Verizon and Cisco Announce 4G LTE Cius Business Tablet

Verizon Wireless and Cisco have just announced, during the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show, that the carrier will be the first service provider to offer its customers a 4G wireless version of the Cisco Cius business tablet. Both companies are expecting to make the 4G LTE business tablet available in Spring 2011.

In addition, Verizon and Cisco team up to offer the industry's first 4G wireless wide area network (WAN) interface on the Cisco second-generation Integrated Services Router (ISR G2).

According to Cisco, the new interface will enable Verizon Wireless' 3G and 4G enterprise and small and medium-sized business customers to create new business models.

“Enterprises have come to know they can rely on Cisco and Verizon Wireless to put the business communication and collaboration tools they need in their hands,” said Janet Schijns, vice president, Business Solutions Group at Verizon Wireless.

“Together we're taking the next step with the combination of the Cisco Cius mobile collaboration tablet and Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network. Collaboration delivered over 4G LTE will be a whole new level of access for enterprise users,” added Schijns.

The new Cisco 4G LTE Enhanced High-Speed WAN Interface Card (EHWIC) will be included with the Cisco ISR G2 and is part of Cisco's next-generation mobile Internet architecture that the company is planning to deploy through Verizon Wireless carrier.

The new architecture spans from the cell towers to the network core, to support a wide range of smartphones, tablets and applications.

“The 4G LTE Interface card on the Cisco ISR G2 platform is a game changer for our customers, including Verizon Wireless, who are now able to deploy a rich set of productivity-enhancing solutions across its 4G LTE network,” said Praveen Akkiraju, senior vice president and general manager, Service Routing Technology Group, Cisco.

“Our collaboration with Verizon Wireless enables enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses to create innovative services such as next-generation video-enabled ATMs and 'Shop-in-a-Box' retail solutions,” concluded Akkiraju.

Both Cisco 4G LTE ISR G2 and Cisco Cius solutions will be showcased by Verizon Wireless at CES 2011.