OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Nextel Corp. and Novatel Wireless Inc. announced the first CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A card for use on the carrier’s soon-to-launch network. Sprint Nextel noted the card will support “a mobile DSL experience” with higher uplink and downlink speeds when the carrier begins upgrading its current Rev. 0 network later this year.
Sprint Nextel’s introduction of the Novatel Merlin S720 PC card will be accompanied by a new pricing plan: purchasers of the new PC card can sign up for a $60 per month data plan, with a two-year data service agreement, that no longer requires a separate, additional voice plan contract. Sprint Nextel currently charges $80 per month for an unlimited data plan.
The Novatel S720 relies on a Qualcomm Inc. chipset and is claimed to use less power than its predecessors.
According to Sprint Nextel, it plans to cover two-thirds of the United States population with either Rev. 0 or Rev. A in 220 major metro areas by the end of this year. The Novatel card will be backwards compatible with 1x and Rev. 0 networks in areas where Rev. A is not available.
Sprint Nextel is in the process of upgrading its current EV-DO Rev. 0 network with Rev. A capabilities.
Novatel currently provides its Merlin 620 EV-DO Rev. 0 PC card to Sprint Nextel for use on the carrier’s network. The device retails for $50 after instant savings and mail-in rebates.
