News & Events
Intersil Unveils New Baseband Processor for High Performance Wireless Networking Systems

— Extends range, improves throughput and reliability of enterprise WLANs

SAN JOSE, WIRELESS SYMPOSIUM, February 23, 2000 – Intersil, the world’s leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), today unveiled a new baseband processor (BBP) chip that is the industry’s first IEEE 802.11-compliant 11 megabits-per-second (Mbps) BBP to offer a short preamble option. Its improved multipath performance promises robust operation in dense office environments or in demanding voice and video applications.

The HFA3861B delivers a substantial improvement in multipath delay spread tolerance and offers a two-fold increase in effective range when incorporated into the existing PRISM II chip set. It features a RAKE receiver, an advanced function used in high-end mobile phones to reduce interference and improve performance by resolving the signal multipath problem. The HFA3861B’s RAKE receiver and short preamble option delivers increased throughput and extended range – important for large office and factory environments. Robust performance in the presence of multipath signals is also very important in the home environment when moving voice and video.

"Across the board, enterprise IT managers agree that two key features are necessary for wireless office networks to become a reality – fast data rates that match the speed of wired networks and product interoperability," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of PRISM Wireless Products at Intersil. "In the home space, robust radios are absolutely essential to enable voice and video applications. The HFA3861B meets those needs in both markets by delivering robust, high-data-rate performance backed by a global interoperability standard. Wired or wireless, reliability is critical; this new processor ensures superior throughput even in the most challenging office and home scenarios."

The HFA3861B is a drop-in replacement to the HFA3861A, Intersil’s original PRISM II baseband processor, and comes with a firmware upgrade. As a drop-in, it allows PRISM II customers to easily upgrade their WLAN system performance without having to perform board layout changes. It delivers an 11 Mbps data rate through use of Complementary Code Keying (CCK) technology, the modulation technique utilized in the approved IEEE 802.11b high rate standard.

The HFA3861B is designed for compliance to FCC rules and the high-speed IEEE 802.11b high rate standard. With its variable data rates, Intersil’s new baseband processor can operate at 1, 2, 5.5 or

11 Mbps. The variable rate allows 11Mbps systems to downshift when conditions deteriorate, ensuring link integrity; this also makes such systems backwards compatible with older WLAN equipment operating at the 1 and 2 Mbps data rate.

Built-in flexibility allows the HFA3861B to be configured through a general-purpose control bus to fit a broad range of wireless applications. Automatic Gain Control (AGC) is provided for transmit and receive to obtain maximum performance in the analog portions of the transceiver. Along with the other four chips in the PRISM II family, the HFA3861B can serve as a transceiver for high-performance wireless applications including enterprise and IEEE 802.11 WLANs, PCMCIA wireless transceivers, RF modems, TDMA packet protocol radios, wireless bridges and a variety of portable RF-based devices.

Packaging, Availability and Pricing
Housed in a plastic thin quad flat package (TQFP) suitable for PCMCIA board applications, the HFA3861B is available now in sample and production quantities for $11.57 each in 10K quantity. An evaluation board (HFA3861B-EVAL1) is also available. For more information on this or any other PRISM part, visit Intersil’s PRISM homepage at www.intersil.com/prism.

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.

About Intersil
Intersil Corporation uses 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, including but not limited to the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and markets addressed by Intersil's and its customers' products; market acceptance of, and demand for, new and existing products; successful development of new products, the timing of new product introductions; the availability and extent of utilization of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressure and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; fluctuations in manufacturing yields; product obsolescence; ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for related intellectual property; as well as other risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, those 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. Other brands and names contained in this press release are the property of their respective owners.

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PRISM is a registered trademark and "Antenna-to-Computer" is a trademark of Intersil Corporation.