Cisco 880 Series Integrated Services Routers are the next generation of fixed-configuration routers that provide collaborative business solutions for secure data communication to small businesses and enterprise teleworkers. The embedded 3G wireless on these routers offers a cost-effective, rapidly deployable, reliable, and secure backup solution. With data rates exceeding T1 speeds, 3G wireless can be used for primary WAN connectivity in locations where wire-line services such as DSL and ISDN are not available or are too expensive to deploy.

The Cisco 880G Series Integrated Services Routers support the latest 3G standards (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access [HSPA+] and Evolved Data Optimized Revision A [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 880G Series has two variants (refer to Table 1 for part numbers):

- Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and UMTS models are based on the Third-Generation Partnership Project (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.

In addition to 3G wireless WAN, the Cisco 880G Series offers additional WAN options such as Next-Generation xDSL and Fast Ethernet WAN interface, a 4-port 10/100 Fast Ethernet managed switch with VLAN support and the latest 802.11n WLAN* capability with dual radio. The Cisco 880 Series provides the performance required for concurrent services, including firewall, intrusion prevention, content filtering, and encryption for VPNs; and quality-of-service (QoS) features for optimizing voice and video applications. In addition, Cisco Configuration Professional is a web-based configuration tool that simplifies setup and deployment. Centralized management capabilities give network managers visibility and control of the network configurations at the remote site.

Businesses are looking for ways to reduce costs, increase revenue, and improve business continuity. Third-generation wireless connectivity allows a small enterprise branch office or remote office to set up in a matter of hours, without worrying about availability of broadband services and the need for laying down the lines. Wireless carriers offer flexible, usage-based data plans that can be catered to meet the needs and price points of the business customer. As a WAN backup alternative, 3G wireless offers greater WAN diversity and resiliency because it is independent of the local terrestrial infrastructure. It enables businesses to stay productive during service provider downtime or a network failure.

The dual 802.11a/b/g/n 2X3 MIMO inbuilt Access Point (AP) in the Cisco 880(G)W , comes with Cisco’s CleanAir technology, Industry’s first to create a self-healing, self-optimizing wireless network. Moreover, with the advantage of dual radio, the Cisco AP can serve both as an AP and as a client to a wireless mesh network concurrently: Hence providing another source for WAN diversity along with GE interface, cellular. Additionally, the ClientLink feature on the AP improves reliability and coverage for legacy devices and the capability to do dynamic frequency selection (DFS) allows detecting and avoiding interfering with radar signals to comply with regulatory domains.

With enhanced data rates and improved latency (below 100 milliseconds), WWAN services are an ideal way to supplement traditional wire-line services. Third-generation 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. You can use the 3G WWAN as a primary link for sites with lower bandwidth requirements and for mobile applications. You can also use 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.