CSR appoints IVT as design support centre for embedded Bluetooth designs

Ref: EME9600
For further information, contact
       
CSR  +44 1223 692 689  aw@csr.com   Alan Woolhouse
EML  +44 208 408 8000  csr@eml.com  David Marsden/Richard Parker

Cambridge, UK - April 16, 2004 - CSR PLC (LSE: CSR.L) today announced that Bluetooth software specialist IVT Corporation, has been appointed as an official CSR design support centre for embedded Bluetooth designs. With this appointment, IVT will work closer with CSR customers implementing BlueCore Bluetooth technology from CSR and help to make it easier for companies to implement Bluetooth into their endproduct designs.

China-based IVT offers a very reliable and compact Bluetooth core protocol stack code called Bluelet™. Bluelet Protocol Stack is an ideal partner for BlueCore because of its suitability for embedded and desktop Bluetooth applications. Bluelet is already qualified as a fully compliant v1.2 Bluetooth protocol stack.

Along with CSR, IVT has been instrumental in qualifying the first Bluetooth products to the latest version (v1.2) of the Bluetooth specification. IVT is part of CSR's partner program - a network of third parties working with CSR to provide real-time advantages to customers around the world. These third party products support innovation based upon CSR's BlueCore -- the Bluetooth single-chip radio devices found in over 60 percent of the Bluetooth qualified end-products and modules on the market today.

Bluelet is divided into four parts: the Bluetooth System Module, which is user configurable - all host stack protocols can access the module's configuration; the Bluetooth Common Function Library, which contains the common code used by each protocol and all the platform dependent code in the system; Bluetooth Protocol Modules which are written in ANSI C allowing them to be easily ported to any platforms without modification; and the Bluetooth User Interface, which is a system dependent module. Users can develop their own user interface to meet their needs, sample interfaces are provided for Win32 platforms.

Bluelet is made available as source or object code to meet the differing needs of embedded Bluetooth designers. IVT also has the experience of producing its own Bluetooth end products and reference designs such as their Integrated Class 1 CTP enabled GSM phone and associated Access points or Embedded Audio Headset solutions. This experience gives IVT an essential working knowledge of implementing Bluetooth into end-products, making it easier for them to understand the needs of CSR's customers.

Clive Chelsom-Pill, Commercial Manager and CSR commented , "Combining IVT's excellent Bluelet protocol stack for embedded applications, its experience in working with end-product designs, and its proximity to our key Asian markets means that IVT is able to provide an important support service to customers using CSR's BlueCore."

About CSR
CSR PLC (LSE: CSR.L) is a leading provider of single-chip radio devices for Bluetooth wireless communication. CSR offers developed hardware/software packages based around BlueCore, a fully integrated 2.4 GHz radio, baseband and microcontroller. BlueCore features in 60 percent of all Bluetooth qualified end products and modules with international names such as Microsoft Corp, Nokia, Dell, Panasonic, Audi, NEC, Toshiba, Samsung and Sony already using BlueCore in their range of Bluetooth products.

In June 2003, CSR launched the third generation BlueCore devices with full support for v1.2 of the Bluetooth specification. In February 2004, CSR floated on the London Stock Exchange in the largest UK technology floatation in three years. CSR is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with offices in Richardson, Texas, USA; Tokyo, Japan; Singapore; Seoul, Korea; Taipei, Taiwan and Aalborg, Denmark. More information can be found at www.csr.com and the partner web site http://www.btdesigner.com/

More information about Bluetooth can be found on the SIG web site at http://www.Bluetooth.com/

About IVT
IVT is a world leader in providing Bluetooth ODM solutions. IVT also offers Bluetooth protocol stack and profiles source code, protocol analyzer, conformance & interoperability testers, application software for PC, laptop and PDA and a variety of products. IVT also provides customization design, testing services, OS porting and Bluetooth qualification support. IVT has sales offices in Europe, USA, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, an R&D center in Beijing, China, and a worldwide customer base. For more information, please visit www.ivtcorporation.com