December 4, 2001
Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL), the world's leading provider of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), today announced that Linksys, a leading developer of broadband network solutions for the home and office, has selected Intersil's PRISM(R) 2.5 chip set to enable its new Instant Wireless(TM) Wireless Network CF Card (WCF11). Linksys' highly integrated Compact Flash(R) (CF) card enables users to experience the same speed and ease of wireless networking with a CF Type II ready personal digital assistant as they do with their laptop or desktop computer.
The Linksys Instant Wireless CF Card connects directly to a PDA and is versatile and easily configurable through a PC. Easy to install, the user-friendly software makes it simple to set up and use -- just plug it in and you're ready to share data, printers or high-speed Internet access over an existing wireless network. Data can be sent and received at speeds up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps). A high-powered built-in antenna provides connectivity at distances of up to 1500 feet.
To develop its highly integrated Compact Flash Wi-Fi card, Linksys turned to Intersil's PRISM 2.5, the world's only complete chip set design for small form-factor and embedded applications. It includes the world's first single-chip Baseband Processor (BBP) and Medium Access Controller (MAC). The move to smaller form factors such as Compact Flash and Mini-PCI allows manufacturers to deliver wireless connectivity in ever-smaller devices for people in homes, offices and emerging wireless "hot spots" rapidly emerging in airports, cafes, hotels and other public spaces.
"Linksys' new Compact Flash WLAN card will help enable a growing market for portable and handheld devices which can utilize 802.11b wireless connectivity to reach the network," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil's Wireless Networking Business. "This design win further validates the utility of Intersil's roadmap of highly integrated chips that enables Wi-Fi capability on ever-smaller form factors."
"Linksys turned to Intersil's PRISM technology because it offers a highly integrated, small form factor chip set solution that enables us to deliver a CF card that meets the needs, price point and ease of use demanded by the consumer," said Victor Tsao, Linksys president and CEO. "Working with Intersil, on many wireless solutions already on the market, has given us the ability to bring products that are widely available throughout the sales channel including retail, e-tail, catalog, resellers and distribution. We look forward to future developments of wireless innovations with Intersil."
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 Actiontec, Alcatel, ASUS, 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 chip sets in Wi-Fi 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.
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