Press Releases
InformationWeek and PC Magazine’s Top-Rated WLAN Products Fueled by Intersil’s PRISM

PRISM-enabled wireless networking products excel in magazines’ April reviews

PALM BAY, FL, May 10, 2000 — Intersil, the world’s leading provider of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced today that products enabled by its PRISM WLAN Chip Set received high marks in wireless LAN product reviews featured recently in PC Magazine and InformationWeek.

Three of five products reviewed by PC Magazine and InformationWeek incorporate Intersil's PRISM technology, pointing to PRISM as the leading chip set solution for developing high-performance, enterprise WLAN systems. These products include Cisco’s Aironet Wireless 340 Series, 3Com’s AirConnect™ WLAN and Compaq’s WL Series. In PC Magazine, the Cisco Aironet Series and 3Com WLAN secured top honors as Editor’s Choice and Honorable Mention, respectively.

"Intersil — in conjunction with our PRISM customers — is breaking new ground by bringing interoperable, reliable and affordable wireless networks to the enterprise," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil’s PRISM Wireless Products business. "These evaluations provide strong endorsements for our PRISM technology and for the power of wireless networks as valuable complements to wired LANs."

PC Magazine’s review, "Wireless LANs," evaluated four IEEE 802.11b-compliant WLAN products operating at 11 megabits per second (Mbps), as well as a 10Mbps proprietary solution. The products were evaluated for interoperability, transmission performance, cost, security and network management capability. In all, the authors credited wireless networks as practical and cost-effective for mainstream use, both as extensions to wired networks as well as stand-alone wireless Internet or LAN connections. The review also applauds the efforts of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA) to certify interoperability among 802.11b-compliant wireless networking products.

InformationWeek’s review, "Wireless LANs, More Than Toys," evaluated five IEEE 802.11b-compliant WLAN products, operating at 11 Mbps. The products were evaluated for interoperability, throughput, cost, security and installation. In all, the authors agree that wireless LAN products are ready for widespread use and these products work well. The review also credits the Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption standard, which answers calls to wireless security issues.

Adoption of PRISM WLAN Technology
Since introducing the PRISM WLAN chip set in 1996, over fifty companies have incorporated PRISM chips in more than 100 product designs. PRISM technology is designed to comply with the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance's (WECA) Wi-Fi™ brand, the industry mark of compatibility for 802.11b-based WLAN systems. PRISM chips are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Nokia, Siemens, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, Nortel, Samsung, SpectraLink, Symbol, and Zoom.

About Intersil
Intersil uses its semiconductor expertise to enable highly integrated voice, data and video communications. Intersil's integrated communications portfolio includes PRISM^® Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) chip sets that enable mobile connectivity products for the home and office; analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband access to wireless and wired Wide Area Networks (WANs); and power management products that enable 24x7 reliability in network servers, next generation PCs and information appliances. For more information about Intersil, visit the company's Internet homepage at www.intersil.com.

This press release contains information relating to forecasted results of Intersil, including certain projections and business trends, that are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to global and market conditions as well as other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Intersil's filings with the Securities Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and Intersil undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Corporation. AirConnect is a trademark of 3Com Corporation.

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