This story appears in the
March 2004 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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A new generation of PCMCIA cards lets handhelds, portables or
desktops grab data over cellular networks at speeds rivaling wired
broadband.
CDMA network providers Verizon Wireless and Monet Mobile
Networks sell cards using the new 1xEV-DO "data only"
specification for $30 to $150, with an accompanying data
subscription running $40 to $80 per month. Transfer speeds depend
on network load and distance from a cell. But you can expect
e-mail, file and Web page downloads at a zippy 300 to 500Kbps on a
regular basis.
As yet, Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess is available only in
and around San Diego and Washington, DC, with data rates falling
back to dial-up modem speeds in other areas. But the Verizon cards
also log on to Wi-Fi networks.
Monet Broadband, sold through Best Buy, currently serves only
six large Midwestern metropolitan areas. About half of its
subscribers use it as an alternative to wired broadband, says Steve
Visintainer, marketing vice president of Monet Mobile Networks in
Kirkland, Washington.
Among GSM/GPRS providers, AT&T Wireless has upgraded its
network and offers comparably priced PC Cards and service
nationwide, based on the EDGE protocol.
