Microsoft and ITRAN Communications Join to Create a No New Wires Solution In the Home.

ITRAN AND MICROSOFT HAVE JOINED FORCES TO CO-DEVELOP A UNIFORM PLC BASED PLATFORM FOR HOME NETWORKING AND HOME AUTOMATION .

Tel Aviv, Israel. Feb. 9, 2000

ITRAN Communications Ltd. today announced it has signed an agreement with Microsoft Corp. the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The agreement is aimed at accelerating the uniform implementation and deployment of simple and dependable power line carrier (PLC) home networking technologies so that a wide variety of smart objects will easily connect to each other.

"We're excited to be joining together with ITRAN to help bring connectivity to devices using power line-based networking," said Shawn Sanford, group product manager, Windows Division, at Microsoft. "Microsoft's support of ITRAN takes us one step closer to meeting our goal of delivering simple networking across all kinds of devices and appliances."

With this agreement, Microsoft made an investment in ITRAN, and will collaborate and share resources with ITRAN for the development of simple and reliable PLC solutions. With the PLC implementation, manufacturers can easily and economically build networking into a wide variety of smart objects. In the future, consumers will be able to purchase network-ready objects that take advantage of the existing electrical wiring infrastructure. This agreement is another piece of evidence that Microsoft is committed to enabling consumers to choose from a rich spectrum of network-ready devices, appliances, PCs and smart objects.

"Our advanced communication technologies will bring to life a new universe of networked smart objects," said Avner Matmor, CEO and President of ITRAN Communications. "We are pleased to be working with Microsoft to help enable a uniform implementation of power-line based networking."

ITRAN Communications LTD. is a world leader in the development of Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) components and cutting edge technologies, targeting the power line communications market place. ITRAN chips enable "no new wires", existing infrastructure networks between PCs, electrical appliances and devices. ITRAN offers a wide spectrum of broadband and narrow band solutions aimed at the home networking, residential access and home automation markets. ITRAN delivers the most advanced low cost and reliable high speed network components available today for implementation of broadband and multimedia networks over power line. ITRAN also develops an advanced line of reliable long distance components that enable transmission control, telemetry and low speed data transmission capabilities. Among ITRAN customers are corporations ranging from home appliances and personal computing to networking, telephony and utility providers.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software any time, any place and on any device.
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