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Thursday, 02 August 2007 |
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Opportunity represents 30% of the total 3G market subscriber base by 2010 says Pyramid…
Things are picking up speed in the miniature in-building cell phone coverage space that is known as femtocell land. This week saw network infrastructure and services vendor ADC making a minority interest investment in 3G femtocell and GSM picocell technology specialist ip.access. Last month search engine giant Google tested the in-building cell phone waters with an investment in residential femtocell firm Ubiquisys. July also saw Nokia Siemens Networks making its entrance into the femtocell business (click), the same company doing a femtocell deal with the world’s leading DSL CPE vendor Thomson, and the launch of the Femto Forum trade organisation (click).
The Femto Forum initiative is, according to the Pyramid Research company, the “…official beginning of the femtocell industry.” Pyramid also believes it will be at least another year before commercial femtocell launches become possible, and reports that operators and vendors are saying that ‘friendly’ customer trials will start by the end of 2007, with commercial services beginning in the second half of 2008. The company estimates that the femtocell opportunity will represents 30% of the total 3G subscriber base by the end of 2010, and reckons that Vodafone and Softbank have emerged as the frontrunner operators in femtocell technology trials.
Very small, it seems, could be very beautiful.
John Williamson |
