Ericsson module brings HSPA to Netgear router

Ericsson’s mobile broadband module unit is teaming with Netgear Inc. to build a wireless router that internally incorporates HSPA broadband technology. The unit, which should be commercially available by the end of the first quarter, initially will be calibrated for AT&T Mobility in the U.S. market.
The MBRN3300 Mobile Broadband Router combines a 3G wide area network with 802.11n wireless and Ethernet local area network technologies. The router operates at speeds of 270 Megabits per second on the wireless LAN side and has a full-featured firewall. “Mobile broadband connectivity over HSPA in routers opens up new opportunities in yet-untapped home, SOHO and semi-nomadic user scenarios,” said Mats Norin, VP of Mobile Broadband Modules at Ericsson, in a prepared statement.
This product is the first in a family of products that will Netgear and Ericsson plan to collaborate on, said Jan Backman, director, marketing, for Ericsson’s mobile broadband modules. Ericsson has its modules certified with 80 global operators today so the router can be optimized for operators that use different frequency bands worldwide. The routers can be an alternative for people living in rural areas or other places where wired connections are too expensive.
Ericsson entered the mobile broadband space two years ago, and to date has partnered with Lenovo, Dell, LG and Toshiba, as well as Sony to deliver broadband modules into notebooks, netbooks and electronic readers. Ericsson envisions 50 billion wirelessly connected devices using a variety of protocols by 2020, Backman said.
Ericsson also unveiled a new mobile broadband module that incorporates the HSPA+ technology, with 21 Mbps on the downlink and 11 Mbps on the uplink. The module also features wake-on wireless and operates at half the temperature of its previous module.