Press Releases
Intersil "Retires the Wire" in Global Sales Offices

— PRISM^®-based wireless networks deliver "Internet anywhere" to mobile employees

PALM BAY, FL, February 28, 2000 ¡V Intersil Corporation, the world¡¦s leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), today announced that it has installed PRISM-based wireless networks in its sales offices to boost flexibility and productivity among its global sales force.

PRISM WLAN technology is the world¡¦s most complete and highly integrated silicon solution for developing standards-compliant, direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) wireless networking products for the enterprise, small office and the home.

The new wireless infrastructure extends its sales offices¡¦ wired networks beyond the desktop to provide convenience, flexibility and added productivity among its employees. For example, Intersil sales representatives and Field Application Engineers (FAEs) equipped with laptop PCs can travel between sales offices and get seamlessly connected to the LAN to retrieve e-mail, browse the Internet and access company file servers. Since most sales executives and FAEs are highly mobile and spend limited time in the office, wireless networks allow them to get instant Internet access in conference rooms and other remote locations without plugging into the wired LAN.

"We¡¦re committed to providing our employees with a working environment that matches the speed and sophistication of business today," said Karl McKauley, global manager of information systems at Intersil. "Wireless networks meet the demands of today¡¦s increasingly mobile workforce; many sales executives spend most of their time in meetings and away from their desk, and the seamless access to resources and the Internet that these systems provide is invaluable."

Intersil¡¦s wireless networks utilize 2 megabit-per-second (Mbps) PCMCIA cards and access points from InTalk, Inc., a leading WLAN vendor acquired last year by Nokia. The system seamlessly interfaces with existing wired environments via access points, creating a wireless bridge between PRISM-compatible laptops PCs.

PRISM is installed in Intersil¡¦s sales offices in Palm Bay, Fla.; Research Triangle Park, N.C.; North Branch, N.J.; San Jose, Calif.; Seoul, Korea; Tokyo, Japan; Taipei, Taiwan; Camberley, U.K.; Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; Munich, Germany; Milan, Italy, Hong Kong and Singapore. Intersil is working to upgrade all of its WLANs to utilize its 11Mbps PRISM„µ II WLAN technology and will continue to establish wireless networks throughout its domestic sales offices and into its manufacturing sites in Mountaintop, Pa., and Findlay, Ohio.

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 IEEE¡¦s 802.11 global standard, and Intersil is a founding sponsor of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), whose "Wi-Fi" brand will ensure compatibility between various 802.11-based systems. Intersil has a continuing program to rapidly introduce better performing, more highly integrated generations of PRISM chip sets and supporting design tools. PRISM chips are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Nokia, Siemens, Compaq, 3Com, Nortel, Samsung, Dell, Zoom, Cisco/Aironet, and SpectraLink. Experience the latest PRISM technology at the upcoming Wireless Symposium & Exhibition in San Jose, Calif., February 22-24.

About Intersil
Intersil Corporation uses semiconductor expertise to enable reliable delivery of integrated voice, data and video communication using wireless and wired technologies. Intersil products are the building blocks for mobile commerce, including flexible broadband wireless access for the digital home or office and integrated communication devices capable of wired-Ethernet speeds and Voice-over Internet Protocols (VoIP) for the emerging wireless Internet. Intersil¡¦s portfolio includes Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) chip sets that provide "mobile connectivity" for the enterprise or residence; communication products that provide flexible broadband access to wired and wireless Wide Area Networks (WANs); and power management products that enable lightweight, reliable and portable communication. The company Web site is located at www.intersil.com.

PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Corporation.

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