News & Events
Intersil’s PRISM Team Collaborates with Actiontec to Develop Embedded Mini-PCI Wireless LAN Solutions for Laptops and Information Appliances
Actiontec launches PRISM-based dual-mode WLAN/modem card, a world’s first
IRVINE, CA. November 30, 2000 — A collaboration between Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL), the world’s leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), and Actiontec Electronics, Inc., a leading manufacturer of broadband products, will yield new embedded solutions for built-in wireless networking connectivity in PCs, laptops and handheld information appliances for both home and office use.
Using Intersil’s PRISM® WLAN chip set, Actiontec has developed advanced WLAN products on very small mini-PCI cards that can be easily embedded in many types of portable devices including laptops, palmtops and Internet appliances.
One of the first products to result from this collaboration is the world’s first dual-mode mini-PCI card that provides two types of connectivity on one small card — phoneline V.90 modem connectivity and wireless IEEE 802.11b connectivity. The new Actiontec dual-mode mini-PCI card combines Intersil’s PRISM® WLAN technology with Actiontec’s V.90 modem technology. The new dual-mode card and a single-mode WLAN card are both optimized for high data rate embedded wireless networking applications for use in small handheld devices such as laptop PCs, Web pads and digital cameras.
"It’s quite significant that full-up IEEE 802.11b WLAN and V.90 modem capabilities can be combined on such a small card. This will ultimately deliver big benefits to users in homes and offices who will benefit from the lower costs and smaller sizes of appliances they use in work and play," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of PRISM Wireless Products. "Actiontec’s new embedded mini-PCI solutions move this promise closer to reality and allow manufacturers to build-in wireless capability to their products, eliminating add-in cards that are more costly for the end-user plus take up precious PCMCIA card slots in laptops."
The wireless capability of the new card is made possible by Intersil’s newest PRISM chip set and WLAN adaptor design. The PRISM 2.5 design integrates the digital portion — the baseband processor (BBP) and the medium access controller (MAC) — onto a single integrated circuit, eliminating a large number of I/O pins thus reducing board complexity, size and manufacturing cost. These advancements have enabled the move to the smaller mini-PCI form factor and lead the way toward even smaller forms such as Compact Flash, Cardbus, USB and embedded modules.
"Wireless networking is one of the hottest trends in mobile computing. Actiontec is effectively addressing this trend as well as the dial-up connectivity needs of OEMs by combining 802.11 wireless networking and V.90 modem technology into one mini-PCI slot," stated Ramzi Al-Harayeri, vice president of OEM sales for Actiontec. "This revolutionary solution eliminates the need of users to sacrifice a valuable PC card slot to stay connected to their wireless LAN or to the Internet. By achieving an unprecedented level of integration, it preserves a PC Card slot for other applications while providing system manufacturers with the greatest possible flexibility in system design."
Actiontec intends to launch a complete line of wireless products that will utilize Intersil’s PRISM technology in the first quarter of 2001. Actiontec’s product offering for Tier 1 OEM customers will include two mini-PCI cards, both PRISM WLAN-based; the dual-mode, 11 Mbps WLAN and Actiontec V.90 modem card and the 11 Mbps WLAN single-mode card. Samples of the two mini-PCI products are available today, in limited quantities.
Adoption of PRISM 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, Cahners In-Stat Group called Intersil "the dominant force in the WLAN chip set marketplace with their PRISM chip sets 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/work™ and PRISM/home™ products are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Alcatel, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, Nokia, Nortel, Samsung, Scientific-Atlanta, Siemens, SOHOware, SpectraLink, Symbol, and Zoom.
About Actiontec
Initially known for its analog modems, Actiontec Electronics, Inc. is making significant strides in the broadband marketplace. The company's product line now includes a complete line of DSL, Internet Telephony, Networking and Analog devices. Actiontec products have been recognized with a Best of Show award at Retail Xchange, Editors Choice awards from CNET's computers.com, homePCnetwork.com, and Computer Retail Week; and Top 100 Products of the Year from Home Office Computing and Computer Shopper. Actiontec products are available through national distribution, retail outlets, and Actiontec's online store as well as through Tier 1 OEM relationships. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, and maintains branch offices in Austin, TX; Arlington, VA; Irvine, CA and Taiwan. For more information, phone 408-752-7700, fax 408-541-9003, or visit http://www.actiontec.com.
About Intersil
Intersil is a leading supplier of semiconductors, reference designs and software for wireless access and communications markets. Intersil applies analog, mixed-signal and radio frequency (RF) expertise to products that enable wireless access to broadband media; provide reliable power management for PCs, files servers and portable information appliances; and convert analog and digital signals in cellular and Internet infrastructure. For more information about Intersil, visit the company's Internet homepage at www.intersil.com.
This press release contains statements relating to certain projections and business trends concerning the home and small office WLAN markets 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 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. Furthermore, any forward-looking statements and projections made by others in this press release are not adopted by Intersil Holding Corporation ("Intersil") and Intersil is not responsible for the forward-looking statements and projections of others. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and 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 any forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors. Important risk factors that may cause such material differences for Intersil in connection with home and small office WLAN markets include, but are not limited to, the rate at which consumers purchase laptops, palmtops and Internet appliances, the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s wireless technologies and 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 ("SEC") which you may obtain for free at the SEC’s website www.sec.gov. 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.
# # #
