Published: January 06, 2010
Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless Can Bring Sprint's 4G Speeds to More Than 400 Million Wi-Fi-Enabled Devices
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sprint (NYSE:S) announced today the upcoming availability of Overdrive
3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless. Overdrive allows you to connect
up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously-including laptops,
gaming devices, cameras and even smartphones from other carriers-through
a single connection (via Wi-Fi), to a network that is up to 10 times
faster than today's 3G speeds from any national wireless carrier.1
There's no need to wait for 4G devices to enjoy the benefits of 4G:
Overdrive creates a connection between the Sprint 4G network and
virtually all of the hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi-enabled electronics
devices owned by or available to customers today.
"This device delivers the connected lifestyle to our customers in
overdrive," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. "The fact that it connects up to
five Wi-Fi-enabled devices is especially meaningful because at 4G
speeds, customers can download and upload more data-gigabytes, not
megabytes-in a matter of seconds. The Overdrive on the 4G network is
made for the multitude of bandwidth-hungry applications customers want
to access wirelessly, like video streaming. 4G beats 3G for speed and
for value."
Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot will benefit customers today
In the home:
Through a single connection, you can bypass your cable provider and
stream HD movies from content distribution providers (such as Netflix,
Amazon and Blockbuster) right to your TV; connect your Xbox 360 and game
real-time with someone located across the globe; move pictures
wirelessly from your camera to a digital picture frame and surf the Web
on your laptop while streaming Pandora.
In the dorm:
Connect virtually anywhere on a campus with 4G coverage at 4G speeds:
Turn your iPod Touch with Skype into a voice phone and make a call, or
stream a live movie from Hulu or Netflix to your laptop.
On-the-go:
Whether you're on a long trip or running a busy day of errands, use
Overdrive to keep passengers entertained in the car.2 Stream
your favorite TV show from Hulu to your Netbook; use a PSP gaming device
to access multiple games and content; download music to your Zune HD;
and turn your 3G iPhone into a 4G device. It's all very simple with
Overdrive.
Mobile office:
Join a video conference, download large files, conduct a virtual home
tour and stay in constant contact with your office via unified
communications.
Move Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot to the workplace and the benefits
are even greater with enhanced Wi-Fi performance, increased productivity
and improved cost savings. Set up and redeploy easily and quickly for a
small workgroup; back-up or replace costly wireline connections to small
branches, retail locations or home offices; cost-effectively share one
connection on one plan when mobile with other employees and customers;
use as excellent "power up and go" mobile solution to maintain
connectivity for business/emergency continuity; and easily perform
multiple functions with constant connectivity and real-time access to
corporate data.
"At Best Buy, we see an amazing amount of new devices and products from
mobile phones to televisions to gaming consoles that are designed to
connect and interact with each other. This kind of connectivity is very
exciting, but it can also be complicated to maximize unless you actually
see it and understand it," said Brian Dunn, Best Buy CEO. "In
combination with Best Buy's skilled and passionate associates, the
Sprint Overdrive will allow us to showcase our in-store experience by
demonstrating how various Wi-Fi- enabled products work and connect
together, whether in the home, on-the-go or both."
As the first dual-mode device of its kind, Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile
Hotspot can be used on both the Sprint 4G network and Sprint's Mobile
Broadband Network, America's most dependable 3G network.3
This flexibility allows customers to enjoy 4G performance in any Sprint
4G market or to use Sprint's reliable 3G mobile broadband network when
outside a 4G area. Sprint 4G is already available in 27 markets and
continues to expand to new cities, bringing wireless speeds up to 10
times faster than today's 3G from any other national wireless carrier.
"Sierra Wireless places a high priority on making our products simple to
use, and we have put considerable time and effort into ensuring that
Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot delivers the easiest user
experience of any mobile hotspot on the market," said Jason Cohenour,
CEO of Sierra Wireless. "Its simplicity, combined with its compact
portability, and security, makes Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot
ideal for both personal and business use in a variety of situations."
Key features of Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot include a LCD that
provides important information such as battery life and internet
connection status, as well as an easy-to-use web interface for
customizing settings. Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot also includes
built-in GPS capability (on 3G), MicroSD slot for up to 16 GB memory
cards creating shared storage with up to five connected devices, and an
extended Wi-Fi range of up to 150 feet.
Beginning on Jan. 10, customers will be able to purchase Overdrive 3G/4G
Mobile Hotspot exclusively from Sprint for $99.99 (excluding taxes)
after a $50 mail-in-rebate with a two-year service agreement. Customers
can purchase the device and sign up for 3G/4G plans at select Sprint
retail stores and select Best Buy stores; available through business
sales, Web (www.sprint.com)
and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) in coming weeks. Also beginning Jan. 10,
Sprint will offer simplified 3G/4G data plans for consumers and
businesses at $59.99 monthly (price plans exclude surcharges and taxes).4
Sprint continues to blaze trails with 4G
Sprint is the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market
4G technology. (View 4G coverage at www.sprint.com/4G)
Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008.
Sprint currently offers 4G service in 27 markets, including Atlanta,
Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland,
Ore., San Antonio and Seattle. Sprint 4G is also offered in Abilene,
Texas; Amarillo, Texas; Austin, Texas; Bellingham, Wash.; Boise, Idaho;
Charlotte, N.C.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Greensboro, N.C. (along with
High Point and Winston-Salem); Honolulu; Killeen/Temple, Texas; Lubbock,
Texas; Maui, Hawaii; Midland/Odessa, Texas; Milledgeville, Ga.; Raleigh,
N.C. (along with Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Salem, Ore.; Waco, Texas
and Wichita Falls, Texas.
In 2010, Sprint expects to launch service in multiple markets, including
Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Sprint is harnessing the power of 4G as the majority shareholder of Clearwire,
the independent company that is building the WiMAX network.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline
communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers,
businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for
developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including
two wireless networks serving more than 48 million customers at the end
of the third quarter of 2009 and the first and only 4G service from a
national carrier in the United States; industry-leading mobile data
services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities;
and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company's customer-focused
strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care
satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
For images, visit the Image Gallery in Sprint's Newsroom site - www.sprint.com/newsroom.
1 "Up to 10x faster" based on download speed comparison
of 3G's 600 kbps vs. 4G's 6 Mbps. Typical published 3G avg. speeds (600
kbps-1.7 Mbps); 4G avg. speeds (3-6 Mbps). Actual speeds may vary. 4G
currently available in select areas /devices; check Sprint.com/4G for
Sprint 4G coverage/device info.
2 Sprint encourages all wireless users to drive responsibly
and avoid distractions.
3 "Dependable" based on independent, third-party drive tests
for 3G data connection success, session reliability, and signal strength
for the top 50 most populous US markets (including PR) from January 2008
to August 2009. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may
default to separate network when 3G unavailable.
4 Sprint reserves the right, at our sole discretion to deny,
terminate, modify, disconnect or suspend service if customer exceeds the
off-network roaming threshold (300MB/mo.) or engages in the following
prohibited uses: server devices or host computer applications,
including, but not limited to, disproportionate Web camera posts or
broadcasts, automatic data feeds, automated machine-to-machine
connections, peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing applications broadcast to
multiple servers or recipients such that they could enable "bots" or
similar routines, or for any other reason that, in our sole discretion
harms our network.
Sprint
Caroline Semerdjian
415-684-7314
caroline.semerdjian@sprint.com
or
Stephanie
Vinge-Walsh
310-213-0039
stephanie.a.vinge@sprint.com
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