National Semiconductor Powers Set-Top Boxes for e.Biscom's FastWeb Service

FastWeb brings high-speed integrated voice, Internet and video services to the user; complete solution will be demonstrated at National's booth in Hall 13, C52 at CeBIT 2001

Santa Clara, CA -- 3/22/2001 -- National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM), the leading technology provider for the information appliance market, and two highly innovative Italian companies - e.Biscom SpA (Milan's Nuovo Mercato: EBI) and EsseGi - have teamed up to bring a revolutionary new technology for high-speed video-on-demand and advanced internet services to business and end users in Italy. The new technology will be demonstrated on EsseGi's digital set-top box (Web.DVD), based on National Semiconductor's award-winning Geode™ processor, at the company's booth at CeBIT 2001 (March 22 - 28, Hannover, Germany) in Hall 13, stand C52.

e.Biscom, the Italian leader in broadband telecommunications, Internet and media-related services, began offering its new high-speed Internet service, FastWeb, last year in Milan. FastWeb operates at 10 megabits per second - approximately 200 times faster than traditional phone connections - over fibre optic channels and allows the transmission of voice, data, streaming video and Internet services at the highest quality. Last month, e.Biscom launched its full service through FastWeb, including video-on-demand, and plans to expand the service throughout Italy and Europe. For this reason, the company decided to work with EsseGi, a highly innovative company specialized in transforming technology into product, to bring to the market an advanced digital set-top box that allows users to take advantage of the innovative services provided by e.Biscom and its operative companies, such as video-on-demand, video conferencing, game-on-demand, video telephony and more.

National Semiconductor's Geode SC1200 processor is optimized for interactive set-top boxes; it provides the EsseGi Web.DVD with the highest performance and lowest power consumption on the market. Providing users with a complete Internet experience, the Geode SC1200 incorporates most functions of a complete set-top box on a single chip and represents the industry's most highly integrated, cost-effective x86 solution for advanced interactive set-top box designs. In addition to a superior silicon solution, National also offers complete reference designs as turnkey solutions for information appliance manufacturers in order to speed up their time-to-market - an important factor in the dynamic information appliance market.

"National Semiconductor has given us excellent support. National's Geode set-top box-on-a-chip provides the cutting-edge technology to enable the advanced services, such as streaming video, that we are offering our customers through FastWeb," said Ruggero Gramatica, IT director of FastWeb. "With EsseGi we have found a partner who was able to keep up with the fast pace in which we are moving forward to develop the infrastructure in Italy. Now we can offer our customers a full-featured Internet service on our Web.DVD, equipped with National's leading-edge semiconductor technology."

EsseGi's set-top box, designed to feature the new service, is being launched at CeBIT 2001 and has been developed in record time. "National's Geode solution has enabled us to quickly come to the market with an innovative digital set-top box platform, combined with EsseGi network management software, middleware and unique video on demand streaming player that allows consumers to take advantage of the new interactive services e.Biscom is offering," said Giuseppe Sbrissa, CEO of EsseGi. "Through the cooperation with National and the excellent support delivered to us, we are able to provide e.Biscom with a high-performance system solution, delivering voice, video and datastreams over Internet Protocol."

"We are proud to work with e.Biscom and EsseGi on an innovative project that represents a first in the industry," said Detlev Kunz, vice president and general manager, Europe, of National Semiconductor. "The new FastWeb broadband Internet access and the multimedia services that e.Biscom is going to offer on EsseGi's interactive set-top box will provide a growing number of individuals with an unprecedented level of high-end services in their homes and offices, from video-telephony and video-conferencing to tele-networking, new generation e-commerce and advanced video services in best-in-class quality."

About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless handsets; information appliances; information infrastructure; and display, imaging and human interface technologies. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 10,500 employees worldwide.

About e.Biscom
e.Biscom is the Italian leader of broadband telecommunications, Internet and media-related services. The company was launched in September 1999 by a group of Italian managers with a significant track record in the establishment and management of major telecommunications projects and successful start-ups, both in Italy and abroad. e.Biscom aims to leverage the unique skills of its team in the management of integrated IP networks and in the development and provisioning of broadband services and innovative Video Internet content, in order to lead the broadband technological revolution in Italy and throughout Europe. e.Biscom has been listed on Milan's Nuovo Mercato for high-growth stocks since March 2000 (IPO proceeds: Euro 1.6 billion). For more information, please visit e.Biscom's website www.ebiscom.it.

About EsseGi
EsseGi is an R&D private company with more than 10 years of experience in the field of technology. The company has put a lot of effort in developing a complete system solution to take advantage of the rapidly expanding broadband services combining network management software, middleware, unique video on demand streaming player with highly innovative Set Top Boxes allowing service operators to offer new interactive "on demand" services. For more information, please visit EsseGi's website www.essegi.net.