Sierra Wireless AirCard® 850 Mobile PC Card Now Available with Orange UK Business Everywhere Service
VANCOUVER, Canada and LONDON, November 21 - Designed for Upcoming Orange 3G+ Network, the AirCard 850 Card Provides Mobile Connectivity at Speeds Three Times Faster Than 3G
Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR; TSX: SW) and Orange Business Services
today announced that the Sierra Wireless AirCard 850 Mobile PC Card is now
available in the United Kingdom. The card is the first 3G+-enabled card
offered by Orange and offers mobile professionals a proven, reliable
wireless connection in advance of Orange's planned 3G+ network upgrade,
expected to begin in Q1 2007. The AirCard 850 Mobile PC Card is available
through Orange retail, online, and business channels.
The AirCard 850 Mobile PC Card with the Orange Business Everywhere
service will allow roaming on the best available 3G+ and 3G wireless
networks across Europe, and is fully compatible with EDGE and GPRS networks
around the world, providing business travelers with the ability to maintain
close contact with colleagues and clients while away from the office.
Orange Business Everywhere customers in the UK benefit from one
contract, one customer service point of contact and one bill, regardless of
the mobile data network (3G+, 3G, EDGE/GPRS, WiFi or broadband) used. The
service offers exceptional value and flexibility as it offers the unique
possibility of being able to add multiple users to share a price plan.
"Mobile professionals today are busy enough, and the extra time they
spend looking for hotspots or waiting for downloads on slow connections is
time they don't have," said Jim Lahey, Vice President EMEA for Sierra
Wireless. "The launch of the AirCard 850 on the Orange UK network,
following on the recent launch of the card with Orange France, is an
example of the leadership position Orange and Sierra Wireless have taken in
providing business customers with effective, efficient access to the
information they need."
The AirCard 850 is a 3G wireless WAN Type II PC Card with a slim
design that allows users to conveniently store the card inside the laptop
with the antenna attached. Fully functional on 3G+, 3G, EDGE, and GPRS
networks, the AirCard 850 utilizes the 2100 MHz 3G frequency band common to
European 3G networks, offering average data rates of 1 Mbps, with bursts up
to 1.8 Mbps on the Orange 3G+ network. In areas where 3G+ or 3G network
coverage is not available, these cards will connect to EDGE and GSM/GPRS
networks and enable international roaming on all four frequency bands (850,
900, 1800, and 1900 MHz) used worldwide.
To purchase a Sierra Wireless AirCard 850 from Orange Business
Services in the UK, please visit www.orange.co.uk/business.
For more information about the Sierra Wireless AirCard 850, please
visit www.sierrawireless.com/product/ac850.aspx. To contact the
Sierra Wireless Sales Desk, call +1-604-232-1488 or e-mail
sales@sierrawireless.com.
To view and download images of Sierra Wireless products, please visit
http://www.sierrawireless.com/product/photos.aspx.
About Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world's leading
telecommunications operators with more than 153 million customers on five
continents.
In June, 2006, as part of the France Telecom integrated operator
strategy (NExT programme) to deliver simple, convergent products, Orange
became the single brand for mobile, internet and TV offers in France, the
United Kingdom, The Netherlands and in Spain, strengthening Orange's
position as the number two mobile and internet services brand in Europe. In
addition, Orange Business Services became the new banner for business
communications solutions and services. Orange Business Services is present
in 166 countries and territories and serves customers in 220.
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris Eurolist market
and on the New York Stock Exchange. At September 30, 2006, the group had
92.59 million mobile customers, 12.09 million internet customers and
48.59 million fixed line customers.
At the end of 2005, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 49
billion euros by IFRS standards in 2005 (38.4 billion euros for the year-to
- date at September 30, 2006) and had 203,000 employees.
Further information about Orange and France Telecom can be found on
the Orange website at www.orange.com or the France Telecom at
www.francetelecom.com.
About Sierra Wireless
Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR; TSX: SW) develops and markets reliable
, high quality wireless communications products that provide mobile
professionals with data and voice access to wide area wireless networks.
The Sierra Wireless product portfolio includes the award-winning AirCard®
line of wireless modems, embedded modules for original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs), and the MP line of rugged, vehicle-mounted wireless
modems. Sierra Wireless also offers professional services to OEM customers
during product development, leveraging the company's expertise in wireless
design and integration to provide built-in wireless connectivity for
notebook computers and other portable computing devices. Sierra Wireless is
headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, with additional
offices in Carlsbad, California, London, and Hong Kong. For more
information about Sierra Wireless, please visit www.sierrawireless.com.
Source: Sierra Wireless
For further information:
Sharlene Myers,
Sierra Wireless,
Phone: +1-(604)-232-1445,
Email: smyers@sierrawireless.com
