Dell has chosen US equipment manufacturer Novatel Wireless to supply wireless EV-DO and HSDPA mobile broadband embedded modules for its next-generation notebook computers.

The PC vendor said this week that it will include Novatel's 3G modems in its forthcoming Latitude notebooks.

The move will allow Dell's mobile customers to wirelessly send and receive emails, surf the internet, download attachments and access corporate networks through a virtual private network.

Notebooks featuring an embedded HSDPA chipset will be offered as a made-to-order option for customers in Europe and the US, while EV-DO enabled devices will be targeted at the US and Asia.

The embedded modules are also backwards-compatible with 2.5G and 2G standards where 3G networks are not available, including GSM, GPRS, CDMA and 1x RTT.

Dell revealed earlier this week that the European devices will be interoperable with current 3G services offered by Vodafone. The new notebooks are expected in the first half of this year.