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1st February 2005 - Nokia and Sierra Wireless today
announced their cooperation to develop and promote an
end-to-end High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)
WCDMA (UMTS) solution. Under the terms of the agreement,
Nokia's Networks business group and Sierra Wireless
will work together to conduct early technical and market
trials for their respective HSDPA products - the Sierra
Wireless AirCard® 850 and AirCard 860 wireless wide
area network cards, Nokia's HSDPA infrastructure equipment,
and related software - with the purpose of jointly marketing
the HSDPA solution to key global network operator customers.
"HSDPA products offer significant speed and efficiency
benefits to both network operators and end-users, making
it a logical choice for Sierra Wireless as we expand
our product line into new wireless technologies,"
said Jason Cohenour, Chief Operating Officer for Sierra
Wireless. "We are pleased to work with Nokia to
provide network operators with a fully tested, end-to-end
HSDPA solution, so they can offer the benefits of HSDPA
technology to their customers."
"We are very happy to cooperate with Sierra Wireless
in our HSDPA development program as they have an established
reputation for producing reliable, high-quality wireless
data access devices," said Giuseppe Donagemma,
Vice President, Radio Networks, Nokia. "The combination
of Nokia's HSDPA Radio Access Network and Sierra Wireless
AirCard wireless network cards offers network operators
a package they can roll out seamlessly, and we are pleased
to work with Sierra Wireless to provide this alternative
to our operator customers worldwide."
HSDPA is an upgrade to WCDMA (UMTS) systems that offers
end users significantly faster download speeds - up
to 1.8 Mbps in the first phase, versus 384 kbps on standard
WCDMA systems. Operators upgrading their networks with
an HSDPA solution can take advantage of improved data
rates and throughput, enhancing the efficiency of the
network to support a higher number of users at a lower
cost per user. Network operator customers with Nokia's
WCDMA solutions will be able to implement HSDPA with
simple upgrades to their current RAN platforms.
The AirCard 850 and AirCard 860 wireless wide area network
cards are the latest additions to Sierra Wireless' award-winning
AirCard product line. The AirCard 850 utilizes the 2100
MHz WCDMA frequency band and is targeted primarily for
use in Europe; while the AirCard 860 operates on the
850 and 1900 MHz WCDMA frequency bands and is designed
for North American users. Both cards will also be compatible
with EDGE and GSM/GPRS networks on all four GSM frequency
bands (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz), for worldwide
use in areas where a WCDMA (UMTS) network is not available.
The AirCard 850 and AirCard 860 wireless network cards
are scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2005.
About Sierra Wireless
Sierra Wireless is a leader in delivering highly differentiated
wireless solutions that enable our customers to improve
their productivity and lifestyle. Sierra Wireless develops
and markets the AirCard, the industry-leading wireless
PC card line for portable computers; embedded modules
for OEM wireless applications; the MP line of rugged
vehicle-mounted connectivity solutions; and Voq, a line
of mobile phones with easy-to-use, secure software solutions
for mobile professionals.
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