LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sierra Wireless and Cingular Wireless today announced the availability of a new LaptopConnect card, the AirCard(R) 875, the most advanced 3G PC Card based upon the GSM global wireless standard. The card is also the first commercially available HSDPA 3.6 Mbps network card in the Americas.
With the AirCard 875, Cingular customers can have single-card mobile broadband access to data services in more places worldwide than offered by any other U.S. carrier. The AirCard 875 enables laptop users to stay connected to the information and people they need while away from their desk or home.
"As Cingular aggressively expands our 3G network and GSM carriers continue to deploy UMTS/HSDPA around the world, our customers can take advantage of the best wireless technology available whether they are traveling across town, around the country, or internationally," said Jeff Bradley, vice president - Business Markets Group for Cingular. "With the AirCard 875, customers have a single card solution that can be used in more than 100 countries worldwide."
"We are pleased to be working with Cingular to expand 3G service across the country," said Dan Schieler, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales for Sierra Wireless. "The AirCard 875 offers Cingular customers the latest in 3G technology, providing both the best available international roaming flexibility and the opportunity to upgrade seamlessly as the company's network expands and evolves."
Cingular's BroadbandConnect service and LaptopConnect card are currently available in more than 80 markets surrounding more than 20 major metropolitan cities. The company said it will continue to expand coverage to additional markets in and around major metropolitan cities in the coming months. BroadbandConnect provides average downlink data speeds between 400-700Kbps (kilobits per second) with bursts to more than a Mbps (megabit per second) and uplink speeds to 384Kbps. When traveling outside the BroadbandConnect coverage area, the AirCard 875 enables service on Cingular's EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) network, available in more than 13,000 cities and towns and in areas along more than 40,000 miles of highways.
Pricing and availability
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The AirCard 875 LaptopConnect card will be available in October through Cingular Wireless enterprise and retail sales channels for $99.99 (after rebate) when customers sign up for a two-year unlimited DataConnect contract. Cingular's Unlimited DataConnect plan is $59.99 for customers with a qualifiying Cingular voice plan. The rebate is also available to Cingular customers who travel outside the United States when they purchase a one-year contract for either Cingular DataConnect North America ($109.99 for 100MB) for travel within Canada and Mexico, or DataConnect Global ($139.99 for 100MB), an overseas plan that provides service in more than two dozen countries including Japan, China, India, Taiwan, Mexico and many countries in Europe. Both international plans include unlimited data usage on Cingular's domestic data networks.
Sierra Wireless AirCard 875
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The AirCard 875 is a Type II PC Card with a fixed antenna, supporting peak theoretical data rates of up to 3.6 Mbps on HSDPA networks(1) and is upgradeable to support future firmware upgrades providing theoretical peak data rates of up to 7.2 Mbps(1). The AirCard 875 supports HSDPA and UMTS on the 2100, 1900, and 850 MHz frequency bands, plus EDGE and GPRS on the 1900, 1800, 900, and 850 MHz bands, allowing one card to operate at the best available speed on wireless networks worldwide. In addition to the increased data speed and worldwide roaming capability, the AirCard 875 offers new advanced features:
- Receiver equalization enables reductions in signal interference and
better throughput, which is particularly beneficial to customers in
urban areas with high levels of signal noise;
- High-performance antenna in a rugged housing includes integrated
status indicator lights and a new low profile design.
The AirCard 875 will be on display in the Cingular booth (# 947) at CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from September 12 to 14.
For more information about the Sierra Wireless AirCard 875 wireless wide area network card, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/product/ac875.aspx. To contact the Sierra Wireless Sales Desk, call 604-232-1488 or e-mail
Note to editors:
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To view and download images of Sierra Wireless products, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/product/photos.aspx.
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 57.3 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corporation , has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation - the ALLOVER(R) network - and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases emailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.
About Sierra Wireless
Sierra Wireless develops and markets reliable, high quality wireless communications products that provide mobile professionals with data and voice access to wide area wireless networks. The Sierra Wireless product portfolio includes the award-winning AirCard(R) line of wireless PC cards, embedded modules for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and the MP line of rugged, vehicle-mounted wireless modems. Sierra Wireless also offers professional services to OEM customers during product development, leveraging the company's expertise in wireless design and integration to provide built-in wireless connectivity for notebook computers and other portable computing devices. Sierra Wireless is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, with additional offices in Carlsbad, California, London, and Hong Kong. For more information about Sierra Wireless, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/.
"AirCard" is a registered trademark of Sierra Wireless. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, statements about future market conditions, supply conditions, channel and end customer demand conditions, revenues, gross margins, operating expenses, profits, and other expectations, intentions, and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. Our expectations regarding future revenues and earnings depend in part upon our ability to successfully develop, manufacture, and supply products that we do not produce today and that meet defined specifications. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "expect", "believe", and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and changes in the wireless data communications market. In light of the many risks and uncertainties surrounding the wireless data communications market, you should understand that we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release will be realized.
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(1) Subject to network support.
CONTACT: Sharlene Myers, Sierra Wireless, Phone: (604) 232-1445, Email:
