The major u.s. cellular carriers are moving aggressively to deploy wireless high-speed data services, providing an alternative to Wi-Fi hot-spot services and close-to-broadband speeds for businesspeople who need fast access to business applications. Sprint last week became the latest carrier to launch a high-speed data service based on Evolution-Data Optimized, or EV-DO, technology, which offers data-download rates that average 400 Kbps to 700 Kbps and peak rates as fast as 2.0 Mbps. EV-DO puts voice and data on separate channels, allowing for faster Internet connections. By adding EV-DO modules and software to existing base stations, carriers can increase the performance of their networks from their current 50 Kbps to 70 Kbps. That gives laptops with EV-DO-enab1ed cards faster access to E-mail and business applications such as customer-relationship-management systems.
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