Sierra Wireless this morning announced two new USB modems: the USB 306 and USB 307. The names make them sound like ordinary USB modems, but they provide one thing no other USB modem does: HSPA+ compatibility. So if you’re off in an area which has this kind of network, you can take advantage of speeds of up to 21 Mbps downlink and 5.76 Mbps uplink. Those are huge speeds compared to our current crop of USB modems on mobile broadband networks.
Not only does this offer greater speeds where available, but it also offers backward compatibility with HSPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS networks. This is helpful for consumers, especially when the availability of HSPA+ networks is limited. It also has global roaming support.
The 306 is targeted at North America and the Asia-Pacific regions, as it operates on the 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz bands, while the 307 runs on the 900 and 2100 MHz European bands. It comes with the Sierra Wireless Watcher, a program which monitors your speed and provides network information. And, as has become pretty standard, it comes with a microSD slot, allowing you to use it as a data transfer device as well.
“We recognize that the way people use the Internet has evolved,” said Greg Speakman, vice president of Marketing for Sierra Wireless. “Most people require higher bandwidth from their connections now than they did even two years ago. Sierra Wireless is working hard to stay at the forefront of mobile technology to ensure that our customers can get online and do whatever they need to do, whether from home, work, or somewhere in between.”
There’s no word yet on pricing. The device is said to ship in the first half of this year.
Related posts:
