Sierra Wireless and Telstra today announced that the Sierra Wireless AirCard 880U USB modem and the AirCard 880E ExpressCard are now commercially available in Australia to provide high-speed mobile access to Telstra's Next G HSPA network.

With the Sierra Wireless AirCard 880U USB modem and AirCard 880E ExpressCard operating on Telstra’s Next G HSPA network, customers will be able to send email attachments, upload information, and transmit data at peak network speeds up to 1.9 megabits per second (Mbps). This improvement in uplink speed, combined with peak network downlink speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps, allows for new applications such as web conferencing and live video, and significantly improves the user experience for customers working over a virtual private network.

Telstra will market the Sierra Wireless AirCard 880E as the Telstra Turbo 7 Series Express Card and BigPond Wireless Broadband 7.2 Mobile Card. The Sierra Wireless AirCard 880U will be marketed as the Telstra Turbo 7 Series Modem and BigPond Wireless Broadband USB Mobile Card.

The AirCard 880U USB modem and the AirCard 880E ExpressCard are fully compatible with HSPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, and GSM network technologies on all frequencies currently used worldwide. To ensure there is always enough power support to handle peak or fringe area transmission requirements without compromising performance, the AirCard 880U USB modem includes an internal battery that supplements the power from the USB port when extra power is required.