Ericsson Touts Femto Cell As Big Boost To Cell Coverage

Ericsson rolled out its Femto Cell Solution late last week, describing it as the world's smallest GSM radio base station for home coverage. The company says the solution, which includes a home AP that works with both GSM and WCDMA phones, will give wireless operators the technology they need to offer a so-called "home area" tariff to all people living in a single residence and to compete head-to-head against traditional fixed access providers.

Femtocells have gained a lot of notoriety in the last couple of months as a cost-effective way of extending cellular coverage to individuals, small businesses, and maybe even enterprises (though the number of calls per cell may be too small for enterprise scale). Expect these solutions to gain more momentum over the next few months. Sean Ginevan NWC Contributing Editor

Describing the Femto Cell technology as "a major technological breakthrough," an Ericsson spokesperson says the solution will make it possible for mobile operators to deliver innovative and secure wireless services that can compete against wireline services on the basis of both price and quality.