MagicJack Showcases Femtocell Device
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, January 11, 2010 · 
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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.
Of note, the new femtocell device utilizes licensed spectrum, in this case spectrum which may belong to cellular providers. YMax CEO Dan Borislow said the device is legal because wireless spectrum licenses don’t extend into the home. I expect that AT&T and T-Mobile, which both offer femtocell products, may have something to say about this.
magicJack is known for its VoIP device, a USB dongle which connects to a computer and a regular phone. In the past two years the company has sold 5 million devices through retailers such as Best Buy, Walmart and RadioShack. The initial magicJack device costs $40, and includes one free year of service, then charges $20 per year for subsequent years. The fee includes calls to other magicJack users as well as to conventional phones.
The pricing will remain the same for the new femtocell, which the company plans to offer in the second quarter of 2010.
Read more in the release.
Visit magicJack’s Web site.
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