Femtocell News
Femtocells are tiny cellular base stations and will be a critical part of the build-out of 4G networks, which will be planned in very different ways to those in 3G. The LTE and LTE-Advanced standards support networks built around dense grids of very small, self-organizing cells or femtocells. In their first generation, femtocells have been indoor devices, used to enhance the 3G signal inside and to help carriers offload data traffic from their main macro networks. They are now gaining greater functionality and can support larger number of users, and so are moving into enterprises and are being trialled for outdoor, public networks. They are a low cost way to add capacity to 3G systems, but are unlikely to become a major hallmark of the public networks until the LTE stage. Early femtocell vendors have been start-ups or consumer Wi-Fi suppliers like NEC and Cisco, but now the traditional base station suppliers are also joining the race, notably Alcatel-Lucent.
Cisco acquires small cell pioneer Ubiquisys
Cisco's latest acquisition goes to the heart of its strategy to play a pivotal role in the small cells revolution. It will pay $310m for the UK's Ubiquisys, one of the pioneers of the tiny, low power ...
- Ubiquisys and Saguna ride RAN caching trend
- UK pioneers stretch small cell's remit
- Cisco buys Intucell for 'dynamic SON'
Cellcos must address enterprise coverage urgently
1 May, 2013
Half of companies would see improved in-building coverage as a powerful reason to swap operators, says survey
Small Cell Forum announces release program
28 February, 2013
Technical specifications and best practice advice aims to encourage mass roll-out of small cells, with initial focus on residential
Cloudberry signs partner for managed small cells
26 February, 2013
Partners with Ubiquisys to launch 'small cell as a service' platform targeted at MVNOs and enterprises
Mindspeed takes Transcede head-on with Freescale
20 February, 2013
Small cell specialist adds metrocell system-on-chip to range, crossing swords with TI and Freescale
ALU adds ZyXel to small cell software program
18 February, 2013
Signs second Taiwanese manufacturer while ip.access announces one million femtocells shipped
Enterprise hosting a $100bn market for cellcos
6 February, 2013
Exact Ventures says companies could save 35% a year by opting for managed services for mobility and cloud
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