Sierra Wireless announced a supply agreement with Cingular to deliver the Sierra Wireless AirCard 860 3G wireless wide area network (WAN) card for HSDPA networks to Cingular for use on the company's HSDPA network. Commercial shipments to Cingular are expected to commence during Q4, 2005.

Out of the box, the AirCard 860 is fully functional on HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS networks. The AirCard 860 utilizes the 850 and 1900 MHz UMTS frequency bands and offers average data rates of 400 to 700 kbps, with bursts over 1 Mbps on Cingular's HSDPA network*. The AirCard 860 also operates on Cingular's nationwide GSM/GPRS/EDGE network, which provides average data rates of 75 to 135 kbps. Ideal for frequent travelers, the AirCard 860 enables international roaming on all four EDGE and GPRS frequency bands (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz) used worldwide. Cingular has data roaming agreements with carriers in more than 90 countries.

HSDPA is an upgrade to UMTS networks that offers users significantly faster download speeds than earlier UMTS networks. For end users, this translates to an experience similar to a wired broadband connection while using email, connecting to server-based corporate applications through a VPN, or accessing the Internet, including streaming audio and video files.

via ubergizmo