Press Release

Carolyn Fromm/Heather McLaughlin
Benjamin Group/BSMG Worldwide
714-245-7500
heather_mclaughlin@benjamingroup.com
carolyn_fromm@benjamingroup.com

Conexant Develops Breakthrough Smart Power Amplifier Technology That Will Enable up to Triple the Talk Time for Mobile Handsets and Third-Generation (3G) Wireless Terminals

Conexant will incorporate its power-management technology into the company's next generation of code division multiple access (CDMA) power amplifiers

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 28, 2000 - Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:

CNXT) today unveiled advanced power-management technology that will

significantly improve the efficiency of power amplifiers for mobile

handsets and third-generation (3G) wireless terminals. The SmartPA

technology, for which patents are pending, is expected to provide handset

designers with a convenient, single-chip solution for giving consumers up

to triple the battery life possible with current handset designs. Conexant

will embed the SmartPA technology in a new family of CDMA power amplifiers

which will begin general sampling in the second calendar quarter of 2000,

with volume production scheduled for the second half of the year.

Conexant's new SmartPA technology re-architects the power-management

circuitry in a power amplifier, partitioning it and using innovative

switching techniques so that a mobile handset's power consumption can be

optimized at various power levels. The SmartPA architecture is

particularly effective at low power ranges where handsets operate 90

percent of the time. Using this advanced architecture, Conexant's power

amplifiers will be able to dramatically increase the power efficiency of a

handset design, independent of the rest of the handset system. Conexant's

power amplifiers will also be compatible with the current generation of

baseband devices, giving designers maximum flexibility for developing a

wide variety of handset designs.

"As a leading pioneer in CDMA power amplifiers, Conexant has spent

years analyzing power efficiency issues that we believe represent the

single most important challenge for mobile handset designers," said Moiz

Beguwala, senior vice president and general manager for Conexant's Wireless

Communications Division. "SmartPA technology offers a universal solution

to the problem, and gives designers an extremely easy-to-implement

technology that will be embedded directly into our power amplifiers. It

will provide significant advantages for both IS95 CDMA handsets and for

future 3G terminals that will demand even better power management for

supporting voice and data applications."

According to market analyst Will Strauss of Forward Concepts, the CDMA market is the fastest growing cellular market, and is expected to surpass 60 million units in 2000. "The migration path from cdmaOne to third-generation cdma2000 is very clear and Conexant has the RF and mixed-signal technology to also grow rapidly with this market," said Strauss.

Power amplifiers provide the energy for transmitting a wireless signal

through the handset's antenna to the basestation, and are the handset's

biggest determinant of battery life and talk time. Until now, power

amplifiers were not capable of running at the optimum dynamic load in

response to changing power output conditions, and this has significantly

reduced power efficiency over time. In developing its SmartPA technology,

Conexant has exploited a combination of specialized mixed-signal integrated

circuit (IC) design expertise and the company's leadership in 50GHz

heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) gallium arsenide (GaAs) process

technology and multichip module IC (MMIC) packaging techniques.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements relating to future results of the company (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: global and market conditions, including, but not limited to, the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions; the availability and extent of utilization of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; fluctuations in manufacturing yields; product obsolescence; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the successful implementation of the company's diversification strategy; labor relations of the company, its customers and suppliers; timely completion of Year 2000 modifications by the company and its key suppliers and customers; and the uncertainties of litigation, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners.

About Conexant
With revenues of more than $1.2 billion, Conexant is the world's largest independent company focused exclusively on providing semiconductor products for communications electronics. With more than 30 years of experience in developing communications technology, the company draws upon its expertise in mixed-signal processing to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products for a broad range of communications applications. These products facilitate communications worldwide through wireline voice and data communications networks, cordless and cellular wireless telephony systems, personal imaging devices and equipment, and emerging cable and wireless broadband communications networks. The company aligns its business into five product platforms: Network Access, Wireless Communications, Digital Infotainment, Personal Imaging, and Personal Computing. Conexant is a member of the Nasdaq-100 Index, which represents the largest and most active stocks listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market across major industry groups. For more information visit Conexant's website at www.conexant.com.

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