Qualcomm's Gobi to provide HP with 3G laptop connectivity

SAN FRANCISCO--Qualcomm Inc. has announced that its Gobi 3000 embedded wireless product will be powering a new form of pay-as-you-go mobile broadband data service in HP laptops.

The service, provided through mobile network service company Peregrine Network, will be dubbed HP DataPass and will allow users on-the-go to connect via 3G if and when they need to, as opposed to paying for a regular full time service contract.

The DataPass will offer nationwide coverage on Sprint’s CDMA network, with prices ranging from $10 for 100 MB to $30 for 1GB per month. Before buying the plan, HP is also offering customers the option to test the service for a free 14-day trial with the 100 MB service.

4G service is not yet on offer, though users could effectively tether a 4G phone to their laptop for a similar result.

Fram Akiki, senior director of product management for Qualcomm, said the offering would also give network operators a new and untapped channel of service to deliver mobile broadband to PC users.

All of the major network operators in the U.S. already use Gobi embedded products APIs, with this latest design win simply expanding the technology’s reach.
Qualcomm's Gobi to provide HP with 3G laptop connectivity