The wireless carrier submits a femtocell device to the Federal Communications Commission for a possible 2009 rollout. Essentially micro cell towers for the home and office, femtocell devices boost cell phone call coverage and capacity.Verizon Wireless plans to enter the femtocell market next year, joining
Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile as U.S.
carriers that hope to use the technology to boost cell phone coverage and
capacity in homes and offices. A modem-size femtocell
device is currently under review at the Federal Communications Commission.
Femtocell devices are micro cell towers used in homes and small businesses
to improve the quality of cellular telephone calls and to also allow users to
make calls over a broadband connection. Sprint Nextel began deploying its
Airave femtocells, manufactured by Samsung, in 2007. T-Mobile is also using
femtocell technology to enhance its wireless network coverage.
"We are looking at femtocell technology and will soon be performing
user tests," a Verizon Wireless spokesperson told Unstrung.
"We could well have a product on the market early next year, but we have
made no public announcements about that yet."
Connected through a broadband service such as DSL
and cable modems, femtocell devices typically support two to five mobile phones
in a residence. ABI Research predicts 103
million femtocell access points will be in service by 2013.