Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007 - (Page 20)

SEAMLESS OPERATION BETWEEN THE FEMTOCELL AND MACRO RADIO NETWORK IS ASSUMED AND EXPECTED, MEANING YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO WALK IN AND OUT OF YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT DROPPING THE CALL. towers to operate. “ABI Research recently predicted that by 2011, there will be 102 million users of femtocell products on 32 million access points worldwide,” Baines adds. “Cellular networks use microtechnology, but femtocell technology is even smaller,” according to Tatara Systems Vice President of Marketing Stephen Collins. The “femto” in femtocell denotes something very small—like nano or pico. How Do Femtocells Work? Collins says a femtocell device, e.g., a small electronic device like a WiFi product, is placed in a home or business and operates on a licensed spectrum. A mobile handset connects to the Internet via this device, rather than through a tower. According to Baines: “For consumers, femtocells give all the beneﬁts of FMC and dual-mode handsets but none of the disadvantages: you can use any handset you like (not a clunky dual mode device) and you do not suffer the lousy battery life of voiceover WiFi. For a carrier, you improve service, reduce cost and have a way to compete with WiFi. It also lets you deliver triple play (high-speed Internet access, television and telephone).” Will Franks, founder and chief technical ofﬁcer of Ubiquisys, a femtocell vendor, notes that the femtocell device provides mobile phone coverage throughout the house. Instead of an outside network, mobile phone users ride their own broadband connections, which increases coverage and eliminates dead spots. As 70 percent of calls are made from buildings, femtocells can reduce costs and improve service. The service also offers high throughputs of data at a lower cost, beneﬁting those who use mobile phones for more than just talking. Franks says WiFi also provides such services, but requires a special phone that’s connected to a network. With the femtocell system, a land line is required only to obtain a broadband connection. And the landline number can ring the mobile number when it’s in the home. Most mobile phones won’t have to be modiﬁed to be able to use the femtocell system. Franks says mobile carriers are very excited about femtocells. “They make your home into a hotzone with one service, and the cost of data is zero,” he says. “It also makes the phone part of the home network.” Stephen Shaw, associate vice president, Kineto, thinks of a femtocell like a WiFi access point, but instead of using a “WiFi” radio, it actually uses a cellular radio, like GSM, CDMA or (more likely) 3G (UMTS, W-CDMA, or EV-DO Rev x). One key element of the femtocell is the use of the Internet to backhaul trafﬁc from the subscriber’s home to the mobile core network. How it works: When a consumer with a femtocell in his home walks in the front door, his current cell phone (no changes or upgrades needed) sees a new radio signal coming from the femtocell. Because the signal is stronger, the phone switches from the macro cellular network to the femtocell access point in the home. The call is then sent over the broadband connection in the home, rather than the cellular network. “Seamless operation between the femtocell and macro radio network is assumed and expected, meaning you should be able to walk in and out of your house without dropping the call,” Shaw says. As Early as Mid-2008 Franks says trials are starting now. The service will be available in Europe and possibly Japan in mid2008, and in the U.S., about a year later. Collins predicts the devices will be on the market in mid-2008 as well, but in very limited numbers. And he notes, “There are lots of vendors popping up, including Ubiquisys in Europe, IP Access, 3Way Networks, AirWalk, and even Netgear.” 20 COMMUNICATIONS CROSSROADS www.ustelecom.org http://www.ustelecom.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007

Communications Crossroads Winter 2007 Up Front Contents Cover Story: Billing Redux Business Advantages: Reaching Consumers with Special Needs Technology Today: Femtocells: The Jury’s Still Out Industry Calendar Index to Advertisers TELECOMPAC

Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007

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