AT&T Trials New Femtocell Business Model: Offer it for Free
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, July 12, 2010 · 
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Over the weekend, reports surfaced in tech blogs Engadget and Gizmodo that a select handful of the AT&T’s “most valuable customers” received letters in the mail announcing that they qualified for a free 3G Microcell. Engadget updated the post this morning, saying that AT&T is experimenting with new femtocell offerings. Might this breathe new life into femtocell technology?
AT&T Announces Nationwide Plans for 3G Microcell
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Thursday, March 25, 2010 · ·
Yesterday AT&T announced that it will begin the nationwide roll out of its 3G MicroCell device in April. The device is a femotcell (read NTCA’s ePaper on femtocells) and according to the press release “… is an innovative solution that allows residential customers to route wireless phone calls and data connections (or sessions) across a home broadband connection. This solution is designed to benefit customers who live in homes that have coverage impediments that consistently interrupt wireless spectrum, such as dense wall and roof construction or unfavorable terrain. ”
So basically if your customer is an A&T wireless subscriber, with this device, AT&T will be migrating traffic from its towers to your customer’s broadband connection. Oh, and if AT&T service was spotty in your customer’s homes, well, this solves that also.
MagicJack Showcases Femtocell Device
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, January 11, 2010 · ·
YMax Corp., the parent company of magicJack, announced last week that it plans to offer a femtocell device that will enable any GSM user to place unlimited nationwide VoIP calls for a low annual fee.
A femtocell is essentially a small, cellular base station which connects to the wireless device within the home and backhauls the traffic over the customer’s wired broadband connection.
The company is remaining mum on most of the details. However, YMax CEO Dan Borislow touted that the pending device can be used with any GSM phone, on any band, including locked phones, the Apple iPhone and phones that do not currently have a cellular plan. The company also says the registration process will be plug-and play, and users can automatically connect to other femtocell-enabled magicJack’s at friends’ houses and businesses. Read more
Ubiquisys Launches Outdoor Femtocell for Rural Areas
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, November 30, 2009 · ·
Ubiquisys has introduced a wide-area femtocell solution, designed to serve as a mini outdoor base station that supports a small number of users, but over a greater range than indoor femtocells.
Similar to its femtocell predecessors, the wide-area solution is not a mini version of a macro cellular platform, but rather a subsidiary to the macro network, which monitors network conditions and reconfigures itself to prevent interference with the prevailing network or neighboring femtocells. And like an indoor femtocell, it can be hooked up to a broadband connection, enabling it to backhaul cellular traffic via broadband to the operator’s core network.
According to the Ubiquisys, the wide-area solution is a 20-30 watt device, which can deliver a clear voice signal up to 1.5 km, and HSPA capacity within 700 m. But the platform can only support 16 simultaneous calls. As such, Ubiquisys is positioning this solution as ideal for rural areas with poor cellular coverage. Read more
AT&T Hops on Femtocell Wagon
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, September 21, 2009 · ·
As rumored, AT&T has gone live with a new femtocell offering, AT&T 3G MicroCell service. The telecom provider is trialing the service, including a draft pricing structure, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
AT&T is charging $19.99 a month for unlimited use, unless you’ve got Internet or landline service with them, in which case you’ll pay $9.99. If you’ve got both internet and landline accounts, it’s free.
The Web site, which AT&T says was designed with a single trial market in mind, gives users a detailed explanation of how specifically the device works, and the benefits to consumers. Read more
MagicJack Innovates with Femtocell, Number Porting
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, June 29, 2009 · ·
magicJack, the device that lets users make and receive calls over its VoIP network for a flat fee, announced in an industry article that it plans to link femtocell service to its product.
magicJack joins a standard home phone to its VoIP service via a $40 USB jack, which sells at big box stores such as Best Buy, RadioShack, and Walgreen’s. It lets you place and receive unlimited phone calls for $20 a year, with the first year free. The company collects revenue through selling ads, displayed as a part of the software client that runs as magicJack is operational. Despite media praise, magicJack has its flaws; for one, your computer must be turned on to make and receive calls. Read more
Sprint Offers Femtocells Wholesale
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, June 15, 2009 · ·
Sprint announced late last week that its wholesale group will offer femtocell solutions to its wireless resale partners, and landline telcos and cable TV companies looking to provide wireless coverage inside customers’ homes.
A femtocell functions like a mini cell tower. Sprint says that its CDMA femtocell solution provides improved wireless coverage for up to 5,000 square feet within the customer’s home or small office. The service works with any Sprint phone and requires an existing Internet broadband connection to backhaul the call back to the Sprint network. Calls initiated on the femtocell will automatically transfer to the cellular network when leaving the femtocell coverage area. Read more
