Is that a Femtocell in your pocket?

Morning! Good morning! Is that a Femtocell in your pocket? Or are you just pleased …. ok. With everyone and their dog talking ‘Femtocells’ — and an estimated one third of mobile phone calls being made from in and around the home, the industry is a-buzzin’ with gossip about the technology.

Me? Well it might help whenever I’m talking to people who’s mobile operator has no signal anywhere near their home. Just the other week I was having dinner with a very nice couple. All was good until someone mentioned mobile phones (it wasn’t me, mark you) and both husband and wife went nuts — as though on cue — about Orange. There is no signal at their house, or down their street and it’s a continual annoyance for them.

A huge annoyance. They recently moved in and forgot to check if there was a decent signal. So they’ll be swapping to another operator — probably Vodafone — in the next few months.

Now, if they could buy an Orange ‘Femtocell’ (er, but branded differently), I think they might be up for it. Or more accurately, if Orange could *give* them one, then they probably won’t be churning.

Anyway, the Herald Tribune’s done a nice Femtocell overview….

Link: In-home cellphone links, or femtocells, could be next revolution – International Herald Tribune

Until now, cellphones have been all about simplicity – phone, recharger and maybe a cable to connect to a computer.

Now the industry is preparing to try to convince consumers that they need a device for their homes called a femtocell, which provides better indoor coverage by linking a cellphone wirelessly to a fixed-line broadband Internet connection.

This allows a cellphone to jump from the cellular phone network onto the fixed-line infrastructure, which has more capacity and is usually faster. Originally designed to improve indoor coverage, femtocells – similar in size and appearance to a home Wi-Fi antenna or modem – are now seen as a way to offer new services and take traffic off congested cellphone networks.