SANTA CLARA, California, February 16 /PRNewswire/ --

- Collaboration Results in Best-in-Class Connectivity Solutions for Advanced Handsets

Atheros Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATHR), a global leader in innovative technologies for wireless and wired communications, today announced the availability of a connectivity solution combining Atheros' latest-generation AR6002 Radio-on-Chip for Mobile (ROCm(R)) WLAN single-chip with Qualcomm's BTS4025(TM) Bluetooth System-on-Chip (SoC) that supports EDR 2.1 with class 1.5 power. This combined solution delivers advanced system performance to OEMs and ODMs developing cellular phones based on any of Qualcomm's Mobile Station Modem(TM) (MSM(TM)) chipsets for CDMA and WCDMA (UMTS), including multiple MSM product families. As Atheros and Qualcomm continue their long-standing collaboration, the two companies are focused on raising the performance bar for high performance wireless solutions that address the growing demand for multiple connectivity technologies in advanced handsets.

The AR6002 ROCm features industry-leading RF performance, power consumption, solution size and coexistence with Qualcomm's BTS4025 SOC. The AR6002 platform supports Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Mobile and Linux(R) operating systems, the BREW(R) client, and the Android open mobile phone software stack. In addition, the AR6002 offers a unique, new soft AP capability, which enables handsets to act as mobile hotspots with support for up to four client devices. With Atheros' mobile Wi-Fi(R) soft AP functionality, up to four notebook computers can access Internet applications such as email, web browsing and multimedia downloads via a single handset's 3G connection. And, the clients only require basic WLAN features to benefit from access point-like connectivity through the handset.

This seamless combination of Qualcomm's Bluetooth and Atheros' WLAN for mobile will help our customers easily integrate high-performance wireless functionality into their products and ensure fast time-to-market, said Michael Concannon, senior vice president of connectivity for Qualcomm. Atheros' AR6002 and Qualcomm's BTW4025 products have been rigorously validated and tested in combination to assure a highly reliable and satisfactory user experience.

The combination of Atheros and Qualcomm solutions has resulted in feature-rich platforms that have been vigorously vetted by developers, customers and consumers, and readily meet today's demanding smartphone requirements. To date, the companies have achieved numerous joint design wins, with dozens of end-products in the market today.

We are pleased to generate new synergies with Qualcomm solutions to benefit our customers, said Amir Faintuch, vice president and general manager, Mobile Wireless Business Unit, at Atheros. Together, we bring a fully-integrated, complementary offering to market. This combined solution featuring Qualcomm's Bluetooth and Atheros' WLAN technologies is optimized with the next-generation mobile phone system in mind.

The Atheros AR6002 sets the industry benchmark for high performance, low power mobile WLAN solutions. The AR6002 consumes 30 percent less power in active mode than the nearest competitive solution and near-zero power in standby mode. In addition to sipping power and delivering enterprise-class throughput and range, the AR6002 is a fully independent WLAN device, which does not tax the cellular phone's host processor like competing solutions. The joint platform offers both 802.11g and 802.11a/g options.

For more details, or to schedule a meeting to see a product demonstration, please visit the Atheros booth located at #2F37, ground floor Hall 2 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new connectivity platform leveraging the products from the two companies is available now.

About Atheros Communications, Inc.

Atheros Communications is a global leader in innovative technologies for wireless and wired communications. Atheros combines its wireless and networking systems expertise with high-performance radio frequency (RF), mixed signal and digital semiconductor design skills to provide highly integrated chipsets that are manufactured on low-cost, standard complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes. Atheros technology is used by a broad base of leading customers, including personal computer, networking equipment and consumer device manufacturers. For more information, please visit http://www.atheros.com or send email to info@atheros.com.

Atheros, the Atheros logo and ROCm are trademarks of Atheros Communications, Inc. Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the sole property of their respective owners.

NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including the features, benefits and performance of Atheros' and Qualcomm's products and the solution combining Qualcomm's Bluetooth product and Atheros' WLAN product, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, difficulties in the development of new and enhanced products, general economic conditions, the effects of competition and technological change, and the risks detailed in Atheros' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 2008, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in other reports filed with the SEC by Atheros from time to time. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Atheros disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Editorial, Dakota Lee of Atheros Communications, +1-408-720-5597, dakota@atheros.com, or Greg Wood of AR Edelman, +1-650-762-2838, gwood@ar-edelman.com, for Atheros; or Investor, David Allen of Atheros Communications, +1-408-830-5762, david.allen@atheros.com