Intersil's PRISM II Solution Selected by Compaq for New ''MultiPort'' Technology to Deliver Integrated Wireless Connectivity to Mobile PC Users.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 2000

Intersil, Celestica and Intel Jointly Developed

Single-sided WLAN Module for Compaq

Intersil (Nasdaq:ISIL), the world's leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), today announced that its PRISM(R) II chip set has been selected by Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ) for use in Compaq's recently announced IEEE 802.11b WLAN MultiPort module. MultiPort (available Spring, 2001) is a modular solution that will provide Compaq commercial notebook PC users "all the time, everywhere" wireless access to their business information.

Intersil provided its PRISM II technology and worked on the Compaq development team, which included Celestica and Intel. The result of the collaboration is the world's first single-sided WLAN adapter card with USB interface specifically designed to fit into a MultiPort bay on Compaq notebooks. The MultiPort interface is an embedded, fully compliant Plug-and-Play USB port located in the back of a notebook display. Initially, 802.11b and Bluetooth(tm) modules will be available and Compaq plans to introduce other modules so the MultiPort can grow and adapt to meet both current and future wireless standards.

"We are excited to be a part of this new approach of adding wireless capability to notebooks," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil's PRISM Wireless Products business. "This multi-company development team brought industry-leading silicon, hardware, board design and software expertise to the project. The MultiPort approach is significant in providing easy-to-install wireless capability for users who want fast, 802.11b connections whether they're at the office, working in the home, or accessing email in airports and hotels."

The MultiPort module combines the antenna and radio transceiver onto a single card that fits into a bay located on the top rear of the display. This is the best position for omni-directional signal reception, providing maximum signal strength and receive sensitivity while keeping PC Card and Mini-PCI slots free so that MultiPort users do not have to trade-off other functionality to get a wireless enabled notebook. Combining the radio transceiver and antenna solves many of the RF (Radio Frequency) integration issues facing the notebook industry, and eliminates the need for RF connectors and coaxial cabling which can induce noise and cause signal loss.

"The MultiPort interface will provide customers a common wireless solution across our entire commercial notebook line and allows a user to connect to various wireless standards by simply changing out the wireless module based on their needs," said Ken Willett, Vice President, Product Management, Commercial Personal Computing Group, Compaq Computer Corporation. "This flexibility will allow customers to easily migrate to other wireless standards as they evolve and come to market."

802.11b MultiPort Module

The module provides a high-speed, reliable, flexible and secure wireless LAN connection designed to comply to the IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN standard. The module will support advanced roaming capabilities, allowing mobile workers to freely move throughout a building while maintaining a consistent network or Internet connection through a series of access points. Transferring data at speeds up to 11 million bits per second (Mbps), the module will also provide ample bandwidth for video streaming, file transfers, voice over IP (Internet Protocol) or other demanding applications used in e-business transactions. Compaq expects to introduce the MultiPort interface into its commercial notebook lineup starting in the spring of 2001.

PRISM II is the most highly integrated WLAN chip set on the market today, delivering wireless Ethernet networking with compliance to the IEEE's 802.11b global standard. Optimized for high data rate (11 Mbps) performance, PRISM II-based systems are feature-rich and provide fast, reliable performance in all types of networking environments. Advanced design and process technologies reduce power consumption, design complexity and total system cost.

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 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(tm) brand is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems. PRISM/work(tm) and PRISM/home(tm) products are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Alcatel, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, Nokia, Nortel, Samsung, Siemens, SOHOware, SpectraLink, Symbol Technologies, and Zoom.

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.

PRISM is a registered trademark and PRISM/work and PRISM/home are trademarks of Intersil Corporation. Compaq and the Compaq logo Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance.

Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.