WEYBRIDGE, Surrey, U.K., and SAN JOSE, Calif., - January 28, 2002 – A new programmable chip announced earlier this month by Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX), could potentially solve the alarming increase in mobile phone-related crime by enabling mobile phone operators with the ability to remotely disable stolen phones. Xilinx pioneered the development of Internet reconfigurable logic (IRL) – electronic chips that can be reconfigured over the Internet or any other network, such as a mobile phone network, to perform a completely new function. 

Until now, the technology has mainly been used to update network equipment without requiring a service visit or product recall.  But the latest technological innovation from Xilinx, the CoolRunner-II CPLD, is smaller and consumes very low battery power, making it ideal for the latest mobile handsets.

Multiple Access Communications (MAC) Ltd, a Southampton based Xilinx development partner, endorses the Xilinx proposal. “With the ever increasing sophistication of mobile phones, and particularly the inclusion of PDA functions, users will want the assurance that their data are safe. Xilinx has produced an innovative solution to this problem,” says David Kenyon, Technical Director of MAC Ltd.

“We designed CoolRunner-II CPLDs to address the increasing demands of today’s consumer,” says Alan Matthews, marketing director at Xilinx Europe.  “Once a phone containing a Xilinx chip is reported stolen, the phone operating company can send new data to the phone, wherever it may be within the network, turning the CoolRunner-II chip into a block between the keypad and the rest of the phone, which prevents any further use. Basically, it makes the handset unusable; even if the thief changes the SIM card, the reconfigured CoolRunner-II chip continues to prevent use of the keypad.”

This same technology can be used to re-activate the phone if and when it is returned to its rightful owner.  The chip also includes extensive security features to prevent hacking or other unauthorised reconfiguration. 

Mobile phone-related crime
Crime figures show that mobile phone theft in the UK has increased by 190% since 1995 and mobile phones are now involved in 28% of all robberies*. The mobile phone industry is currently in disagreement over the solution to prevent phone theft and in January this year, Ministers considered whether to introduce legislation that would force networks to introduce anti-theft measures.

About Xilinx 
Xilinx is the leading supplier of complete programmable logic solutions, including advanced integrated circuits, software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as intellectual property cores, and unparalleled field engineering support. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and fulfils more than half of the world demand for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to reduce significantly the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, aerospace, defence, low-power portable and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx web site at http://www.xilinx.com.