SBC adds wireless options to VPN services

SBC this week rolled out a package of integrated wireless remote access options for its VPN services.

The new package, dubbed “VPN RoadWarrior,” helps mobile workers access business network applications and information. The package combines SBC's PremierSERV VPN secure remote access services with its FreedomLink Wi-Fi and Cingular Wireless EDGE nationwide wireless data services. 

The combination enables laptop users to switch between office network and wireless connections to stay connected at the maximum available access speed. 

The VPN RoadWarrior package allows users to establish VPN connections via the FreedomLink network. FreedomLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity is available at more than 7,000 locations, including select McDonald’s restaurants, Barnes & Noble bookstores, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc., coffee shops, airports, hotels, convention centers, and restaurants.

When an employee is not within range of a FreedomLink hot spot, users can switch to the Cingular EDGE service, which offers speeds up to 135K bit/sec over most of Cingular’s nationwide footprint. EDGE is available in 13,000 cities and towns and along nearly 40,000 miles of interstate highways, SBC says.

Users can configure these options from a laptop computer with FreedomLink Connection Software. The software client detects available wireless data connections at a given time and location, and allows users to switch among office connections, FreedomLink and Cingular EDGE service to maximize speed, SBC says.
 
The software client includes an SBC VPN access button and a hot spot location finder that enables users to identify options for Wi-Fi connectivity.

The VPN RoadWarrior package is available nationwide for customers purchasing an IP-VPN or Network VPN service that includes remote access.  For an additional fee, users have the option to add the service for the BlackBerry 7290 integrated voice and data handheld device.

VPN RoadWarrior costs $111.24 per month per user. This price includes unlimited SBC FreedomLink access, including roaming partners, and unlimited Cingular EDGE access. It does not include costs associated with VPN services.

The BlackBerry 7290 device costs $250 with a one-time setup fee of $36 per line. From there, monthly recurring charges range from $85 to $295, depending on the rate plan selected.

SBC also plans to make the VPN RoadWarrior package available when it upgrades the Cingular network to 384K bit/sec Universal Mobile Telecommunications System and 14.4M bit/sec High-Speed Data Packet Access technologies.