Antenna Tuning Switch from Peregrine Drives Performance of New Vega LTE-Advanced Smartphone from Pantech

New PE613010 switch selected based on 1dB performance improvement at the antenna

San Diego, California, August 28, 2013 — Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: PSMI), a fabless provider of high-performance radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), today announced that its new PE613010 antenna tuning switch has been selected by Pantech to drive performance in the new Vega LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) smartphone. The Vega LTE-A, available for use on SK Telecom’s network in Korea, features the industry’s first fingerprint recognition technology, as well as the largest full HD display and battery capacity available on an LTE-A handset.

“When evaluating antenna tuning solutions, we found that Peregrine’s PE613010 delivered 1 dB better performance at the antenna compared to other switches on the market. This improved performance in antenna efficiency is critical in realizing the data throughput offered by new LTE-A networks while still delivering the battery life and reliability consumers expect,” said Mr. Jeong, senior RF engineer at  Pantech. “This, along with the device’s integration and small size made Peregrine’s antenna tuning switch an ideal choice for the Vega LTE-A.”

The Vega LTE-A uses Peregrine’s single-pole, single throw (SPST) PE613010 antenna tuning switch to optimize antenna efficiency for higher overall performance. Based on Peregrine’s UltraCMOS® technology with DuNE™ and HaRP™ enhancements, the antenna switch delivers the industry’s lowest on-resistance (Ron) of 1.2 Ohms from 700-2700MHz. This enables a 1dB improvement at the antenna, which translates to a 25% performance gain. As a result, the platform can support higher data throughput, increased battery life, and longer range for fewer dropped calls. The new antenna switch is supplied in a miniature 2 x 2 x 0.55 mm package that requires no external components, making it ideal for thinner form factor smartphones.

“Peregrine is thrilled that Pantech chose our antenna tuning solution for the Vega LTE-A  handset,” said Dylan Kelly, vice president of the mobile wireless solutions business unit at Peregrine Semiconductor. “Pantech’s new phone is an ideal platform to showcase the benefits of our antenna tuning solutions. The success of our device in delivering a 25% performance improvement at the antenna allows the new smartphone to support the full capability of LTE-A networks while bringing disruptive features like fingerprint recognition to market.”

The PE613010 antenna tuning switch is available now. Samples, volume-production quantities and pricing are available today by contacting Peregrine. For more information, visit https://www.psemi.com.

About Peregrine Semiconductor

Peregrine Semiconductor (NASDAQ: PSMI) is a fabless provider of high-performance radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). Our solutions leverage our proprietary UltraCMOS® technology, an advanced RF Silicon-On-Insulator process. Our products deliver what we believe is an industry- leading combination of performance and monolithic integration, and target a broad range of applications in the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets. Additional information is available at https://www.psemi.com.

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The Peregrine Semiconductor name, logo, and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation in the U.S.A., and other countries. DuNE, and HaRP are trademarks of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation in the U.S.A., and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.