PortaBella Offers Users All the Mobile Bandwidth

Mushroom Networks' PortaBella lets users combine up to four cellular data cards for serious high-speed mobile bandwidth...but it sure won't be cheap.

There are times when bandwidth is all that matters and cost is, at best, a secondary factor. Say you’re a filmmaker or journalist trying to upload your latest footage from out in the boonies—or from a boat. Maybe you work in security and need to set up net-connected equipment and surveillance right now without waiting days (or weeks) for an ISP to get back to you. Maybe your main office has been flooded and you’re set up in temporary digs until the walls dry out and carpet gets replaced…but the new place has no bandwidth.

For situations like that—and others besides, like CCTV, mobile broadcasting, and specialized transportation—Mushroom Networks has introduced its new PortaBella BBNA. BBNA stands for Broadband Bonding Network Adapter, and it enables users to pop in as many as four cellular data cards—say, one each from Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T—and combine their available bandwidth into one large-piped Internet connection. And it’s all in a small metal box that weight just 1.15 pounds and can be run off an optional battery pack in case you’re away from wired power.

“PortaBella provides the fastest available wireless Internet connection where ever there is cellular coverage,” said Mushroom Networks CEO Dr. Cahit Akin, in a statement. “Our technology is truly a game changer not only for the enterprise and sales teams but for anyone requiring a portable instant connection to the net.”

The PortaBella BBNA supports aggregate throughputs of as high as 35 Mbps (not that you’re going to get that off multiple data cards—but it’s nice to know the box isn’t the limiting factor). On its own in a standalone mode, the PortaBella can provide bonded HTTP downlink traffic and offer intelligent session-based load balancing; however, when partnered with a Mushroom Networks’ Truffle unit (either at your home office or hosted as a subscription service by Mushroom) the unit can really shine, providing low-latency communications suitable for streaming video and other high-bandwidth applications.

How much does all this cost? Mushroom Networks isn’t saying: you have to ask privately and they’ll give you a number. But the cost of all those data plans alone is enough to tell most folks this technology isn’t for the faint-of-pocketbook.