Press Releases
Intersil’s PRISM® II Wireless LAN Reference Design Awarded "Wi-Fi" Certification From the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance

The Wi-Fi logo ensures interoperability of wireless LAN products
Approval hastens time-to-market for Intersil customers

IRVINE, CA, August 2, 2000 – Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL), the world’s leading provider of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced today that its PRISM^® II Reference Design for WLAN cards has received Wi-Fi™ certification from the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). The PRISM II Reference Design, FCC-approved and now with Wi-Fi certification, allows Intersil customers to bring 11 megabit-per-second wireless solutions to market in the shortest amount of time.

The WECA Wi-Fi symbol on an end product gives assurance to buyers that it will work with the Wi-Fi certified systems of other vendors. All such systems are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, widely recognized as the most important global standard for high-rate data communications. "Our intent is to give our customers complete, quickly-deployable solutions that get them to market very quickly," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil’s PRISM Wireless Products business. "Having proven reference designs that carry the seal of approval from the FCC and WECA means that our customers are out of the gate and well ahead of competition before they even start their design."

Wi-Fi is the only wireless LAN standard available today that provides wireless access at Ethernet speeds. In addition, declining costs are now making Wi-Fi systems more attractive to corporate, small business and home users. Only the Wi-Fi logo can ensure that a user’s wireless LAN device can traverse these different environments and be compatible wherever they go.

"Intersil is a founding member of WECA and we’re pleased that our current PRISM II Reference Design has passed the organization’s interoperability tests," Ciaccia said. "As we develop new reference designs in smaller form factors, we will continue to focus on getting these solutions approved by the FCC and certified by WECA. Using our reference design gives customers a high degree of confidence that their end products will also rapidly pass WECA interoperability testing, earning the coveted Wi-Fi logo seal of approval."

Products awarded the Wi-Fi logo have undergone strict, rigorous and independent testing at the Silicon Valley Networking Lab (SVNL). Testing usually takes two to four days per product to complete.

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. In a May 2000 report, the Cahners In-Stat Group called Intersil "the dominant force in the WLAN chip set marketplace with their PRISM chipsets holding the majority of market share." 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 is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems. PRISM chips are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Alcatel, Nokia, Siemens, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, Nortel, Samsung, SpectraLink, Symbol, and Zoom.

About the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance
The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA) is a non-profit organization formed in 1999 to certify interoperability of Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11b High Rate) products and to promote Wi-Fi as the global wireless LAN standard across all market segments.

About Intersil
Irvine, Calif.-based 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 statements relating to the WLAN market that are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and projections about our business and our industry. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will" and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in the forward looking statements as a result of various risk factors. Important risk factors that may cause such material differences for Intersil in connection with the wireless market include, but are not limited to, the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil's wireless technologies and products; our ability to obtain FCC approval and WECA certification on next generation wireless products, the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the loss of a key customer; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; silicon wafer pricing and the availability of foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; intellectual property disputes; as well as other risk factors detailed from time to time in Intersil's filings with the U.S. 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 these forward-looking statements.

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PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Corporation.
Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance