Cisco Systems in the summer of 2007 will begin shipping new third-generation wireless cards that add an additional connectivity option to its Integrated Services Router. The new cards, which can be purchased in either CDMA or GSM versions, are designed to work either as a backup to an existing land-line WAN or as the primary network connection in areas where land-line connections might not be available.

According to the company, the Integrated Services Router is designed to fail over to the 3G card in the event that the primary connection becomes unavailable. However, a company spokesperson said it’s also designed to be used by remote businesses and emergency workers or in areas where traditional high-speed wired connections aren’t available.