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Zarlink's Circuit Emulation Products Achieve MEF 18 Certification

^{Published on 2009-10-26 11:37:25 - Market Wire}
 

OTTAWA, CANADA--(Marketwire - Oct. 26, 2009) - Zarlink Semiconductor (TSX:ZL) today announced that its portfolio of Circuit Emulation Services over Packet (CESoP) products has successfully achieved Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) 18 certification, a key benchmark that equipment manufactures look for when selecting solutions that deliver TDM based services over packet networks.

Zarlink's CESoP products are highly integrated, easy to deploy solutions that provide critical timing capabilities to allow traditional TDM based services to be carried efficiently over Ethernet networks. Customers have deployed Zarlink's CESoP products into a range of applications, including wireless backhaul of TDM based services, Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) equipment, and Metro Ethernet networking equipment.

"Achieving MEF 18 certification provides manufacturers with a high level of confidence in our CESoP products," said Bruce Ernhofer, product line marketing manager with Zarlink's Timing and Synchronization product group. "Our CESoP products allow manufacturers to easily design MEF compliant equipment that enables global service providers to deliver revenue generating TDM services over lower cost carrier Ethernet networks."

MEF 18 certification verifies that Zarlink's CESoP products transport T1/E1 services over Ethernet in compliance with the requirements defined in MEF 8 "Implementation Agreement for the Emulation of PDH Circuits over Metro Ethernet Networks" and the circuit emulation services definitions defined in MEF 3 "Circuit Emulation Service Definitions, Framework and Requirements in Metro Ethernet Networks". Independent testing was carried out in the MEF approved Iometrix test lab.

"Zarlink's CESoP products successfully passed the very stringent compliance testing required for MEF 18 certification," said Bob Mandeville, president and founder of Iometrix. "MEF 18 certification is a new benchmark for services providers, with compliance providing manufacturers with a high level of confidence in the performance of Circuit Emulation products, including Zarlink's CESoP solutions."

Zarlink is the world's leading supplier of CESoP silicon devices to equipment manufacturers worldwide, with an extensive portfolio of devices that work over a complete range of enterprise, access and aggregation applications. For more on Zarlink's CESoP solutions visit [ http://www.zarlink.com/zarlink/hs/cesop.htm ].

About Zarlink Semiconductor

For over 30 years, Zarlink Semiconductor has delivered semiconductor solutions that drive the capabilities of voice, enterprise, broadband and wireless communications. The Company's success is built on its technology strengths including voice and data networks, optoelectronics and ultra low-power communications. For more information, visit [ www.zarlink.com ].

Shareholders and other individuals wishing to receive, free of charge, copies of the reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Regulatory Authorities, should visit the Company's web site at [ www.zarlink.com ] or contact Investor Relations.

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, among others, the following: our dependence on the successful development and market introduction of new products; our ability to integrate any business, technologies, product lines or services that we have or will acquire; our dependence on revenue generation from our legacy products in order to fund development of our new products; current market conditions, including the lack of liquidity in the markets and economic slowdown, may increase our operating costs or reduce our revenue, thereby negatively impacting our operating results; our ability to operate profitably and generate positive cash flows in the future; the impact of the current economic crisis on our suppliers and customers and our ability to transfer parts to other suppliers; our dependence on our foundry suppliers and third-party subcontractors; order cancellations and deferrals by our customers; our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial position; the cost and accounting implications of compliance with new accounting standards; and other factors referenced in our Annual Report on Form 20-F. Investors are encouraged to consider the risks detailed in this filing.

Zarlink and the Zarlink Semiconductor logo are trademarks of Zarlink Semiconductor Inc.