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Intersil's PRISM 3 Wireless LAN Chip Set Powers New Linksys Instant Wireless™ PC Card

-- Intersil’s latest 802.11b WLAN solution incorporates Zero-IF Architecture~-- New Instant Wireless PC Card joins the Linksys portfolio of Wi-Fi products for the home and office

IRVINE, CA, March 18, 2002 – Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), the world’s leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced today that Linksys, a leading developer of broadband network solutions for the home and office, is using the PRISM® 3 chip set in their new Instant Wireless Network PC card. PRISM 3 incorporates a Zero-IF (ZIF) architecture that eliminates the intermediate frequency (IF) stage found in most radios and allows direct down conversion of radio frequency signals.

The Linksys Instant Wireless Network PC Card is designed for notebook PCs and plugs into any PCMCIA slot. This allows users to take advantage of a notebook computer’s portability while providing wireless access to network resources. The PC Card is compatible with all Microsoft-supported Windows operating systems.

“The Linksys Instant Wireless PC Card is the first WLAN solution to incorporate the PRISM 3 chip set and we are very pleased to once again partner with Linksys to bring this next generation Wi-Fi product to market,” said Greg Williams, president and CEO of Intersil. “The proliferation of new Wi-Fi products is evidence of the growing market adoption of 802.11b WLAN technology and it further illustrates Linksys’ commitment to provide affordable, easy to use wireless networking products to home, small/medium and corporate users.”

The PRISM 3’s revolutionary design consists of only two WLAN integrated circuits, the ISL3684 Direct Down Conversion (DDC) Transceiver and the integrated Baseband Processor/Medium Access Controller (BBP/MAC), the ISL3871. This new DDC technology significantly reduces the material and manufacturing cost of WLAN products without sacrificing performance. The PRISM 3 Developer’s Kit also features an optional power amplifier detector, the ISL3984, and a 5 GHz VCO, the ISL3084.

“Intersil’s PRISM 3 Developer’s Kit is a full-featured solution that will speed our time to market by reducing the development time for new IEEE 802.11b-compliant, wirelessly enabled mobile devices,” said Victor Tsao, Linksys president and CEO. “Utilizing the PRISM 3 chip set allows us to consistently develop wireless networking solutions so that they are more reliable, dependable and compatible with other LAN hardware and software.”

About the PRISM 3 Chip Set
The highly integrated DDC device receives high frequency radio waves and directly converts them to the baseband signal during reception, or directly up-converts them from the low level baseband signal to radio frequency for transmission. This new architecture completely eliminates the need for the intermediate frequency (IF) stage found in most radios, reducing manufacturing complexity, bill-of-materials cost and overall cost. The DDC Transceiver couples to the second IC in the chip set, a BBP/MAC. The tight coupling of the radio front-end and this advanced processor helps overcome DC offset problems normally associated with Zero-IF radios.

The Global Wireless Market Embraces PRISM WLAN Technology
“Intersil is the number one manufacturer of wireless LAN chipsets and has been a driving force behind the success of WLANs,” said a May 2001 WLAN report from Cahners In-Stat Group. Since introducing the PRISM WLAN chip set in 1996, industry-leading companies including Accton, Actiontec, Alcatel, ASUSTeK, Casio, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, GemTek, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Legend, Linksys, Nokia, Nortel, Panasonic, Quanta, Samsung, Sharp, Siemens, SOHOware, Sony, SpectraLink, Symbol, Z-Com and Zoom have incorporated PRISM chips in WLAN 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 is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems. About Intersil
Intersil is a global leader in designing innovative wireless networking and high performance analog solutions that enable wireless access to video, data and voice in homes, offices and public places. Creating advanced power management products, Intersil provides reliable solutions for file servers, portable information appliances and over half of all computer microprocessors manufactured today. With a rich high performance analog and mixed signal portfolio, Intersil brings added value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that bring portable connectivity to people wherever they live, work or travel. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Intersil has offices in cities throughout the US, Europe and Asia. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's Web site and career page at www.intersil.com.

This press release contains information relating to certain projections and business trends concerning the WLAN market that are forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. 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 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 WLAN market include, but are not limited to: the recent economic slowdown; the rate at which consumers adopt small handheld Internet appliances, portable computing devices, and wireless printing in enterprises and in homes; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s wireless technologies and products, including our embedded LAN applications; 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 and quality of foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; the effectiveness of Intersil’s expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; intellectual property disputes, customer indemnification claims, and other litigation risks; Intersil’s ability to develop, market, and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner, as well as other risk factors. Intersil’s recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and other Intersil filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) (which you may obtain for free at the SEC’s Web site at www.sec.gov) discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. 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. PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.
Linksys is a registered trademark and Instant Wireless is a trademark of The Linksys Group. Inc.
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