Today, major cellular vendors are boosting up their networks for the “next big things“. Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS/Nextel, Cingular, and T-Mobile all put in millions of dollars to provide cellular towers across the country, so we can get a cell signal in just about any decently populated areas. Competition is definitely heating up, as each carrier tries to look for more perks to lure more customers to switch to their service.
One of their most significant breakthroughs is to allow you to go online from your laptop computer with the use of “air cards”, which is most commonly known as “EVDO card”. These cards are plug into the PCMCIA slot on your laptop (almost all laptops have a PCMCIA slot), and as long as you have a decent signal from that carrier’s cell tower, you can go online with your laptop.
However, Verizon and Cingular seems to be one step ahead of their competitors, with their new high-speed hotspots that’s constantly visible across the country. Sprint is also putting in significant amounts to produce more Sprint-specific hotspot areas for their service. And not to be outdone by the others, T-Mobile is also offering the same service.