Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL), the world's leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced today that its PRISM wireless technology will help students at the University of California-Davis experience new levels of productivity.
Beginning this fall, students at the UC-Davis Graduate School of Management will be able to wirelessly connect to the school's network and the Internet at speeds up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps) by plugging PRISM-based wireless LAN cards into their notebook computers.
Based upon qualitative testing conducted this summer, the school is currently recommending Dell, Cisco, and 3Com WLAN cards for student purchase. These PRISM-based PC cards fit into student laptops and provide a high-speed wireless link to the campus server via Cisco Aironet 340 Series Access Points (APs), also PRISM-based, located throughout the school's building.
"The wireless network extends into areas that we would never be able to wire," says Don Blodger, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Services at the UC-Davis Graduate School of Management. "Wireless technology gives students the freedom to conduct research without worrying about where the connections are. For example, they don't have to be confined to a computer lab for network access but will be free to work in groups or do team projects in the student lounge, faculty offices, conference rooms, courtyards and other areas within range of the access points. We feel that this opens new channels of creativity and productivity and gives us a distinct advantage among MBA schools."
WLAN technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard is gaining popularity and is being successfully deployed on many college campuses across the country, including Colorado State University, the University of Florida, Cornell University and Vanderbilt University. The mobility of a wireless laptop or handheld encourages students to collaborate and exchange ideas in the convenient setting of their choice. With the advent of high-data-rate wireless local area networks, impromptu learning centers can be found throughout the college campus, making once unproductive areas productive.
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, the 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 802.11b 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 802.11b-based systems. PRISM chips are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Alcatel, Cisco, Nokia, Siemens, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, Nortel, Samsung, SpectraLink, Symbol Technologies and Zoom.
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