Intersil's PRISM WLAN Technology Selected for Home Wireless Networks' New Broadband Gateway

Business Wire, Jan 9, 2001

Business Editors/Technology Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2001

-- AirWay TransPort(TM) is Showcased at HWN's Booth This Week at 2001
International CES --

-- Gateway Provides Broadband Internet Connectivity in the Home and Office --

Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL), the world's leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), today announced that it is supplying the PRISM(R) chip set solution for use in AirWay TransPort, a new wireless broadband gateway from Home Wireless Networks Inc., (HWN). The new gateway is on display at HWN's booth (No. 24930) in the Digital Living Room at the 2001 International CES.

The newest product in the AirWay(TM) System, TransPort functions as a broadband Internet gateway that can wirelessly distribute high-speed, 11 megabit per second (Mbps) data rates to multiple PCs and laptops from a single Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable modem connection.

"The Transport gateway features plug-and-play operation for easy installation that allows complete mobility for multiple PC or laptop users in the home or small office," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager for PRISM Wireless Products at Intersil. "HWN joins a growing list of WLAN manufacturers building affordable IEEE 802.11b high-data-rate wireless networking products for the home and small business with PRISM chip set solutions developed under our PRISM/home brand."

TransPort's wireless broadband solution operates in the license free 2.4GHz ISM band and creates a wireless LAN that allows up to 63 simultaneous users to connect to the Internet and share printers, scanners, storage drives and other peripherals across the network. TransPort creates a wireless LAN within a 1500-foot range (line-of-sight) to serve any desktop equipped with a PCI card or laptop with a PCMCIA card. TransPort works as an independent system or can be incorporated into an existing AirWay System, a multi-line voice network with built-in switch and key system, to create a complete voice and data network.

"PRISM WLAN technology delivers the affordability, performance and quality that HWN required for our AirWay Transport," said John Taylor, CEO and chairman of HWN. "Powered by the PRISM chip set, Transport is Giving Broadband the Power of Wireless(SM) by making it easy for multiple users to simultaneously connect to the Internet, transfer large data files, view streaming video or listen to MP3 audio."

The PRISM WLAN chip set includes reference designs, evaluation kits, firmware and software in addition to the highly integrated silicon. The PRISM II reference design is Wi-Fi(TM) certified by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), thus ensuring multi-vendor interoperability.

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, Scientific-Atlanta, Siemens, SOHOware, Sony, SpectraLink, Symbol, and Zoom.

About Home Wireless Networks

AirWay products create a complete wireless network for homes and small businesses - combining data, Internet and voice communications, simultaneously. Winner of the 1999 InfoVision award for innovative technologies and services within the telecommunications industry, Home Wireless Networks, Inc. is a private company headquartered in Atlanta, GA with offices in Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans and Cambridge, UK. For more information about Home Wireless Networks, visit the company's Internet homepage at www.airwaysystems.com. Home Wireless Networks media contacts:

Adam DiMuzio                                Dana Shafer
HWN                                         Cohn & Wolfe
Phone: 770/729-3024                         404/880-5233
E-Mail: adimuzio@homewireless.com           dana shafer@cohnwolfe.com

About Intersil

Intersil is a leading supplier of semiconductors, reference designs and software for wireless access and communications analog 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..