Intel Haifa staff tap away in WiFi bomb shelters By Steven Scheer http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060717/wr_nm/mideast_israel_intel_dc_3
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Staff at Intel Corp's Haifa research center have been forced into bomb shelters as Hizbollah rockets rained on the northern Israeli city, but they are still working, thanks to wireless connections underground. The U.S. chip giant's R&D center in Haifa, responsible for developing the Centrino and many other Intel chips, has equipped its bomb shelters with a wireless network, said Kobi Bachar, a spokesman for Intel Israel. "We can work from the bomb shelters because there is wireless there," he said. Around 2,400 people work for Intel in Israel's third-largest city, 35 km (20 miles) south of the Lebanese border. Bachar said most employees worked at the office on Sunday -- when eight Israelis were killed in a Hizbollah rocket barrage on the city -- while only essential staff were called in on Monday. "Those working from home have connections and laptops with wireless, so there is no problem with connectivity," he said. "Work is still going on, and we don't see any impact on output." Intel has been active in Israel for more than 30 years and has annual exports of between $1 billion and $2 billion, as well as more than 5,000 workers. It is building a second $4 billion chip plant in the southern town of Kiryat Gat alongside an existing plant that is expected to come online in the second half of 2008. Intel is joined in Haifa by other U.S. technology giants such as IBM and Microsoft. IBM, which has 400 employees in Haifa, said it did not discuss specifics of its security arrangements, but spokesman Joseph Shoval said: "IBM Haifa Labs have deployed a program, developed in advance for these circumstances," he said referring to the rocket attacks. "It is designed to maximize personal employee safety, while enabling the continuation of business and technical activity," he added. Israeli media said Microsoft has ordered its 180 workers at its development center to remain home and work from there if possible. Haifa was first hit by rockets on Thursday, a day after the guerrilla group abducted two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in a cross-border raid. Israel has launched a major military offensive in response. Hizbollah has targeted the city of 250,000 people repeatedly, forcing residents into bomb shelters and basements. Many people have fled south to central Israel. Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
