PC Card To Support 3G, Wi-Fi

A Belgian company this week announced a PC Card that supports both Wi-Fi and GSM-based 3G data access.

Option N.V. said its GlobeTrotter Fusion card will support UMTS and GPRS cellular data networks and 802.11g wireless LAN access. It also said that Swisscom Mobile has announced that it will sell the product.

The card comes with management software that enables users to roam seamlessly between the various types of wireless data access methods, the company said in a statement. Part of that capability includes automatic authentication so the user doesn't have to log on when he or she switches network types. The card has built-in VPN support and uses flash memory for future upgrades.

The product currently is in testing and will be widely available in the fourth quarter of this year, the company said in a statement. The company provided no pricing information.