US : Novatel Wireless announced the receipt of over $7 million in new orders from existing customers for Merlin U530(TM) Wireless PC Card Modems. These orders are all scheduled for delivery in 2004. Additionally, Novatel Wireless today announced the development for trial of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) wireless PC Card modem for the 1900 MHz band in North America.

To date, seven operators -- Hutchinson's 3, E-Plus, O2, Telecom Italia Mobile, Telefonica Moviles Espana, and T-Mobile -- have announced selection of the Merlin U530(TM) to support the commercial roll-out of high speed data services on 3G UMTS networks in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Shipments of the Merlin U530 began in late December and to date, Novatel Wireless has received orders totaling over $57 million.

The market leading Merlin U530, jointly developed with Lucent Technologies, is a high speed wide area PC Card for laptops designed to enable mobile users to access email, the Internet and corporate databases over Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) networks in Asia, Australia and Europe.

By inserting the Merlin U530 into a laptop computer and installing the accompanying modem manager software, subscribers on 3G UMTS networks in Asia, Australia and Europe will be able to stream audio and video content, send and receive email, browse the Internet, and download large attachments such as photos, presentations, and spreadsheets at speeds of up to 384 kilobits per second. Compatible with virtual private networks (VPN), the Merlin U530 enables secure wireless access to important corporate applications and files stored behind firewalls. The combined solution allows business professionals to access crucial information, stay in touch with clients and remain productive while away from the office, ultimately providing them with a critical competitive advantage.

"We believe these new orders offer evidence of increasing demand and an expanding market for our UMTS products," said Peter Leparulo, chief executive officer of Novatel Wireless. "In addition, we are excited about our new UMTS development effort which will further expand our broadband offerings to address the needs of mobile operators in North America."