Dell notebooks with built-in Ericsson F3507g Mobile Broadband Modules will become commercially available by mid-2008, it was announced May 13, 2008. The modules will support seamless roaming on tri-band High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) mobile-broadband networks.

Mats Norin, vice president, Mobile Broadband Modules, says: “Consumer electronics are going mobile. This is an exciting step towards our long-term vision to bring mobile broadband to all notebooks and connected devices.”

More convenient and reliable than an external USB modem, or “dongle,” the built-in HSPA module offers superior radio performance, lower power consumption, tight integration with the notebook and overall lower end-user cost. About the size of a PCI Express Mini Card, the module also has a GPS receiver for use with positioning applications.

“You open your notebook, pull the button and are ready to go,” Norin says. “There is no need to purchase and carry a separate dongle that could get lost or damaged.”

The built-in Ericsson module will provide Dell notebook users with speeds of 7.2Mbps in the downlink and 2.0Mbps for the uplink.

Norin says that the agreement with Dell is part of Ericsson’s effort to build an HSPA ecosystem and drive mass-market uptake of mobile broadband enabled by HSPA.

“There is strong momentum in HSPA deployment all over the world,” Norin says. “The networks are in place; flat-fee charging is becoming more common; and the consumer demand for mobile broadband is here.”

WCDMA/HSPA networks. “We can see that when operators introduce flat fees for mobile-broadband connections, the data traffic really takes off,” Norin says.

Ericsson is positioned to become a leader in supplying mobile-broadband modules because of its proven in-house chipset development through Ericsson Mobile Platforms and its outstanding relations with mobile operators worldwide, Norin says.