Novatel MC950D HSPA stick lands at Fido
updated 01:45 pm EDT, Tue August 26, 2008
Novatel MC950D at Fido
Normally only known for its cellphone service, Fido today expanded its options to include the Novatel Ovation MC950D. The USB adapter gives the Canadian provider's notebook- and UMPC-borne subscribers full 3G Internet access over HSPA without needing a PC Card slot. On Fido's network, the device can download as quickly as 7.2Mbps in peak conditions; roaming with certain carriers in Europe and eventually in Canada can upload as quickly as 2.1Mbps.
The black modem supports world roaming both for 3G and for slower EDGE and GPRS in areas that lack the faster standard. As with most modern cellular adapters, it also has a zero-disc install process that gets the drivers installed and working on both Mac OS X and Windows systems with only the actual network setup required.
Choosing Novatel's device costs $50 when picked up along with one of Fido's data plans, which start at $30 for 300MB and scale up to $100 for 6GB.
