News & Events
Siemens AG Selects Intersil CommLink™ Technology for Chinese<br>Base Station Application

— CommLink Chip Provides Flexible Transceiver Design for Third Generation Mobile Communications

IRVINE, Calif. — September 12, 2000 — Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL), a leading developer of silicon technology for integrated communications applications, announced today that its CommLink™ digital down-converter has been selected for use in Siemens AG’s cellular base stations, planned as part of an expanded mobile communications network in China. The CommLink HSP50216 is Intersil’s first device specifically designed for third generation cellular protocols and integrates four channels into a single circuit — a higher number of channels for greater efficiency and flexibility with all existing mobile interface standards.

"We are already seeing the demand for customizable standard parts for global base station applications and the opportunity in China is simply huge, " said John Krehbiel, vice president for Intersil’s CommLink products. "The CommLink HSP50216 is the most flexible, highest performance programmable down-converter available on the market, and will continue to grow in importance for the designs of industry leaders, such as Siemens. "

The programmable CommLink HSP50216 digital down-converter processes four discrete channels and is fully integrated into a single integrated circuit (IC), resulting in the highest integration in the industry. The IC includes all necessary pre- and post-processing functions that are needed to complete the entire channelization and down-conversion processes within the base station. Output data rates can be adapted to meet protocol-specific needs on a per channel basis with the on-board resampler function.

According to Cahners-Instat, growth in digital cellular base stations is forecasted to grow at 34 percent per year from 2000 to 2004. Third generation protocols, such as TD-SCDMA, are designed to deliver data at rates up to two million bits per second (bps) and to enable the delivery of multimedia and other broadband applications to mobile phone and computer users.

"Third-generation cellular standards efficiently use frequency spectrum allocation and offer high quality service to many subscribers through increased data rate and capacity capability, " said Juan Garcia, manager of CommLink product marketing engineering. "Through use of hybrid time-division and code-division access techniques, users can share the same frequency channel because radio resources are assigned only when users are sending or receiving data. As a result, the growing number of network operators can maximize the use of their network resources in a dynamic and flexible way, and provide users with enhanced access to resources and revenues. "

The HSP50216 is part of the Intersil CommLink family of high-speed converters and fixed function digital signal processors (DSPs) targeting communications infrastructure applications. Intersil has developed a complete software radio solution for base station designs that consists of the HSP50216 digital down-converter, the HSP50217 digital up-converter, the HI5960 14-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and the HI5980 14-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

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, mixed-signal and digital 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.

CommLink is a trademark of Intersil Corporation.

PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Corporation.

This press release contains information relating to certain projections and business trends concerning Intersil’s solutions for the integrated communications and cellular communications 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 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 the integrated communications and cellular communications markets include, but are not limited to, the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s current, and next-generation high-speed converters and fixed function DSPs; 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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