Next-Generation Dell Laptops Take Connectivity Global

New GOBI mobile broadband technology from Qualcomm allows Customers to Connect to Multiple 3G Networks

Round Rock, Texas, April 1, 2008 -- World travelers can stay connected globally with Dell’s next-generation laptops that will support mobile broadband on multiple cellular networks.

Article continues below...

U.S.-based travelers who connect their laptops via EV-DO carrier networks (like Verizon Wireless or Sprint), will be able to connect via HSPA carrier networks (like Vodafone), a wireless standard commonly found in Europe. Today customers who wish to connect to both types of networks must use two different mobile broadband cards.

Dell’s next-generation laptops, available later this year, will support a single-card 3G network connection through Qualcomm’s Gobi™ solution. The software-configurable technology enables high-speed data connectivity on both UMTS and CDMA networks, and allows users to switch between network carriers. The built-in Gobi solution will be offered across Latitude, Dell Precision, and consumer laptops.

“Dell will continue to deliver on the promise of global computing with the addition of Qualcomm’s Gobi technology,” said Ken Bond, director of wireless product management at Dell. “Customers are demanding more freedom to compute the way they want, where they want, which is why Dell today offers such a wide selection of mobile-broadband ready laptops.”

“The Gobi solution enables enterprise users and consumers with the freedom of being untethered from Wi-Fi hotspots and connecting to the Internet using ‘almost anywhere’ cellular broadband connectivity,” said Greg Raleigh, vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “We are pleased that Dell will be leveraging the flexibility and efficiency Gobi provides to meet the growing needs of mobile data users.”

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Uniquely enabled by its direct business model, Dell is a leading global systems and services company and No. 34 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit dell.com, or to communicate directly with Dell via a variety of online channels, go to dell.com/conversations.

Source: Dell