Canada : Sierra Wireless announced it will deliver 3G HSDPA wireless wide area network (WAN) cards to Swisscom Mobile for use on the company's HSDPA network. Commercial shipments are expected to commence during Q2, 2006. The Unlimited PC Card, (also known as the AirCard(R) 850) is manufactured by Sierra Wireless and is a 3G wireless WAN Type II PC Card with a slim, unextended design, allowing users to conveniently store the cardinside the laptop. Fully functional on HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS networks, the Unlimited PC Card utilizes the 2100 MHz UMTS frequency band and is targeted primarily for use in Europe, offering average data rates of 500 to 800 kbps, with bursts over 1 Mbps on HSDPA networks(x).

In areas where HSDPA or UMTS network coverage is not available, these cards will connect to EDGE and GSM/GPRS networks and enable international roaming on all four frequency bands (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz) used worldwide. Swisscom Mobile's HSDPA network will cover Berne, Geneva and Zurich by mid-2006, and Lausanne, Basle, Lucerne and St. Gallen by the end of the year.

The network is being expanded on an ongoing basis and will cover some 20 percent of the population by mid-2006, increasing to around 40 percent by the end of the year, and over the medium term will achieve the same level of coverage as UMTS (currently 90 percent of the population). "Wireless data technology continues to provide significant benefits for our customers who need to stay connected to critical information while they work away from the office," said Andreas Manser, Senior Product Manager, Mobile Broadband for Swisscom Mobile. "As part of our Mobile Unlimited service offering, Sierra Wireless HSDPA PC Cards will enhance the experience of our high-speed HSDPA data services so customers can stay connected to server-based corporate applications, email, and the Internet, including streaming audio and video files." "Busy professionals need to be ableto
respond to their customers and colleagues quickly, regardless of where they are," said Jim Lahey, Vice President, EMEA for Sierra Wireless. "With the combination of a Sierra Wireless PC Card and Swisscom Mobile's HSDPA network coverage, mobile professionals will be able to stay connected and organize their work and their time when traveling."

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