Hello there..my friends and myself ask the function of sim card slot at the back of my Dell Inspirion 1420. So that i make some research and found something good news to a user of new Dell Inspirion 1420 which have WWAN card with sim card slot already being attached. And also i called Dell Malaysia service center this morning to make sure about this and they said YES..

THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT NEW DELL INSPIRON 1420 is

– WWAN can use either by expresscard or sim card which provided by Wireless  Broadband by Telecommunication Company (Maxis, Digi or Celcom for Malaysia).

Mobile Broadband (or Wireless Wide Area Network)

A Mobile Broadband network, also known as a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), is a high-speed digital cellular network that provides Internet access over a much wider geographical area than a WLAN, which typically covers only from 100 to 1000 feet. Your computer can maintain Mobile Broadband network access as long as the computer is within a cellular-data coverage zone. Contact your service provider for coverage of a high-speed digital cellular network.

NOTE: Even if you are able to make a call from your cellular phone in a specific geographical location, that location may not necessarily be within a cellular-data coverage zone.

What You Need to Establish a Mobile Broadband Network Connection

NOTE: Depending on your computer, you can use either a Mobile Broadband ExpressCard or Mini Card, but not both, to establish a Mobile Broadband network connection.

To set up a Mobile Broadband network connection, you need:

• A Mobile Broadband ExpressCard or Mini Card (depending on your computer’s configuration)

NOTE: For instructions on using ExpressCards, see ExpressCards.

• An activated Mobile Broadband ExpressCard or activated Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) for your service provider
• The Dell Mobile Broadband Card Utility (already installed on your computer if you purchased the card when you purchased your computer, or on the media that accompanied your card if purchased separately from your computer)

If the utility is corrupted or deleted from your computer, see the Dell Mobile Broadband Card Utility user’s guide in Windows Help and Support (click Start , and then click Help and Support) or on the media that accompanied your card if you purchased it separately from your computer.

Checking Your Dell Mobile Broadband Card

Depending on what you selected when you purchased your computer, the computer has a variety of configurations. To determine your computer configuration, see one of the following:

• Your order confirmation
• Microsoft Windows Help and Support

To check your Mobile Broadband card in Windows Help and Support:

1. Click Start ® Help and Support® Use Tools to view your computer information and diagnose problems.
2. Under Tools, click My Computer Information® Find information about the hardware installed on this computer.

On the My Computer Information – Hardware screen, you can view the type of Mobile Broadband card installed in your computer as well as other hardware components.

NOTE: The Mobile Broadband card is listed under Modems.

Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network

NOTE: These instructions only apply to Mobile Broadband ExpressCards or Mini-Cards. They do not apply to internal cards with wireless technology.

NOTE: Before you connect to the Internet, you must activate Mobile Broadband service through your cellular service provider. For instructions and for additional information about using the Dell Mobile Broadband Card Utility, see the user’s guide available through Windows Help and Support (click Start , and then click Help and Support). The user’s guide is also available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com and on the media included with your Mobile Broadband card if you purchased the card separately from your computer.

Use the Dell Mobile Broadband Card Utility to establish and manage a Mobile Broadband network connection to the Internet:

1. Click the Dell Mobile Broadband Card Utility icon in the Windows notification area to run the utility.
2. Click Connect.

NOTE: The Connect button changes to the Disconnect button.

1. Follow the instructions on the screen to manage the network connection with the utility.

or

1. Click Start ® All Programs ® Dell Wireless.
2. Click Dell Wireless Broadband and follow the instructions on the screen.

Enabling/Disabling the Dell Mobile Broadband Card

NOTE: If you are unable to connect to a Mobile Broadband network, ensure that you have all the components for establishing a Mobile Broadband connection (see What You Need to Establish a Mobile Broadband Network Connection), and then verify that your Mobile Broadband card is enabled by verifying the setting of the wireless switch.

You can turn your Mobile Broadband card on and off using the wireless switch on your computer.

You can turn your computer’s wireless devices on and off with the wireless switch on the front side of the computer (see Front View).

If the switch is in the on position, move the switch to the off position to disable the switch and the Mobile Broadband card. If the switch is in the off position, move the switch to the on position to enable the switch and the Dell Mobile Broadband card. For information about the wireless switch positions, see wireless switch.

To monitor the status of your wireless device, see Monitoring the Status of the Wireless Network Card Through Dell QuickSet.

WWAN — wireless wide area network. A wireless high-speed data network using cellular technology and covering a much larger geographic area than WLAN.

Credit: Article Directly from Dell support center and Dell glosary