News | June 14, 2005

Sony Ericsson Introduces GC99 PC Card Combining 3G Broadband With Wi-Fi

CommunicAsia, Singapore -- The Sony Ericsson GC99 PC card combines Wi-Fi with 3G/UMTS and global quad band GSM/EDGE/GPRS connectivity, providing a variety of network choices in a single, slim PC card.

"Sony Ericsson has long led the market in the EDGE PC Cards space and is one of the first companies to announce a combined card for the UMTS, EDGE and Wi-Fi networks," says Anders Franzén, corporate vice president and head of Sony Ericsson M2M Communications. "Today there are more than 1 billion GSM customers worldwide and more than 115 UMTS networks are expected to be in commercial deployment by the end of the year. We believe the convenience of the GC99 card and these fast networks will give business users ultimate flexibility and the fastest possible connection in any situation and at any place."

The GC99 PC Card offers connectivity on UMTS networks at up to 384 kbps. Alternatively, people can take advantage of the 54 Mbps data rate of Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks in offices or at public hot-spots to browse the Internet, download large attachments, and access streaming material. Wi-Fi hot-spots often offer connectivity in airports, coffee shops and other public places.

The GC99 card works with both Windows and Mac operating systems and is compatible with a wide range of common business applications including: MS Exchange, MS Outlook, Lotus Notes, Netscape, CRM, SAP, Siebel and Messenger. Installation support includes customization options that allow corporate IT managers to implement pre-loaded settings that provide one click VPN connection. Data security is assured with UMTS/EDGE/GPRS encryption technology and the SIM card authenticates with the network preventing unauthorised access. GC99 is compatible with all leading VPNs, enabling secure passage through corporate firewalls.

The GC99 will be available in Q4 2005 for the Asia Pacific region, China, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

SOURCE: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications