New radio chip and module preview

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14 April 2014

Toumaz Limited

Frontier Silicon to preview new global digital radio chip and US compatible radio module at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair

Toumaz Limited (AIM: TMZ, 'Toumaz', or 'the Group'), a pioneer in ultra-low power wireless semiconductor technology, announces its consumer audio division, Frontier Silicon, will preview at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair this week two new digital radio chip solutions: Kino 4 and an HD Radio™ module.

Kino 4, Frontier Silicon's next generation digital radio chip (and flagship product for the sector), integrates four previously separate chips to deliver significant improvements in performance, cost and power consumption. This new chip builds on the performance and reliability standards of earlier generations of the Kino chip series - the world's best-selling digital radio ICs (over 20 million units sold).

Kino 4 is designed to power all major categories of consumer digital radio devices. Key areas of focus include portable radios (with entry level models retailing at under $30), radio receivers with Bluetooth connectivity, multi-function devices (e.g. clock radios, docks and home audio systems) and a wide range of automotive aftermarket products (especially, automotive adapters).

Frontier Silicon will also launch its first digital radio module supporting the US-compatible HD Radio standard at the Hong Kong show. Developed in partnership with iBiquity Digital Corp (developer of HD Radio technology), the new solution allows receiver manufacturers to launch US versions of best-selling radio devices which have to-date only been sold in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. North American brands and retailers will also now be able to incorporate the performance standards and reliability of Frontier Silicon's solutions in their domestic HD Radio devices.

The HD Radio module, based on Frontier's market-leading Verona digital radio module, will be sampling in April, with lead partners going to mass production at the end of Q2 2014.

Anthony Sethill, CEO of Toumaz, said:

"Kino 4 builds on ten years of development work by Frontier Silicon. There are over 300 consumer digital radio models on the market, the great majority based on Frontier solutions, and our aim with Kino 4 is to increase this number significantly - in particular, for entry level portable radios, multi-function radio devices and automotive aftermarket products.

"In the US, HD Radio has established a firm foothold in the North American automotive market, and the market for consumer HD Radio devices is ripe for development. Our partnership with iBiquity has been a key factor in the development of the Verona HD Radio solution. By combining the technical expertise of our two teams, we have accelerated time to market and avoided unnecessary duplication of effort."

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About Toumaz (www.toumaz.com)

Toumaz Limited is a pioneer in low-power, wireless semiconductor and software technologies for healthcare and consumer audio. The company has two divisions, Sensium Healthcare and Frontier Silicon. Sensium Healthcare develops wireless solutions for patient monitoring. Frontier Silicon provides chip, modules and software for digital radio and connected audio devices.