Orange France selects Sierra Wireless to provide access to HSDPA network

September 18, 2006

Sierra Wireless announced that Orange France has selected the Sierra Wireless AirCard 850 Mobile PC Card for use on the company's newly unveiled HSDPA network in France, called 3G+. The AirCard 850, combined with a notebook computer and connected to Orange France's new HSDPA network, offers mobile professionals mobile broadband access to their email, the Internet, and online applications at average speeds of 1 megabit per second (Mbps) with bursts of up to 1.8 Mbps. The faster data speeds offered by HSDPA technology enable fast transfer of large files and multimedia applications such as streaming video. The AirCard 850 is available with Orange Business Everywhere service through the company's business channels and online.

"Sierra Wireless is committed to providing Orange with proven, reliable wireless products to support the company's HSDPA network deployment," said Jim Lahey, Vice President, EMEA for Sierra Wireless. "The availability of the AirCard 850 from Orange France delivers the benefits of truly mobile broadband access to professionals who rely on their ability to get the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it."

The AirCard 850 is a 3G wireless WAN Type II PC Card with a slim, unextended design, allowing users to conveniently store the card inside the laptop with the antenna attached. Fully functional on HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS networks, the AirCard 850 utilizes the 2100 MHz UMTS frequency band common to European UMTS networks, offering average data rates of 800 kbps to 1.3 Mbps, with bursts up to 1.8 Mbps on the Orange 3G+ network. In areas where HSDPA or UMTS 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.