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Frontier Silicon technology continues to dominate DAB digital radio sales

Momentum continues as Frontier Silicon chip sales exceed 650,000

LONDON, March 2, 2004: DAB digital radio has become increasingly successful as a high growth consumer electronics technology. This media advisory is issued with key facts about Frontier Silicon's position as the world's leading supplier of DAB chips and its role within the DAB digital radio market, especially as a result of recently released December 2003 sales figures.

Key facts

- Leading the UK Christmas sales lists - recently published data by GfK, independent auditors of the home electronics market, revealed December sales of 133,000 DAB radios. Two-thirds of these contain the Chorus DAB processor from Frontier Silicon, making it clear market leader, outselling its nearest competitor 2-to-1. Frontier Silicon's customers include the world's leading radio brands such as Bush, Cambridge Audio, Goodmans, Grundig, Ministry of Sound, Philips, PURE Digital, Roberts Radio and TEAC.

- Highest volume of chips shipped - Frontier Silicon started shipping Chorus, the world's leading SoC (system-on-chip) for the Eureka 147 DAB digital radio standard, in 2002 and within 18 months at the end of 2003 had shipped over 500,000 units. As of the end of February 2004, this figure is now over 650,000.

- Winner of consumer awards - out of 12 digital radios reviewed in the recent What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision group test of portable digital radios, Frontier Silicon's SoCs are in all three winners plus six others in the group test. The winners were the Bush DABCR2003, PURE EVOKE-2, and the PURE PocketDAB 1000.

- Incorporated in highest number of individual digital radio models- Frontier Silicon's chips are already designed into over 20 shipping DAB digital radio products from different manufacturers, and the company expects this number to more than double over the next six months. One example of a product containing Frontier Silicon's technology and capturing a significant market share is PURE Digital's EVOKE-1, which accounts for over 50% of all digital radios in UK homes and is the most recognised icon of the digital radio revolution.

- Leading performance in portable radios - Frontier Silicon has cooperated with Samsung Electro-Mechanics to produce the world's smallest and lowest power DAB radio solution for mobile phone handsets. The two companies have developed, and demonstrated to key customers, a module that is 30% lower in power consumption than currently available solutions, in a compact module measuring only 30mm x 38mm by 2.5mm high.

- Driving down cost of digital radios - Frontier Silicon enabled the first ?99 DAB digital radio in the UK, and its tri-band module, Venice 2, will shortly yield the first tri-band EUR99 digital radio for Europe, and in particular Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

- Flexibility of solution - based on the programmable META processor, Frontier Silicon's SoC solution enables new products in the market supporting enhanced feature sets such as MP3 player, CD integration and FM.

About Frontier Silicon

Frontier Silicon is at the forefront of the digital revolution with a range of semiconductor solutions for digital TV, digital radio and other emerging consumer multimedia products. As a fabless semiconductor business, Frontier Silicon's core products include complete DAB modules, DVB-T solutions and the underlying system-on-chip (SoC) devices. Key customers for these products include consumer electronic, automotive entertainment and PDA/mobile phone manufacturers. In digital radio (DAB), the company's chips are found in the world's leading brands including Bush, Goodmans, Grundig, Ministry of Sound, Philips, PURE Digital, Roberts Radio, Cambridge Audio and TEAC.

Contact

Anthony Sethill, CEO
Frontier Silicon
Tel: +44 (0) 1923 474200
Fax: +44 (0)1923 202251
Email: