance to us at Motorola. This new product from Sequoia Communications goes to the heart of those issues and supports our investment in the company.”

With its innovative architecture, the SEQ 5400 significantly reduces the complexity of multi-mode handsets. The product handles WCDMA, HSDPA, EDGE, GPRS, GSM modes across five frequency bands, making it applicable to all networks worldwide. It achieves the highest level of integration in the market; everything from the baseband interface up to the PA is integrated into a single chip, including the WCDMA receive SAW filters.

“Highly integrated low power RF solutions for multi-mode handsets are essential for a mass market UMTS product,” said Alan Brown, a principal analyst at Gartner for the Emerging Technologies and Semiconductors group. “Companies that can meet the targets of small size and lowest power at the most competitive price will stand to gain most from this fast-growing market.”

SEQ 5400 reduces overall component count and PCB area more than 50 percent above the best available solution on the market. It contains a flexible analog interface to the baseband with a very simple upgrade path to DigRF when that standard is ratified for 3G. The transceiver already includes the filtering and data converters required by the DigRF standard. The product also interfaces to standard linear power amplifiers.

According to Scott Smyser, a Director and Principal Analyst for wireless networking research at iSuppli, “The RF section is one area for the next generation mobile handsets that designers have been focusing on to streamline cost and reduce power consumption. Based on our findings, it is clear that a polar architecture can solve these two key issues of keeping component count and cost down and achieving the best power efficiency.”

The SEQ 5400 is in a 64-pin QFN package. Samples are available now and volume production is anticipated in the first half of 2006.

About Sequoia Communications
Sequoia Communications enables wireless handset manufacturers to accelerate their time to market by shortening the RF design cycle of integrated multi-mode solutions. The company uniquely integrates different modes using a common architecture on a single chip enabling effective communications across multiple wireless standards including GSM/GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, GPS, WLAN and more. Single-chip RF transceivers developed using Sequoia Communications’ innovative approach and common architecture will set new industry benchmarks in chip cost, component count, PCB size and power consumption. Founded in 2000, Sequoia Communications is headquartered in San Diego.