FCC approves first HSUPA Internet card for US
updated 02:30 pm EDT, Tue August 14, 2007
Option HSUPA Card at FCC
Option today revealed that the FCC has approved its GlobeTrotter Express HSUPA ExpressCard, making it the first card of its type to be ready for the US. The card supports the 7.2Mbps maximum download speeds of today's 3G-class, HSDPA networks but adds the extra-quick upload speeds that give HSUPA its name. At peak, the card can upload a full 2Mbps versus the 384Kbps maximum of the best HSDPA networks, Option says. Travelers can also roam across different speeds and network formats, ranging from current 3.6Mbps and 1.8Mbps HSDPA networks to Europe's UMTS and the oldest EDGE and GPRS standards.
Although no carriers have immediately announced that they will pick up the card, the device should be usable with AT&T and T-Mobile once it goes on sale. Option notes the GlobeTrotter will work with the MacBook Pro and most recent Windows systems with an ExpressCard/34 slot and also comes with an adapter to retrofit the device to older notebooks with PC Card slots.
