DiBcom adds investment of Euro20 million

DiBcom adds NATIXIS as financial partner; joining international team of investors backing the world leader in semiconductors for Mobile TV

Paris — DiBcom, the market leader in integrated circuit (IC) solutions for mobile TV reception, has announced the closing of its fifth round of financing at €20 million (approximately $27 million U.S.), bringing its total funding to date to €60 million (approximately $80 million U.S.). As part of the round, DiBcom has added a new financial partner, NATIXIS, which subscribed for 50%, with remaining funds coming from DiBcom’s established global team of investors including 3i, Cipio Partners, Convergent Capital, Crédit Agricole Private Equity, Intel Capital, Partech International, SGAM Alternative Investments, UMC Capital, and WI Harper.

The additional funding will enable DiBcom to further accelerate international growth and consolidate its leadership position as mobile TV markets in Europe and worldwide take off. According to market analyst firm Rethink Research, more than 300 mobile TV trials are currently ongoing worldwide, with 73% of deployments using DVB-H, the global standard and a DiBcom stronghold. These pilots are due to become commercial deployments in 2008 and are adding to mobile TV networks already launched with success, such as in Italy, Finland, Russia and South Africa.

DiBcom, a Paris, France headquartered company, was established in 2000. With worldwide staff of 150, the fast-growing company has positioned itself at the heart of mobile television. It is the market leader in mobile TV IC solutions for automobiles, personal computers, mobile phones and portable multimedia devices. DiBcom has sold millions of components in each of these markets.

A Position of Technology Market Leadership

In 2005, DiBcom was the first company in the world to launch an IC compatible with the global mobile TV standard, DVB-H. The company went on to launch in 2006 the first circuit to integrate the entire reception chain (tuner and demodulator) on a single chip. This innovation was followed in early 2007 by the development of two multi-band (VHF, UHF and L-Band) components in 90 nanometer, one implementing the most cost effective DVB-H receiver available, and the other delivering multi-standard reception covering DVB-H, DAB and T-DMB. Today, DiBcom products offer customers an extensive technical flexibility and superior performance at an optimal cost. As a testament to the superiority of its products, DiBcom ICs are used in the majority of DVB-H mobile TV phones currently on sale, notably in Italy with LG, Sagem and Samsung. DiBcom’s solutions have also been adopted by other major manufacturers in the mobile phone industry as well as by many leading PC and notebook manufacturers, TV and other consumer electronics firms and car manufacturers worldwide.

“A pioneer in Mobile TV chip design, DiBcom has successfully established itself as the expert and goto-vendor in the sector. Electronics firms worldwide have realised that there is a clear advantage in deploying our technology over competing solutions, for example, in terms of reception quality, particularly when moving around and about town with a mobile phone in hand. DiBcom based phones don’t lose a single second of content. That is presumably a key reason why major electronics firms and others use DiBcom,” explains Yannick Lévy, CEO of DiBcom.

Break-Through In Europe

Television on mobile devices is set to take off in key economies including France and Germany as well as Switzerland, Austria and Spain in early 2008. Regulators in these countries have awarded fifteen mobile broadcast channels for launch in advance of upcoming world sporting events such as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the Euro 2008 European Football Championship in June of next year.

Mobile TV is expected to become one of the fastest growing markets, given that Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) is now accessible to more than 350 million viewers throughout Europe, far ahead of any other means of content access. According to Screen Digest, a media research house, mobile TV will attract over 130 million consumers by 2011 and is set to become a growth driver for participants at all points of the value chain, from operators and TV broadcasters to electronics manufacturers and component vendors.

Broad Investor Support

“The support of our investors enables us to move forward on an even more aggressive path than we have done to date. We are the unrivalled technology leader, which has been the foundation of our success to date, and we have now come to an important milestone as mobile TV has reached the break-through phase. With leading products and the resounding financial support of our existing investors and new partner, NATIXIS, for which I am very grateful, DiBcom will consolidate and further extend its technology and market leadership,” added Lévy.

NATIXIS, new financial partner

DiBcom is proud to welcome NATIXIS, a major European corporate and investment bank, as a new investor. “We are thrilled to be contributing to the success of DiBcom,” says Jean-François Tiné, Head of Equity Capital Markets of NATIXIS. “Our sector experience, notably in the fields of telecom and technology, has allowed us to identify DiBcom’s enormous potential. We are delighted to demonstrate our confidence in management and its growth plan through this round of funding, which was specifically structured for DiBcom by our financing and equity capital markets teams”.