LOWELL, Mass., Sept. 19, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- BitWave Semiconductor, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company and innovator of software defined radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) solutions for the cellular industry, today named Michael Farese, PhD. as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Farese was most recently with Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM), where as SVP of Engineering he led the development of multiple Treo Smartphones including the Treo 700 and Treo 750. Farese joins BitWave as they engage with new partners and customers with the recently announced Softransceiver RFIC Product Line.
Mike Farese is a recognized leader in the handset and semiconductor business. Over the last 35 years, he has led and contributed to many aspects of wireless business for companies including Palm, Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia Mobile Phones, Tropian and WJ Communications. He also held management positions at ITT, AT&T, and Bell Laboratories. Farese has extensive experience in all facets of the business including responsibility for business strategy, product planning, product development, partnership strategies and equity financing. He has introduced some of the first GSM/TDMA Smartphones, developed ASICs for WCDMA/UMTS and been at the forefront of development of the latest multi-mode devices in the wireless industry. Farese's execution and breadth of experience in wireless and at startups has made him ideally suited for the leadership of BitWave where their Softransceiver RFIC has just recently begun sampling to key partners. "Mike's semiconductor experiences, Smartphone handset knowledge and business network will accelerate the growth of BitWave at this critical juncture in the company's development," said Russ Cyr, the Chief Marketing Officer and one of the company co-founders.
"With Mike's proven track record of bringing products to market and building revenue, we look forward to partnering with handset OEMs to deliver our world class radio technology to the marketplace," said Wayne Boulais, chairperson of the BitWave Board of Directors. "Mike Farese is a critical addition to the BitWave management team as we continue to build our relationships with partners and deliver product to the market." Mike joins co-founders Russ Cyr, CMO & Geoff Dawe, CTO, who have been developing the Softransceiver technology since the company's inception in 2003. "I'm extremely excited to join BitWave; with the Softransceiver RFIC, we have an opportunity to dramatically change the way consumer companies create and implement product strategies for wireless devices," said Farese. "BitWave has an exceptional team and I look forward to working with them and leading them to continued success."
About BitWave Semiconductor, Inc.
BitWave Semiconductor, Inc., is a fabless semiconductor company and developer of the Softransceiver technology. BitWave is implementing its patent pending software defined receiver technology in a single CMOS RFIC chip designed to enable users of standard cell phones, laptops, Femtocells and other mobile devices to communicate across diverse networks. Mobile devices using the Softransceiver can operate on multiple frequencies and communication protocols, giving consumers and businesses a broader choice of networks and services. The Softransceiver will allow network operators to offer services on demand and allow device manufacturers to build a single, low cost radio that can be used in any network, anywhere. All of these benefits are achieved while decreasing the transceiver price, increasing phone battery life and increasing radio performance. BitWave's founders have extensive experience in successfully commercializing software-defined radio technology for the cell phone industry. BitWave's IP and technology has been tested and validated in silicon. For more information, go to www.bitwavesemiconductor.com.