Third-Generation Wireless WAN Enhanced High-Speed WAN Interface Cards (EHWIC)
The Cisco® Third-Generation (3G) Wireless WAN (WWAN) Enhanced High-Speed WAN Interface Cards (EHWICs) for Cisco Integrated Services Routers Gen 2 (ISR G2) provide the next generation of wireless WAN backup solutions.
The Cisco 3G WWAN EHWICs are the first enterprise-class 3G WWAN solution. Suitable for both backup and primary applications, these cards support the latest 3G standards (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access [HSPA+] and Evolve-Data Optimized [EV-DO] Rev A) and are backward-compatible with High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and EV-DO Rev 0/1xRTT. The Cisco 3G WWAN EHWICs Series has two variants:
• Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and UMTS models are based on 3GPP, and they support 3.7G HSPA+, 3.5G HSPA (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+/HSPA)), UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS.
• Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) models are based on 3GPP2, and they support EV-DO Rev A/Rev 0 and 1xRTT.
The Cisco 3G WWAN EHWICs are tightly integrated with the services provided on the award-winning Cisco integrated services routers Gen 2 (ISR G2), which deliver secure data, voice, video, and mobility services. The Cisco 3G WWAN EHWICs are supported on the modular Cisco 1900, 2900 and 3900 Series Integrated Services Routers G2.
Enterprises are looking for ways to reduce costs, increase revenue, and improve business continuity. The Cisco 3G WWAN EHWICs, when coupled with a service provider wireless data plan, provide a cost-effective, rapidly deployable, reliable, and secure backup solution for remote sites and branch offices. With data rates approaching T1 speeds, 3G networks provide an alternative to wire line backup solutions such as dial-up, ISDN, cable, and DSL. If a network fails, the Cisco integrated services router routes mission-critical data to the Cisco 3G WWAN EHWIC for transmission across the wireless infrastructure. In addition, the router can distinguish different types of traffic and allow only mission-critical traffic to flow over the backup interface. The 3G wireless WAN EHWICs are available in multiple part numbers. The CDMA part number is EHWIC-3G-EVDO-x1 (where x reflects the wireless carrier), EHWIC-3G-HSPA-U, EHWIC-3G-HSPA+7-A, and EHWIC-3G-HSPA+7.
With enhanced data rates and improved latency (road trip time below 100 milliseconds), WWAN services are an ideal way to supplement traditional wire line services. 3G WWAN data services offered today have average data rates well in excess of ISDN speeds, with theoretical limits in excess of 21.1 Mbps on the downlink and 5.76 Mbps on the uplink. The 3G WWAN as a primary link for sites with lower bandwidth requirements and for mobile applications. The 3G WWAN data services as a cost-effective alternative in areas where broadband services are either not available or very expensive. Cisco is building on these performance milestones and adding support for wireless to our wide variety of WAN interface alternatives.