faizone 15 Report post Posted May 12, 2010 Femtocells are sold by a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) to its residential end-users or enterprise customers. A femtocell is typically the size of a residential gateway or smaller, and connects into the end-user's broadband line. Integrated femtocells (which include both a DSL router and femtocell) also exist. Once plugged in, the femtocell connects to the MNO's mobile network, and provides extra coverage in a range of typically 30 to 50 meters for residential femtocells (depending on the existing coverage and output power — usually 20 mW which is five times less than a WiFi router). From an end-users' perspective it is plug and play, there is no specific installation or technical knowledge required — anyone can install a femtocell at home. The end-user must then declare which mobile phone numbers are allowed to connect to his/her femtocell, usually via a web interface provided by the MNO [1]. This only needs to be done once. When these mobile phones arrive under coverage of the femtocell, they switch over from the macrocell (outdoor) to the femtocell automatically. Most MNOs provide means for the end-user to know this has happened, for example by having a different network name appear on the mobile phone. All communications will then automatically go through the femtocell. When the end-user leaves the femtocell coverage (whether in a call or not), his phone hands over seamlessly to the macro network. Femtocells require specific hardware, so existing WiFi or DSL routers cannot be upgraded to a femtocell. Once installed in a specific location, most femtocells have protection mechanisms so that a location change will be reported to the MNO. Whether the MNO allows femtocells to operate in a different location depend on the MNO's policy. In any case international location change of a femtocell is not possible. [edit] Benefits for end-users The main benefits for an end-user are the following: * "5 bar" coverage when there is no existing signal or poor coverage * Higher capacity, which is important if the end-user uses data services on his/her mobile phone * Depending on the pricing policy of the MNO, special tariffs at home can be applied for calls placed under femtocell coverage * For enterprise users, having femtos instead of DECT or WiFi dual mode phones enables them to have a single phone, so a single contact list etc These currently are provided by some telcos in Europe and APAC. Lets see when India gets it!!! Poor signals would be a thing of the past... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faizone 15 Report post Posted May 12, 2010 (edited) Development on the CDMA front Qualcomm, ZTE partner on femtocell tech Source ZTE Corp. has reached an agreement with Qualcomm Inc. to develop femtocell technology and use its Femtocell Station Modem chipset to develop CDMA2000 femtocell products. The unprecedented growth in mobile data consumption, driven by smart phones and other data intensive devices, has created the need for improved coverage and increased data throughput for subscribers. Up to 70 per cent of wireless data originates indoors and femtocells allow operators to target areas where the solution is needed. Qualcomm's FSM platform features flexible and fully integrated SoC solutions consisting of base band, RF and power management ICs coupled with commercial-grade software, resulting in femtocells with low power consumption and high levels of integration. This technology will allow operators to improve coverage, add capacity, increase data throughput and enhance the end user's wireless experience while reducing operating costs in supporting mobile broadband applications. "Femtocells improve the mobile data experience for users while driving down the cost per bit for operators," said Ed Knapp, senior vice president of marketing, Qualcomm. "We are pleased to be working with ZTE in their efforts to bring femtocell products to market." "ZTE serves the world's top mobile operators based on our ability to consistently deliver high-quality and high-capacity network performance," said Li Jian, general manager, CDMA product line, ZTE. "Our ongoing relationship with Qualcomm will enable us to bring leading-edge femtocell technology and small base station products to market. We look forward to collaborating with them on this technology." Qualcomm's FSM platform supports the full range of 3GPP and 3GPP2 modem features contained within the base band SoC while also integrating network listen, GPS, crypto acceleration, Ethernet and a host CPU to support all protocol stack and radio network controller functions within the access point. The integrated RF device features multiple receiver channels that enable traffic, beacon GPS and network listen functions to operate simultaneously. The RF devices support all major wireless bands for both 3GPP and 3GPP2, and the FSM platform features innovative interference management techniques between femtocells and the macro network. The target markets for the ZTE-developed product are mainly in North America and China, helping operators supply better services to home users and enterprise users. Edited May 12, 2010 by faizone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted May 12, 2010 This would be a boon to RGSM users the most... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
