Femtocells Explained
They may not have the catchiest name, but femtocells have been getting more and more press in recent months. Femtocells are a new type of device that can extend the range and functionality of the 3G mobile phone and data network. They provide many benefits to consumers and the mobile industry alike. They’re cheaper to deploy than outdoor masts, and by utilizing fixed-line broadband for internet backhaul, they can increase capacity on the mobile networks.
What is a Femtocell ?
A femtocell is essentially a miniature, low-power cellular base-station that you can use indoors. If your house has areas of low or intermittent 3G network coverage, femtocells enable you to have your own personal mobile transmitter at home. Femtocells also offer many exciting applications for the future, bridging the gap between your 3G phone and home networked devices. Femtocells are also available for 2G mobiles for backward compatibility and legacy use.
An Explanation of femtocells From Think Femtocell
Why Would I Need A Femtocell ?
Until now femtocells have been used primarily in the business sector so employees can get reliable indoor 3G coverage. Now, mobile users who have a weak mobile signal at home can get a boost from this new technology. In cases where there’s no mobile signal at all, a femtocell provides you with a 3G connection by ‘piggybacking’ on your fixed-line broadband.
How Do Femtocells Work?
In order to function, femtocells need to connect to an existing broadband connection. This is usually your existing ADSL or cable broadband line. Voice and data traffic are routed over the DSL connection whenever you access the 3G network. A typical femtocell station can handle up to 4 mobile devices simultaneously, suitable for the average home. Phones and HSDPA dongles must be registered to use the base station, otherwise anybody would be able to connect to your femtocell. Femtocells operate in the licensed radio spectrum so they are controlled by the network operator.
Where Can I Buy A Femtocell ?
Femtocells have been around for a few years now but currently only Vodafone are selling a product in the UK. Its called the Vodafone Access Gateway and is designed to give you a reliable 3G phone signal all round the house, and works with all 3G phones and dongles on the Vodafone network. It’s still early days for this relatively new technology.
Femtocell Applications In The Future
There are many other femtocell-based applications in development that are designed to improve the functionality and enhance the attractiveness of such devices when they come to market. This includes features like alerting local users when another phone connects to the network. Femtocell technology offers many interesting applications that bridge the gap between your 3G and fixed-line broadband. UK company IP Access are exploring new concepts such as the ‘femtozone’ which would enable you to:
- receive an SMS when your kids arrive home
- automatic ‘I’m At Home’ profile/Web 2.0 update etc
Because femtocells can route IP data directly the from your 3G phone to the home LAN, this removes the need to configure time-consuming Bluetooth, WiFi or infra-red connections between the phone and computer. Now you can simply share data, stream video, music or photos on any computer in the home just by usgin your 3G phone via a femtocell.
Health Concerns
Considering the amount of coverage that has been given to mobile phones and RF fields over the years, some will wonder about the health impact of femtocells. However, because any mobile phones using the device will not be latching on to weak signals from far-off cellular base stations, they will be using less power and transmitting lower level RF fields. As such a femtocell unit in your home could in fact reduce the levels of RF which you are exposed to during mobile use.
Will Femtocells Take Off In The UK?
There is no clear evidence to suggest that femtocells will become widespread in the near future. However, 2009 saw the Femtocell World Summit take place in London and new developments and applications are constantly being announced.
The major obvious disadvantage to femtocells is the fact that they are useless unless you already have an existing broadband connection. If you live in a 3G notspot you will have to find other ways to boost your 3G signal if you haven’t already got broadband.
Another potential hurdle for the new technology is that femtocells work exclusively with a single mobile operator, meaning everyone in the household will need to use phones on the same mobile network to gain the benefits of the femtocell base station.
Only time will tell, but if the mobile operators can work out a business model that is attractive enough to consumers and their bottom line, you may start to hear the word femtocell alot more often.
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