RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. and ATLANTA, Ga., January 4, 2006 – Lenovo and Cingular Wireless today announced plans to integrate wireless wide area network (WWAN) technology from Cingular in upcoming versions of ThinkPad notebooks. ThinkPad users will have built-in, immediate high-speed Internet access via the Cingular BroadbandConnect service without needing a separate PC card or additional hardware.(1)
Through this agreement, ThinkPad notebooks will be preconfigured for BroadbandConnect, which delivers average mobile data connections between 400-700Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink and bursts to more than a megabit per second using Cingular’s third-generation (3G) network based on UMTS/HSDPA technology. With Cingular BroadbandConnect services, users can connect anywhere they receive Cingular Wireless data service and will no longer need to be centrally located near wireless hubs, or WiFi “hot spots,” an ideal situation for mobile and small business professionals who are on the go and often located in areas where WiFi hot spots are not readily available.
Cingular-enabled ThinkPad notebooks are expected to be available beginning in the second quarter of this year. “Cingular Wireless helps us extend the mobile computing environment for ThinkPad customers, giving users access to a high-speed wireless network when and where they need to do business,” said Marc Godin, vice president, notebook marketing, for Lenovo. “In addition, our new Access Connections 4.1 software works with Cingular BroadbandConnect, enabling users to move seamlessly from one available network connection to the next without downtime or costly help desk calls.”
“Lenovo has a long-standing reputation for innovation in the marketplace and Cingular Wireless is pleased to team with them to bring their world-class capabilities to the burgeoning wireless data arena,” said Jeff Bradley, vice president, business data services, for Cingular Wireless. “Cingular is working closely with Lenovo from a research and development standpoint to wirelessly enable its products with a technology that is based on a global 3G standard. We look forward to jointly offering to Lenovo notebook customers wireless broadband access on both a domestic and an international scale.”
Cingular’s 3G network infrastructure is based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology, a global standard for 3G wireless services that are already offered by 95 commercial networks in 45 countries, with an additional 67 UMTS networks in deployment, planned or licensed.
In the U.S., Cingular BroadbandConnect currently is available in 52 communities, with a commitment to extend the service to most major markets by the end of this year. In areas where UMTS/HSDPA is not available, ThinkPad owners will be able to use their notebooks seamlessly on Cingular’s EDGE service, the largest national wireless data network in the U.S. with availability in 13,000 cities and towns at typical speeds of 70-135Kbps. ThinkPad users also will have wireless access abroad in more than 90 countries where Cingular has data roaming agreements.
ThinkPad notebooks with integrated WWAN capabilities will enable IT departments to ensure consistent hardware compatibility across their users and with the internal, embedded module the ThinkPad casing provides the higher level of protection to reduce the risk of damage during transit. They can also expect less hardware to troubleshoot and replace as well as improved data security for employees who frequently travel.
About Lenovo Lenovo (HKSE: 992)(ADR: LNVGY) is the world’s most innovative personal computing company, with a business model built on innovation, operational excellence, customer satisfaction and a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure, and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information about Lenovo, visit www.lenovo.com .
About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 52.3 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., (NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation — the ALLOVER (SM) network — and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover (SM), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at www.cingular.com . Get Cingular Wireless press releases e-mailed to you automatically. Sign up at www.cingular.com/newsroom .
Notes (1) Activating Cingular Wireless Service: Lenovo customers will be contacted after purchase to activate service; requires separate agreement with Cingular Wireless and is subject to the Customer Agreement, Calling Plan and credit approval. Service and airtime charges will apply. Cingular Wireless, not Lenovo, is solely responsible for service. Service not available in all areas; purchaser is responsible for verifying that service is available for the intended location before purchasing a computer equipped with WAN card.
Media Contacts: Jeff DudashLenovo 919-395-0617 (wireless) John KampfeCingular Wireless908-696-4242 (office)908-432-3473 (wireless)
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