AT&T Inc.and Qualcomm Incorporated announced that Qualcomm's Gobi global mobile
Internet technology has been certified for use on the AT&T mobile
broadband network.
Gobi technology gives users the freedom to connect to the Internet over
wide-area wireless networks, providing fast, secure and convenient
mobile broadband access and GPS functionality virtually anywhere in the world1 via leading 3G
wireless networks. With Gobi-embedded notebook computers running on the
AT&T network, customers will realize higher connection speeds, as
well as access to the nation's fastest 3G service when in the U.S. and
the industry's largest international wireless footprint when abroad.
Today, the companies also announced certification for notebooks from
two leading brands - Panasonic and HP. Two of Panasonic's Gobi-enabled,
fully rugged notebooks-the convertible tablet Toughbook 19 and flagship
Toughbook 30 notebook-are now certified on AT&T's HSPA (High Speed
Packet Access)-based BroadbandConnect 3G network. In addition,
AT&T, Qualcomm and HP announced today that HP's refreshed line of
notebooks featuring built-in AT&T and Gobi technology has been
certified by AT&T.
"Qualcomm's Gobi technology is an innovation that will provide AT&T
customers with significant benefits that we believe will lead to
increased adoption of notebooks with built-in wide-area wireless
technology, particularly among the business community," said Carolyn
Billings, executive director of product marketing management for
AT&T's wireless operation. "Gobi technology supports the high
speeds available on AT&T's network and will provide our customers
with potential cost savings on their hardware investments, a key
consideration that could lead to the broader deployment of embedded
notebooks."
"We are pleased to have reached this milestone with AT&T," said
Mike Concannon, senior vice president of product management for
Qualcomm CDMA
Technologies. "This certification creates even more opportunity for
today's mobile consumers to enjoy truly mobile Internet access using
Gobi-equipped devices."
AT&T joins a growing list of leading operators from around the
world that have certified Gobi technology for use on their networks. In
the coming weeks, AT&T, working with leading notebook OEMs, plans
to launch ambitious marketing programs to support the rollout of
Gobi-enabled notebooks and services.
The embedded Gobi solution includes Qualcomm's MDM1000™ chipset,
associated software and APIs, and a reference design for a
software-defined configurable data modem supporting HSPA-with full
backward compatibility to GPRS /EDGE-and other 3G wireless technologies.
AT&T BroadbandConnect is the nation's fastest 3G network with
typical download speeds between 700 Kbps (kilobits per second) and 1.7
Mbps (megabits per second). Typical uplink speeds range between 500
Kbps and 1.2 Mbps. BroadbandConnect is available today in more than 300
major U.S. metropolitan areas and, by year's end, AT&T expects to
offer the service in nearly 350 major metro areas. AT&T has the
broadest international wireless footprint of any U.S. operator,
providing customers access in more than 150 countries, including more
than 60 countries with 3G networks.
1 International service limited to countries in which an operator has roaming agreements.