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Tuesday, 18 September 2007 |
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More developments in the in-building cell phone sector…
Airvana Inc and Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) say they are planning to provide an end-to-end femtocell solution for mobile operators worldwide. The equipment is targeted at 3G operators wishing to extend their coverage and offer new voice and mobile broadband data services.
“Delivering operators a complete, standards-based femto cell solution will enable them to offer new services and expand relationships with their customers,” reasons Timo Hyppölä, Indoor Radio Solutions Product Line, NSN.
The Finnish-German partnership is a fairly recent convert to the femtocell credo, launching its 3G Femto Home Access solution with open interfaces and a new network element, the Femto Gateway, in June (click) and following this up in July with the announcement of a femtocell collaboration with leading DSL customer premise equipment (CPE) vendor Thomson.
Another new recruit to the femtocell cause is Sprint Nextel which yesterday revealed that its customers in select areas of Denver and Indianapolis would now be able experience enhanced wireless coverage and unlimited minutes in their homes with the limited launch of the Sprint AIRAVE by Samsung in the two cities. The operator claims that Sprint AIRAVE is the first commercially available femtocell, a miniature base station that works with any Sprint phone and a broadband Internet connection to provide enhanced in-home wireless coverage plus unlimited calling.
“With the AIRAVE, Sprint is delivering an enhanced in-home coverage solution that's simple to access, low in cost and compatible with any Sprint phone,” states Ajit Bhatia, director of product management for Sprint. “In addition, with unlimited in-home wireless calling, the AIRAVE makes it even more convenient for customers to rely on their Sprint phones at home.”
John Williamson |
