Verizon, Vodafone intro wireless broadband service for international travelers

- Edited by Gary Thayer

Sept. 15, 2005 -- (MobileVillage) -- Verizon Wireless and Vodafone today announced GlobalAccess, a new service targeted at business travelers that provides a secure Internet connection in more than 60 cities in the United States, as well as in Canada and 50 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

Running on Verizon Wireless' Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network, BroadbandAccess allows customers to use their laptops to tap into applications and tasks with typical user download speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second (kbps), according to the carrier.

While operating outside of the United States, GlobalAccess runs on Vodafone's 3G network with data rates of up to 384 kbps using the Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS where available, acting as an extension of Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service. Through Vodafone's networks and its roaming agreements, GlobalAccess can be used in up to 50 countries.

As with Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service for business customers, GlobalAccess is a wide-area wireless data service. That is, customers are not limited to the 300-foot range of Wi-Fi; instead, they can work when and where they need to and experience the freedom of mobility.

The service requires customers to use two cards -- one for accessing Verizon Wireless' EV-DO BroadbandAccess service and the other for Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS. The cards include software that detects which data card has been inserted in the laptop and launches the dashboard client for connection to the appropriate service.

Verizon Wireless GlobalAccess customers can get unlimited use in the United States and Canada, and up to 100 MB of usage in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and in other Western European (Tier 1; see list below) countries for US $130 monthly access with a one- or two-year customer agreement. Other countries (Tier 2), such as Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan and Thailand are billed at $0.03 per KB.

For the less frequent international business traveler, Verizon Wireless also offers a pay-per-use plan for customers on existing unlimited BroadbandAccess or NationalAccess plans. For international wireless data, prices vary: for example, $0.002 per KB in Canada, $0.02 per KB in Tier 1 countries and $0.03 per KB in Tier 2 countries.

The Verizon Wireless V620 and U630 cards cost US $280 with a two-year customer agreement or $380 with a one-year customer agreement. Existing BroadbandAccess customers can also purchase the Verizon Wireless U630 Global PC Card separately and use their existing BroadbandAccess PC Card they already own for GlobalAccess. The Verizon Wireless U630 Global PC Card is available for $180 with a two-year customer agreement or $230 with a one-year customer agreement.

Tier 1 Countries

Belgium Greece Italy Spain
France Hungary Netherlands Sweden
Germany Ireland Portugal Switzerland United Kingdom

Tier 2 Countries

Australia Egypt Malaysia Slovakia
Austria Estonia Malta Slovenia
Bahrain Finland New Zealand South Africa
Bosnia/Herzegovina Hong Kong Norway Taiwan
Brazil Indonesia Philippines Thailand
Bulgaria Israel Poland Turkey
China Kuwait Romania Ukraine
Croatia Latvia Russia Venezuela
Czech Republic Lithuania Serbia/Montenegro
Denmark Luxembourg Singapore

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