FIRECOMMS DEVELOPMENT KITS EXPEDITE DEVELOPMENT OF CONVERTERS AND REPEATERS FOR FAST ETHERNET AND 1394b OVER POF

Cork, Ireland — September 22, 2006 — Firecomms Ltd., a leading compound semiconductor company that develops high-speed light sources in visible range wavelengths, today announced the availability of two media development kits (MDK) that will enable the rapid deployment of copper-to-POF (plastic optical fiber) converters and repeaters for 1394b and Fast Ethernet. Each kit is a complete reference design that enables developers to quickly enter the market for copper-to-POF converters and repeaters.

Comprehensive engineering tools, Firecomms’ new Fast Ethernet over POF MDK and 1394b over POF MDK enable developers to set up a working network link (1394b/FireWire/i.LINK or Fast Ethernet) over a length of POF to evaluate the performance of Firecomms’ 1394 and Fast Ethernet FOTs (fiber optic transceiver) as well as the link’s quality of service.

“Firecomms has launched our MDK family of complete reference design kits to promote the rapid development of optical converter and repeater products that will in turn enhance interconnectivity between copper and POF networks installed in residential, office, and transportation environments,” says Lawrence Thorne, vice-president of sales and marketing for Firecomms North America.”

Each MDK utilizes Firecomms’ fully integrated transceiver RCLED-based 650 nm FOT and highly-sensitive receiver FOT that operate within IEEE 1394 or Fast Ethernet data communications networks. The integration of the emitter Tx FOT with its driver IC and a pin-diode Rx FOT with a receiver IC in a POF link provides for a high-integrity digital data link over a range of up to 50m at 250 Mbps, or 100m at 125 Mbps.

Each kit contains two PCBs, each with a FOT pair housed in connectors and soldered to the PCB, one POF cable (10, 20 or 50m) which is fully connectorized with plugs suitable for use with the SMI FOT housing, two DC power supplies, design tools, schematics, Gerber files, bill of materials, and Firecomms technical support. Each PCB accepts IEEE 1394 or Fast Ethernet traffic from a source connected to a standard 9-pin 1394 or RJ45 cable. The data is fed to a PHY IC, which is configured for S200 operation (1394b) or 100 Mbs Fast Ethernet. The optical port of the PHY IC is interfaced to Firecomms’ FOT pair (Tx+Rx), which is housed in an SMI (small multimedia interface) connector housing.

A second PCB with the same configuration as the first provides the conversion from optical over POF back to a standard electrical signal over copper for connection to the user's end device, such as a PC, hub, or network analyzer.

Detailed specifications for Firecomms’ media development kits and FOTs are available on the company web site at www.firecomms.com. These products can be ordered through Firecomms’ sales organization (sales@firecomms.com) in Japan, USA, and Europe.

About Firecomms Ltd.

Firecomms, a compound semiconductor company based in Ireland, develops visible light sources and sensors that light the way for next-generation consumer devices, automotive and home networks, and medical equipment. These devices provide the groundwork that will revolutionize optical data communications for small area networks, such as in-car networks and home networks.

Firecomms leads the development of devices to drive POF, a low-cost optical alternative to copper cabling. Due to its ease of use, large core tolerances, and low costs, POF is enjoying a huge growth in a wide range of applications. Created for consumer, industrial, and automotive applications in which plastic fiber can be used more easily and at lower cost than copper or glass fiber, POF is now used in millions of small area networks, such as those in use in many car models, and is rapidly gaining ground in home network and point-to-point interconnection. The POF market is estimated to be worth over $1 billion per year by the end of 2008.

Additional information about Firecomms is available at www.firecomms.com.

Further Information:

Rene' Williams
Firecomms Ltd.
Tel. 949.360.7770
rene@firecomms.com