Press Releases
New Intersil PRISM® Processing Chip Sets Higher Benchmark for IEEE802.11 Wireless Networks

New Baseband Processor is "digital engine" that drives overall performance of wireless networks

IRVINE, CA, June 6, 2000— Intersil Corporation, the world’s leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), today announced an advanced Baseband Processor (BBP) chip that will significantly improve the performance of wireless systems based on the global IEEE 802.11 standard. The IEEE 802.11 standard is the most widely adopted wireless networking standard in the world, offering a full-featured, robust protocol with the flexibility to control a range of applications — from the complicated demands of enterprise networking to the simpler network requirements of wireless-to-broadband systems in homes and small offices.

The HFA3863 Baseband Processor (BBP) is the latest and most advanced addition to Intersil’s extensive portfolio of PRISM^® baseband chips for IEEE 802.11-based wireless networking systems. It is designed specifically for WLAN systems requiring robust operation in dense office environments and on factory floors — areas where severe multipath interference is a significant threat to signal integrity.

"This new PRISM chip is optimized for use in environments where the signal takes several indirect paths as it bounces off walls or other surfaces and creates delayed ghost signals that can slow a system’s throughput, " said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil’s PRISM Wireless Products business. "It’s what we call multipath interference and it can cause not only a decrease in throughput, but even the loss of the connection in extreme cases. Our new processor handles these multipath problems, giving mobile workers in these settings a robust wireless link and a significant improvement in data throughput."

The new device is one of four ICs in the PRISM 2.5 WLAN chip set, Intersil’s latest addition to its award-winning chip set family which is still the world’s only complete silicon solution for wireless networking products. Intersil, through its own aggressive development efforts along with the acquisitions of Choice Microsystems in February and No Wires Needed this month, addresses all segments of the rapidly growing wireless broadband market. Intersil strongly supports the IEEE 802.11 standard, widely adopted by the biggest players in the computer, communications and networking industries. Along with these major customer companies, Intersil believes the 802.11 standard to have relevance in enterprise, small office and home networking applications. That belief is evident in the many PRISM products introduced and planned that are specifically designed to this standard.

Product Features
The HFA3863 delivers superior multipath performance versus existing designs through the addition of an equalizer, which ensures radio signal integrity by substantially reducing inter-symbol and inter-chip interference. The device’s on-board RAKE receiver further complements the equalizer, resulting in an industry-leading delay spread performance of greater than 300 nanoseconds at 11 megabits-per-second (based on a two-ray model). Collectively, these features help PRISM-enabled WLAN devices achieve robust throughput and extended operating range – important for severe multipath environments such as factory floors, department stores, dense offices and large auditoriums. [Editor’s Note: A more detailed technical release will follow].

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, 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 Nokia, Siemens, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, Nortel, Samsung, SpectraLink, Symbol, and Zoom.

About Intersil
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 information relating to the growing demand for wireless products 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; 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.

PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Corporation.