Mobile broadband in Windows 8 simplified by Ericsson

A protocol proposed by Ericsson makes it easier for manufacturers to bring mobile broadband to people buying notebooks and tablets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and around the world. The collaborative development of the protocol is an industry effort within USB Implementers Forum.

Device manufacturers who implement the protocol will no longer need to install drivers for embedded mobile broadband connectivity or a connection manager – support for the protocol will be included in Windows 8. The new generation of mobile broadband modules from Ericsson supports this protocol, which is being demonstrated this week at the Microsoft BUILD conference in the United States.

With the volume of data carried by the UAE’s telecommunications providers set to rise exponentially by 2015, the protocol is certain to have an impact on the ability of users to easily access online content on-the-go. According to global market intelligence firm IDC, UAE operators carried 5,321.14 Terabytes (TB) of data for mobile devices in 2010. The volume of data traffic is projected to rise to 9690.66TB in 2011 and 138,799.70TB by 2015. The firm defines ‘carried data volume’ as the total data transfer from smartphones, media tablets and mobile broadband dongles.

“At Ericsson we believe that more than 50 billion devices around the world will be connected to the web over the coming decade, which only serves to emphasize the need for more efficient connectivity,” said Anders Lindblad, president, Ericsson Region Middle East and North Africa. “In the UAE, as in other parts of the world, we see demand for mobile broadband being driven by a culture of connectivity, what we call a ‘Networked Society’, where consumers are increasingly seeking to remain connected 24x7.”

Mats Norin, head of Ericsson Mobile Broadband Modules, says: “This open communication protocol helps to save both time and cost for notebook and tablet makers. This is true also for the end user, enabling constant connectivity and simpler updates rather than separate downloads from manufacturer web sites.”

Ericsson also worked with silicon partners like AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and Texas Instruments. The result is that Ericsson’s mobile broadband modules supporting the protocol help make the adoption of mobile broadband for the Windows 8-based PC ecosystem smooth.

Norin continues: “As consumers are buying notebooks, netbooks, tablets and other consumer electronics, their expectations on connectivity go up. Ericsson believes in embedded connectivity to help consumers get what they want faster and in the simplest possible way.”

The protocol will be demonstrated in reference devices at the Microsoft BUILD conference taking place in Anaheim, California September 13-16.

The new feature will be available on all Ericsson modules starting with the F5321gw, H5321gw and C5621gw and beyond after the final release of Windows 8.