Novatel Wireless, Inc. has begun initial pre-commercial shipments of its Merlin XU870 ExpressCard that is designed for both North American and European HSDPA networks.

The Merlin XU870 ExpressCard is a tri-band HSDPA/UMTS and quad-band EDGE/GPRS product that allows for worldwide roaming between HSDPA networks in North America and Europe. The Merlin XU870 ExpressCard will initially be configured for 3.6 Mbps data speeds and when mobile operators start providing 7.2 Mbps service, a software utility will be used to upgrade the card and boost its speed to 7.2 Mbps.

The Merlin XU870 ExpressCard will allow new notebook platforms, with the ExpressCard slot, to take advantage of its performance and scalability for wireless broadband connectivity.

Commercial shipments of the Merlin XU870 ExpressCard are currently expected to begin in the third quarter of 2006.