Telefonica has teamed up with PC maker Dell to provide a ‘pay-as-you-go’ mobile broadband service for laptop and tablet computers equipped with M2M SIMs.

Under the Dell (Round Rock, TX, USA) NetReady service, consumers in Europe will be able to use 3G services on various Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices through an on-demand service.

The companies say the offer is aimed at companies that want to provide their employees with “fast and reliable connectivity, anytime and anywhere, paying only for what they need”.

M2M specialist Telit says one of its new modules has won the approval of Sprint for use on the operator’s US cellular network.

Telit (London, UK) says the new CE910-DUAL cellular M2M module is ideal for embedded applications requiring easy integration, but also suited to platforms based on Windows and Linux operating systems.

The manufacturer reckons it is particularly appropriate for applications such as vending, tracking, smart metering and telematics.

Module maker Sierra Wireless has reported a halving of its net loss for the first quarter of the year as it targets future M2M acquisitions to consolidate its position in the fast-developing industry.

Reporting in non-GAAP terms – which, it claims, gives a better sense of underlying operational performance – the company said that its net loss from continuing operations shrank to $1.4 million from approximately $2.8 million in the year-earlier quarter.

Shipments of so-called MFF2 SIM cards designed to withstand the harsh conditions of various M2M deployments rose by 42%, to 5 million, between 2011 and 2012, according to new figures released by trade association the SIMalliance.

The organization said the increase illustrates the potential of the M2M opportunity and expects to see further growth in the next few months as applications are introduced in new vertical markets.

Module maker Sierra Wireless has launched a new 3G wireless gateway designed to support M2M services across a range of industrial, enterprise and transportation applications.

The AirLink LS300 is billed as a successor to the company’s AirLink Raven gateways, which Sierra Wireless (Richmond, Canada) says have been successfully used in a wide variety of M2M deployments.

These range from monitoring soil conditions in vineyards or vibrations in historic buildings to delivering messages to roadside traffic signs or photos from red light cameras, according to Sierra Wireless.

M2M module maker Sierra Wireless says it has become a sponsor of crowdsourcing platform MedStartr and will henceforth be the preferred provider of wireless communications technology for MedStartr companies.

MedStartr says it will gain direct access to a full range of connectivity solutions from Sierra Wireless (Richmond, Canada), helping MedStartr companies to accelerate product development.

Module maker Telit has continued its international push by signing a deal with Brazil’s CAS Tecnologia that will boost its presence in Latin America’s burgeoning M2M market.

The partnership will see Telit’s technology and services combined with CAS Tecnologia’s telemetry platforms and solutions.

CAS Tecnologia (Sao Paolo, Brazil) says collaboration with Telit (London, UK) will allow it to “modernize”.