Data Modem -- Engadget Mobile

data modem posts

AT&T intros USBConnect Lightning for 7.2Mbps service

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 9th 2009 @ 12:54PM

When you're rolling out a new 7.2Mbps upgrade to your network, it naturally helps if you've got some compliant hardware in the stable -- so to that end, AT&T has announced its USBConnect Lightning from Sierra Wireless today. Apart from 7.2Mbps downlink capability, the new model's little more than a run-of-the-mill USB stick so there's not a lot to say about it, though it features a trick swiveling USB connector that should make the thing more likely to work with unusual (and unusually tight) port configurations. It'll be available on November 22 for free after rebate on contract, just in time for service launches in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami expected by the end of the year.

LG gets mysterious AWS LTE device through FCC

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 28th 2009 @ 5:51PM

If this strange, rather unhelpful FCC label diagram looks vaguely familiar, that'd be because it's in the same product family as another LTE-compatible device submitted by LG to the FCC not long ago: the M13 with EV-DO compatibility. In fact, we'd venture to guess that this newly-passed M4 is basically the same thing as the M13, merely swapping 700MHz LTE and EV-DO for AWS LTE alone, which is the spectrum range that MetroPCS -- which has aggressively committed to rolling out LTE as soon as next year -- will need. LG's been meticulous about making sure it doesn't say anything specific enough in the FCC documentation to let us lay folk nail down exactly what it is, but there are brief mentions of connectivity via USB, so it's conceivable were looking at some sort of data modem here. Either that, or... you know, it's a piece of base station or test equipment that we'll never even come close to seeing in the flesh.

Nokia's RD-3 modem boldly boasts LTE, and no, you can't have one

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 7th 2009 @ 5:13PM

Nokia makes out its just-announced RD-3 data modem to be the dream of every road warrior: global GSM / EDGE, global HSPA, global LTE -- a twenty-plus year heritage of technologies in the GSM family tree compressed into a single device, powerful enough to get you service from a dusty GPRS cell site in some of the world's harshest landscapes or Verizon's LTE trials in Boston and Seattle just the same. The only problem is that you can't have it. The RD-3 is instead being reserved for carriers and infrastructure firms building out LTE networks around the globe as they march toward commercial availability in 2010, at which point Nokia (and others) will presumably have newer, better modems available for us lay folk to enjoy. In the meanwhile, though, it's alright: go ahead and drool.

Verizon announces AD3700 global modem from ZTE

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 13th 2009 @ 1:14PM

So here's some interesting insight into the wild, rough-and-tumble world of wireless product launches: Verizon announced ZTE's AD3700 USB modem today, a product that gained FCC approval over five months ago, which means it's probably been getting a trial by fire on Verizon's test labs since then. You've gotta figure that ZTE was working on the prototype for many months before FCC approval, so all told, this launch is probably a culmination of a solid year of work, cash, blood, sweat, and tears. Don't you feel obligated to buy it now? Anyhow, the modem runs $79.99 after a $50 rebate when it launches on the 14th, which is actually a really solid deal considering that it'll do EV-DO in the States and HSPA around the world for 3G service no matter where your job or your whimsical vacation travel habits might take you.

FCC filing foretells ExpressCard data modem for T-Mobile subs?

by Chris Ziegler posted May 27th 2009 @ 12:27PM

It's great that T-Mobile's actively selling its 3G data network -- which still has that new-network smell, may we add -- to laptop users, but it won't be maximally useful until they've got both USB and ExpressCard options on the shelf. They've got the USB bit out of the way -- so turning our attention to the ExpressCard side, it seem that Option's GlobeTrotter Express 442 might be in the works (the 441 is pictured here, but the 442 is identical in appearance). This versatile piece covers fully four different WCDMA bands with up to 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the downlink and 5.76Mbps on the up, making it very, very useful no matter what country you might take the card to (of course, roaming charges are another matter altogether). No word on whether T-Mobile is actually planning on stocking the 442, but we're encouraged to see it pass the FCC's testing with AWS on board, so we'd venture to say it's a strong possibility.

[Via Cell Phone Signal]

Verizon's global 3G modem from ZTE spotted in FCC

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 7th 2009 @ 8:50AM

We've known for some time that Verizon is fixated on dominating the global roaming market in the US -- or, at the very least, catching up to AT&T -- and to do that, they're going to need hardware capable of taking advantage of the very best speeds that those wild and majestic foreign lands have to offer. In other words, no EV-DO-only modem is going to cut it, and an EV-DO modem with a sprinkling of EDGE on the side is a consolation prize that's going to get frequent world travelers irked after a little while. To that end, we just witnessed this brick of a USB modem pass through the FCC bearing Verizon branding, the A3700 from ZTE. Name a frequency or wireless technology, the A3700 probably has it; in addition to EV-DO, it's got GSM / EDGE and HSPA, so your bases are pretty well covered wherever you happen to be (hell, it even has North America-friendly HSPA 850 / 1900 in there, though Verizon wouldn't dream of letting you stray from its own airwaves when you're stateside). Enticing, yes -- but considering that this is one of the ugliest modems we've seen in recent memory, you'd better really need that roaming capability when it gets around to launching.

Continue reading Verizon's global 3G modem from ZTE spotted in FCC

Sony Ericsson brings its first HSPA ExpressCards to the table

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 11th 2008 @ 11:09AM

They're lagging a bit behind the competition in the dog-eat-dog world of high speed data cards, but one of Sony Ericsson's two models has a little trick up its sleeve that should still manage to win over a customer or three. The EC400 and EC400g both support the full HSPA suite -- HSDPA and HSUPA, that is, offering up to 7.2Mbps down and 2.0Mbps up -- on the 850, 1900, and 2100MHz bands, while GPRS and EDGE are supported on 850, 900, 1800, and 1900. Here's where it gets interesting, though: the EC400g adds an integrated GPS receiver, a feature occasionally seen on CDMA cards but pretty unique in the GSM camp. Both should be available in mid 2008.

Sony Ericsson ushers in 21st century with MD300, first 3G USB modem

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 6th 2007 @ 2:55PM

The cold war separating Sony Ericsson from North American 3G has been slowly melting as of late -- first with handsets, and now with modems. The MD300 isn't just Sony Ericsson's first 3G USB modem, it's also Sony Ericsson's first laptop modem of any sort to support UMTS and HSDPA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. As USB modems go, it seems to be a pretty typical offering -- though it'll conveniently auto-install drivers on Windows machines, and it's not every day that you see a device like this offered in both "luxury black" and "metallic silver" shades. Who knew a modem could be a fashion accessory? Look for it in the first quarter of next year.

Updated AT&T availability dates!

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 4th 2007 @ 2:52PM

Like pretty much everything else in life, carriers' launch dates tend to slip, sometimes to the extreme (oh, come on, you can't tell us you've never procrastinated to the point where you couldn't make a due date!). To that end, we've gotten an updated look at AT&T's expected drop dates, and it seems like the wait has gotten a little longer for a few of the more anticipated handsets in the pipe. Some devices like the red version of the Nokia 6555 have slipped a couple weeks, while others -- the lowly Samsung A127 comes to mind -- have actually moved up. The Pantech Duo has also been pushed out from October 9 to the 30th, possibly to give the just-launched Tilt a little breathing room in the spotlight. Click on for the full list!

[Thanks, Kal-El]

Update: A second source is telling us that the Duo is still tracking for shipment "on or about" the 9th. Of course, the proof is in the pudding -- but either way, at least we'll be getting our Duo on before the month's out.

Continue reading Updated AT&T availability dates!

The Huawei E270: fantastic enjoyment with HSUPA uplink

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 14th 2007 @ 8:19AM

Calling its E270 HSUPA modem "fantastic enjoyment" is strictly Huawei's own terminology here, but at two glorious megabits per second of upload speed (albeit theoretical) and up to 7.2Mbps on the downstream, well... "fantastic enjoyment," indeed. Granted, it'll be at least another year before we really start to to see widespread deployments of HSDPA's heir apparent -- which leaves the download speeds untouched from HSDPA while boosting the uploads significantly -- but we're glad to see manufacturers already have their eyes squarely on the prize for getting equipment prepped in the pipeline. Huawei says its E270 is also the world's first USB modem for HSUPA, surely bringing smiles to the faces of the expansion slot-challenged among us, and the tri-band 3G / quadband 2G radios should be enough to spread the love worldwide. No word on launch plans, but with the requisite networks necessary to take advantage of that juicy hardware far from in place, let's not put the proverbial cart before the proverbial horse.