BARCELONA, Spain—The GSM Association and Intel Corp. unveiled an initiative designed to drive the adoption of GSM-based wireless data technologies in laptop computers.
The plan calls for both parties to develop guidelines for integrating 3G modems and SIM cards into laptop computers that would enable automatic connections to both 3G-based networks and Wi-Fi hotspots.
“Our goal is to ensure that in the future, every notebook will be SIM ready,” said Rob Conway, chief executive officer of the GSMA. “The mobile operator community will benefit from significant market and revenue growth opportunities.”
Intel was a major force behind laptop manufacturers embedding Wi-Fi chipsets into devices.
The idea is not new. Sony Corp., Lenovo, Panasonic Corp., Hewlett-Packard Development Co. L.P., Itronix and Dell Inc. have announced or have already begun embedding wireless wide-area network modems into laptops.
