Lenovo and Vodafone in 3G laptop pact
18.08.2008
A new range of ThinkPad notebooks with built-in 3G antenna are set to be launched in October, following a deal being struck between Lenovo, Ericsson and Vodafone.
From October, all new Lenovo notebooks will be available with built in mobile broadband as standard.
Currently, notebooks with built-in technology that includes antennas and a SIM card cost anything up to €160 more than notebooks without a mobile broadband built-in module.
Using Ericsson’s built-in modules for mobile broadband, customers will be able to purchase new ThinkPad notebooks in the performance T and ultraportable X Series and on all of Lenovo’s new ThinkPad SL Series notebooks.
Lenovo designed the three ThinkPad SL notebooks specifically for the small-to-medium business user who increasingly relies on 24/7 connectivity.
“Ireland has the second highest adoption rate of mobile broadband in Europe, second only to Austria,” says Eavann Murphy, head of Marketing, Business & Enterprise, Vodafone Ireland.
“The number of mobile broadband subscribers in Ireland continues to expand rapidly and we currently have some 84,000 subscribers on our network. Our business users are increasingly finding it a convenient, reliable and fast way to connect anywhere at anytime.
“Its inclusion by default into Lenovo’s entire range of ThinkPad notebooks reaffirms this,” Murphy explains.
Lenovo has designed multiple antennas and maximised its placement in the new ThinkPad notebooks to achieve excellent wireless performance, with increased download and upload speeds, compared to previous notebooks, says Lenovo Ireland general manager Fiona O’Brien.
“By partnering with industry leaders, Vodafone Ireland and Ericsson, we’ve found a way to package the best wireless performance into a business model that gives business users an affordable connectivity solution.”
Embedded modems used for mobile broadband connectivity are projected to grow at an increasing rate in the next few years as the number of mobile workers increases.
“As users continue to demand high-performance connectivity solutions, Ericsson mobile broadband modules are an essential building block in providing a simple, secure and superior experience, says Mats Norin, vice-president, Ericsson Mobile Broadband Modules.
“Beyond providing excellent engineering, we are committed to working with industry leaders to shape a complete, end-to-end solution to drive increased mobile broadband adoption,” Norin adds.
By John Kennedy
Caption: Fiona O'Brien, managing director, Lenovo Ireland, with Eavann Murphy, head of Marketing, Business & Enterprise, Vodafone Ireland