Pace Unveils WiMAX Solution for Delivery of Content to and around the Home

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pace Micro Technology plc (LSE:PIC), the leading independent developer of digital TV technologies for the global payTV industry, is demonstrating how 802.16 delivery to the home can be combined with 802.11 distribution in the home, to provide operators with a truly wireless content delivery solution and expand their service footprint.

“It is the flexibility inherent in the WiMAX system, due to its agility in frequency of operation, adaptive modulation, and advanced link coding, which combine to reduce operator expenditure costs, improved throughput and range – that puts it forward as a potentially very powerful system for the future.”

This demonstration highlights the opportunities available to operators who embrace the WiMAX standard. Using fixed wires access (FWA) systems, cable operators can expand their footprint to new subscribers without the need to lay new cables. Satellite operators can provide a full triple-play package by using WiMAX to deliver fast broadband to subscribers who may otherwise be too far away from an exchange to benefit fully from high bandwidth DSL. Telcos can use WiMAX to provide a full digital service – incorporating video, data and voice – to potential customers, giving them a different business model and opportunity to compete with the more traditional operators.

The demonstration consists of a server unit in the home, which connects wirelessly to an external WiMAX base station using Pace’s ‘Connections Suite software’ – which has been entirely developed at Pace. This server unit then delivers broadband content – either video or data or both – to clients around the home, including set-top boxes, mobile phones and PCs, using WiFi.

Pace is teaming up with Metalink (NASDAQ: MTLK), a provider of high-performance wireless and wireline broadband communication silicon solutions, and Runcom Technologies, the pioneer in OFDMA® enabling technologies for Mobile WiMAX to enable this demonstration.

Darren Fawcett, Chief Technologist – Wireless Systems at Pace commented: “WiMAX is still an emerging technology, but it promises to revolutionise the broadband market and open up a whole range of opportunities for payTV operators and telcos.

“It is the flexibility inherent in the WiMAX system, due to its agility in frequency of operation, adaptive modulation, and advanced link coding, which combine to reduce operator expenditure costs, improved throughput and range – that puts it forward as a potentially very powerful system for the future.”

Barry Volinskey, Vice President Marketing at Metalink commented: “These innovative solutions are based on Metalink’s WLANPlus™, a high-throughput IEEE 802.11n-compliant wireless LAN technology. WLANPlus offers the industry ‘Low Packet Error Rate’, which is essential for robust video delivery, providing a reliable foundation for the provision of wireless triple-play and entertainment networks with multiple simultaneous HD video streams and extended coverage.”

“The co-operation with Pace is a very important step in the evolution of Runcom's OFDMA powered products that include a wide variety of commercial products available worldwide,” said Israel Koffman, Vice President of Marketing at Runcom Technologies.

According to IMS research¹, shipments of WiMAX CPE are expected to increase from an estimated 250,400 shipments in 2006 to 41.9 million in 2012, and the number of base station sectors shipped will increase from around 7,000 in 2006 with revenues of $0.1 billion to around 408,000 in 2012 with revenues of around $2.2 billion.

Pace first demonstrated its WiMAX expertise at ANGA Cable in early 2006.

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About Pace Micro Technology

Pace Micro Technology plc (pic.l) is a leading technology developer for the global payTV industry. Pace’s main focus is on creating intelligent and innovative products and services that benefit our customers and fuel the development of digital TV.

Pace has one of the world’s most experienced specialist engineering teams and is the partner of choice for leading payTV operators across the globe.

Pace’s international headquarters are in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, UK, with further offices in the USA, France, India and Hong Kong. For more information on Pace, please visit www.pacemicro.com.

About Metalink Ltd

Metalink Ltd. (NASDAQ: MTLK) is a leading provider of high performance wireless and wireline broadband communication silicon solutions. Metalink’s WLAN and DSL technologies are designed to enable true broadband connectivity in every home, and its products revolutionize the broadband experience by facilitating the convergence of telecommunication, networking and entertainment.

Metalink’s WLANPlus™ is a high-throughput, 802.11n-draft-compliant wireless LAN technology optimized for the networked home entertainment environment. Featuring advanced MIMO technology and full support of QoS, and operating in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, WLANPlus enables multi-room networking of multiple high-definition video streams. In addition, Metalink offers a broad range of symmetric DSL and VDSL products used by operators as a cost-effective network upgrade to support triple-play services.

Headquartered in Yakum, Israel, the company has design centers in USA (Atlanta, GA) and Taiwan, and sales offices in USA (Atlanta, GA), South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. Further information is available at http://www.MTLK.com

About Runcom Technologies Ltd

Runcom is a technology company pioneering OFDMA based silicon solutions for User Terminals and Base Stations that comply with the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard for WiBro and Mobile WiMax applications; Runcom Products include the PHY and MAC communication layers. Runcom RNA200 ASIC was the first Mobile WiMax compliant ASIC in the Market. For more information, visit Runcom on the Internet: http://www.runcom.com or contact Israel Koffman at israelk@runcom.co.il

¹ The Worldwide market for WiMAX and competing products, IMS Research July 2007