I would imagine that it is intended to be part of a system that is enabled to communicate on the cellular network (CDMA, I believe); but, in essence, it is just another form of modem.
Uses could include vehicle tracking, security system communications, transmission to-from a remote data acquisition system....its utility is fairly wide ranging.
The board is from 2013, and it appears to have had the option of being powered through a USB mini connector, and may even accept data or programming through the same interface.