SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Marvell(R) (NASDAQ: MRVL), a technology leader in the development of extreme broadband communications and storage solutions, today announced that it is extending its Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch leadership to the Small-to-Medium Size Business (SMB) market with unmanaged 24-, 16- and 8-port single-chip Prestera(TM)-DX GbE packet processors. With Prestera-DX-based Gigabit switching solutions, IT managers can implement high-performance, feature-rich and cost-effective switches that not only meet today's SMB market needs but also provide a scalable platform for future requirements.

The Prestera-DX family of packet processors offers new levels of integration and performance targeted at desktop GbE switches for simple networks in the small and medium enterprise environment. The Prestera-DX devices achieve non-blocking performance and high integration by combining all of the Gigabit MACs, the packet buffer memory, a powerful switch engine, and SERDES in each port into a single chip. The Prestera-DX family of switches provides highly reliable and cost-effective, end-to-end GbE switching solutions that can effectively scale to the network growth requirements for data/voice/video traffic in small and medium businesses. "Marvell's goal is to make Gigabit connectivity easier and more affordable for the fast growing SMB networks," said Tony Hsu, Marvell's Sr. Product Manager for the Prestera Enterprise Switches. "Until recently, only 10/100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet) switching products have been available for desktop connectivity in the SMB market, but with the introduction of the new Prestera-DX GbE switches, customers can now get plug-and-play, unmanaged, small form factor switches with GbE speed and price points aimed at accelerating Gigabit to the desktop." In a separate release: Marvell(R) (NASDAQ: MRVL), a technology leader in the development of extreme broadband communications and storage solutions, today announced the expansion of its Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch leadership to the SOHO market with 5- and 8-port integrated GbE switches. The 5-port 88E6151 and 8-port 88E6181 Gigabit switches extend the Marvell Link Street(TM) family of integrated Fast Ethernet switches to GbE, providing fast and easy network connectivity for consumers installing a Gigabit SOHO or home network. The increase in the number of multiple-PC households and small offices that use Internet appliances has driven the demand for higher speed Gigabit networking solutions. With Gigabit switches based on the Marvell Link Street devices, consumers will now be able to access high-speed servers to exchange large files such as high-quality graphics and multimedia traffic at data rates faster than currently deployed networks, and will be able to share peripheral equipment such as printers and scanners. The Link Street devices' Quality of Service features support new Internet services delivered to the remote office, including efficient processing for Video-over-the-Internet and Voice-over-IP processing for IP telephony. These devices enable PCs and IP phones to network with all LAN ports switched at Gigabit speeds. The highly integrated Link Street devices enable construction of a complete three-chip 5-port/8-port GbE switch solution with triple-speed 10/100/1000 Mbps support, enabling customers to effectively transition their existing Fast Ethernet networks to GbE. The three-chip solution with Marvell Alaska(R) PHYs supports both copper and fiber connections with market-leading network reach, and includes the Company's Virtual Cable Tester(TM) (VCT) technology for cable testing. VCT technology enables consumers to verify and validate their cable connections when they connect the network, making SOHO network installation as easy as plug-and-play. "Marvell provides its SOHO customers, shifting from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet, with the highest performance, most cost-effective switch solution available on the market today," stated Bill Windsor, Marvell's Director of Product Marketing for SOHO Networking Products. "These latest additions to the Link Street SOHO networking family enable customers to gain plug-and-play Gigabit networks with high-speed access for multimedia." Marvell Technology Group Ltd.