US operator Sprint Nextel announced commercial availability of its high speed cdma2000 1x EV-DO Revision A data cards Tuesday.

Compatible with laptops as well as the soon-to-be-available Linksys Wireless G-Router, the Merlin S720 card manufactured by Novatel Wireless, allows wireless broadband connectivity at average download and upload speeds of 450-850kbps and 300-400kbps respectively.

Sprint plans to begin its roll out of EV-DO Rev. A during the fourth quarter of 2006 with coverage expected to reach more than 40 million people by year end.

The Merlin S720 will initially be sold through Sprint indirect and business sales channels and online at a suggested retail price of $249.99 or $99.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement. Service plans for the card currently range from $39.99 per month for 40MB to $79.99 per month for unlimited data usage.