A Primer on Femtocell Technology

Femtocells are small cellular base stations for the home and office. With the recent news that a major U.S. wireless carrier will being rolling out a 3G femto service later this year and major femtocell deployments already underway in Europe, this is the next technology that everyone will be talking about tomorrow.

Get ahead of the curve by reading our brief primer on femtocell technology, and then explore the features and benefits of UX-Zone™, an Intrinsyc product for changing the appearance of an Android phone screen.

What is a femto?

Smaller than micro, nano, or pico, the word “femto” is a prefix for a number less than 10-15.

What is a femtocell?

A Femtocell—originally known as an Access Point Base Station—is a very small mobile phone base station designed for use in residential, small office, or retail premises. It connects to a wireless service provider’s network via broadband (i.e., DSL or cable), thus converging wireless broadband and cellular technologies. Current designs for residential environments typically support two to four active mobile phones.

Why install a femtocell?

Femtocells allow wireless service providers to extend service coverage indoors, especially where access would otherwise be limited or unavailable. This is a much more sophisticated and less costly approach than pure signal boosters. The broadband connection also means high-quality voice and data at much lower costs than connecting on the cellular network.

Once a femtocell is installed in a home or business, users will immediately notice great coverage, crystal clear voice, and outstanding data speeds. A side benefit is that mobile battery life will increase dramatically in the presence of a femtocell because the modem doesn’t need to waste energy looking for stronger signals.

What are the benefits for wireless carriers and operators?

Mobile phone service providers want to roll out femtocells because the technology gives their customers far superior voice and data service at home or work without costly base station upgrades. With access to high-speed data services, customers are more likely to consume value-added services and applications, generating additional revenues for carriers. Femtocells also allow carriers to offer a far more flexible service and take customers away from legacy landline telephone service providers.

Femtocells come in many flavors

There are lots of “flavors” of femtocell technology. Most femtocells support 3G standards, but you can also find products that support 2G, DCDMA, WiMax, and LTE standards—or a mixture.

WiMax femtocells are being supplied in the U.S. by Comcast, while Sprint and Verizon are shipping Samsung femtocells for CDMA/WCDMA. Netgear recently launched a new wireless router and femtocell at World Mobile Congress 2009. It can connect to standard home telephone lines, allowing landline calls to be answered on a cell phone.

The Market is Moving

Femtocells are currently shipping in Japan, and will be launched in Europe in 2009 by three different Tier-1 wireless carriers. In North America, one major U.S. carrier is already conducting consumer trials.

Google has publically stated that it views femtocells as a key future technology for Android phones, and it is a known investor in Ubiquisys, the largest supplier of femtocells to OEMs and a partner of Intrinsyc.

Market analysts forecast global sales of 9M femtocell units in 2010 and exponential growth thereafter.

Summary

  • Femtocells allow operators to increase their reach into the customer’s home and displace standard voice traffic on the home phone.
  • Most wireless operators view femtocells as a very strategic product line and all have plans to roll them out in the near future.
  • Value-added applications on phones and femtocells can provide users with valuable features which will drive the need for femtocell-aware products and services.

Now explore UX-Zone, where two of the industry’s hottest trends – Android phones and femtocells – come together in one place.