White Papers

Mobile Broadband

Date : 5/15/2007

It’s next to impossible to find a laptop without built-in wi-fi these days. With high speed access and a growing number of hotspots and other access points, wi-fi1 is a blessing to mobile workers around the globe. Just as integrated Ethernet became standard in almost all PCs and laptops several years ago, integrated wi-fi has as well. After all, what’s the point of a mobile computer, aka laptop, if you can’t access the resources you need when you need them?

Ah, but that’s the problem. While wi-fi access has continued to grow, and certain metropolitan areas are building out public wi-fi infrastructures for even greater accessibility, wi-fi is far from ubiquitous. Speaking of ubiquitous, how many people do you know without a cell phone? When you think of wireless and access, it is hard to beat the cellular networks in the U.S. and around the world.

Until recently, relying on the cellular networks for wireless computer access was both expensive and frustrating. Plans could average $80 a month and connection speeds weren’t much better than dial-up. A lot has changed over the last year or two, however, with more changes for the better on the horizon. The emergence of a new class of wireless access over the cellular networks, known as mobile broadband, is a serious contender for any mobile workforce that needs constant connectivity.

An August 2006 whitepaper by iGR Inc. showed that the majority of white collar mobile workers was out of the office between one and three days per week.3 That could include in the same metro area, out of state, or simply being down the hall in a company conference room. This same study showed that these mobile workers carry at least two types of mobile devices – primarily cell phones and laptop computers – and that the laptop is still the preferred method for accessing email and the Internet as well as viewing and/or editing attachments and files. The opportunity for convergence between the ubiquitous laptop and the ubiquitous cellular network is upon us.

Mobile broadband, based on 3G (third generation) wireless broadband technologies, now provides much greater performance than in the past, with average download rates of 400-700kbps, or about 50x faster than earlier networks2. And with mobile broadband you can get a connection anywhere you can get a cell phone signal4, which is pretty much anywhere in the U.S. that mobile workers are likely to be found. Costs have dropped significantly, with plans averaging closer to $50 per month2.

The iGR Inc. whitepaper, "Achieving Lower TCO: Laptop Computers with Embedded Mobile Broadband Modules," found 3 primary differences between WWANs (Wireless Wide Area Networks or mobile broadband) and WLANs (Wireless Local Area Networks or wi-fi). First is coverage, with WWANs providing much greater coverage and with coverage measured in miles rather than feet for WLANs. Second is throughput, with WLANs significantly outperforming WWANs, but lacking true mobility per the first difference. Third is mobility, with WWANs winning again. Coverage is provided everywhere there is a cell phone signal (subject to the particular carrier the plan is with) and the mobile worker can move anywhere in the coverage area, including between cells, and still maintain connectivity. This is something that cannot be done from wi-fi network to wi-fi network.

In the recent past, connecting to a mobile broadband network required the use of an external adapter card inserted into one of the slots in the laptop. These cards provide decent connectivity and include the required antenna. Now, however, a number of leading laptop vendors are providing an integrated / embedded 3G mobile broadband solution which can provide some significant advantages over the external card solution.

One advantage the embedded solution has over the external card is receptivity. The antenna is now placed behind the laptop’s screen, near the top of the unit, which reduces radio frequency (RF) interference from the other laptop components and circuitry. The card solution is traditionally located close to this circuitry, as it must be to operate, so the antenna is subject to this RF interference. The iGR study found 4 other significant benefits to embedded mobile broadband as well:

  • Increased durability. External cards and antennas are subject to breakage or other damage.
  • Faster speeds. The embedded solutions are faster due to tighter integration with the hardware and connection software, as well as the reduction in RF interference.
  • Convenience. For both the end user and IT, the embedded solution provides greater convenience. The embedded solution is already integrated with drivers and software loaded when it ships from the laptop manufacturer, whereas with external cards IT or the end user must install and configure the card, drivers and software. Also, due to reason #1, when an external card breaks or is damaged that reduces end-user productivity, requires IT support processes, and requires a re-install upon resolution or replacement.
  • Lower cost. Lower costs are achievable with the embedded solutions due to reduced IT staff time to deploy, greater reliability and lower failure rates, along with reduced end user downtime due to breakage or damage.

For a workforce that needs true mobility and near constant connectivity, mobile broadband has emerged as a clear choice. And to provide the best mobile broadband available, embedded solutions are proving the clear choice as well. (Note, the advantages of mobile broadband are strong enough that the external card solution is very viable for existing systems.) Interestingly enough, not all embedded solutions are created equal.

Dell offers embedded mobile broadband on its LatitudeTM  line of business laptops. Tests by both Network Computing® 2 and VeriTest® 3 show that the Dell Latitude laptops actually performed, on average, better on a variety of mobile broadband tests than laptops from HP or Lenovo. In fact, the VeriTest report found that the Dell D620 download speeds were, on average, 82% faster than the HP NC6400 and 84% faster than the Lenovo ThinkPad T60 5. Network Computing found the Dell Latitude D620 to be closest to the "wired broadband gold standard."

So the choices for IT departments are becoming clear. Today’s laptops will include the latest in integrated wi-fi, providing great connectivity speed when an access point is nearby. For a more demanding and/or mobile workforce, mobile broadband has come a long way and provides access and coverage benefits wi-fi can’t match. Embedded mobile broadband provides durability, speed, convenience and lower cost benefits vs. traditional external cards and antennas. And Dell provides an excellent performing embedded mobile broadband solution, which when combined with the reliability, performance, quality, customer support and overall value of Dell Latitude laptops, is simply hard to beat.

1. Where wireless access is available. Additional access charges apply in some locations. Accessibility to company networks may be affected by firewalls or other privacy measures.

2. Network Computing, "Time to Decide", by Peter Rysavy, August 31, 2006.

3. "Achieving Lower TCO: Laptop Computers with Embedded Mobile Broadband Modules", Copyright iGR, Inc., August 2006.

4. You must be a Sprint,Verizon Wireless or Cingular subscriber. Actual connectivity is subject to wireless service provider's coverage area and may be affected by equipment, topography, signal strength, environmental considerations, and other factors. Service may vary significantly within buildings. Dell does not guarantee coverage.

5. Integrated EV-DO Comparison for Dell, Lenovo and HP, VeriTest, October 2006.