CeBIT: O2 brings UMTS Internet access to homes

**MIG-31** · Mar 11, 2005, 07:07 AM

After one year of waiting, O2 (Germany), a German subsidiary of UK-based mobile service provider mmO2, is finally ready to market its new service called Surf@home, the company said at CeBIT. The offering includes Internet access via wireless modem connected to O2’s UMTS mobile network, introduced in March 2004 at last year’s CeBIT. At that time, the company expected to launch the Surf@home service in the autumn of last year.

The Surf@home service targets the mass market and is positioned as a replacement for ISDN and Dial-up fixed-line services, O2 stated. Users of the new service can surf the Internet for as little as 0.92 euro cents per minute at speeds of up to 384Kbit/s, according to the company. Higher speeds are expected next year, with the next generation of UMTS devices. Existing subscribers can already order the service, but the hardware will be delivered starting from April 15. For new customers, the Surf@home service will probably be available in mid-May, O2 said.

The UMTS modem for Surf@home operates at a frequency of 2.1GHz and uses wired Ethernet or a Wi-Fi connection to PCs. In line with the needs of both home and office users, it has built-in security features including WEP and WPA encoding support, and a firewall with port and URL filters. The operating systems supported are Windows 2000, Windows XP and the Mac OS. According to industry sources, the modem is manufactured by Taiwanese company SerComm and is based on the “Ovation” platform designed by US-based Novatel Wireless. The device is priced for end-users at 49.95 euros.

The current version of the modem is 256x145x37mm and weighs 600g. Smaller and lighter devices are already on the way and prototypes of them are being displayed at O2’s CeBIT booth. Availability is expected at the end of this year or later. According to O2 representatives, the company is forecasting the new service will attract at least a few tens of thousands of subscribers this year. The group is also evaluating the potential for the same service to be offered in the UK and Ireland.
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Source: Digitimes

Mar 11, 2005, 07:07 AM	#1
MIG-31 HardwareHeaven News Mod Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Nottingham,UK Posts: 56,854 Rep Power: 471 System Specs	CeBIT: O2 brings UMTS Internet access to homes After one year of waiting, O2 (Germany), a German subsidiary of UK-based mobile service provider mmO2, is finally ready to market its new service called Surf@home, the company said at CeBIT. The offering includes Internet access via wireless modem connected to O2’s UMTS mobile network, introduced in March 2004 at last year’s CeBIT. At that time, the company expected to launch the Surf@home service in the autumn of last year. The Surf@home service targets the mass market and is positioned as a replacement for ISDN and Dial-up fixed-line services, O2 stated. Users of the new service can surf the Internet for as little as 0.92 euro cents per minute at speeds of up to 384Kbit/s, according to the company. Higher speeds are expected next year, with the next generation of UMTS devices. Existing subscribers can already order the service, but the hardware will be delivered starting from April 15. For new customers, the Surf@home service will probably be available in mid-May, O2 said. The UMTS modem for Surf@home operates at a frequency of 2.1GHz and uses wired Ethernet or a Wi-Fi connection to PCs. In line with the needs of both home and office users, it has built-in security features including WEP and WPA encoding support, and a firewall with port and URL filters. The operating systems supported are Windows 2000, Windows XP and the Mac OS. According to industry sources, the modem is manufactured by Taiwanese company SerComm and is based on the “Ovation” platform designed by US-based Novatel Wireless. The device is priced for end-users at 49.95 euros. The current version of the modem is 256x145x37mm and weighs 600g. Smaller and lighter devices are already on the way and prototypes of them are being displayed at O2’s CeBIT booth. Availability is expected at the end of this year or later. According to O2 representatives, the company is forecasting the new service will attract at least a few tens of thousands of subscribers this year. The group is also evaluating the potential for the same service to be offered in the UK and Ireland. _______________ Source: Digitimes __________________ Please Post Your News Submissions Here