broadband customer premise equipment (CPE), remote management software and
services to telecom operators worldwide. A few months later, in July, the femtocell
market got a bigger kick when Google invested in United Kingdom-based Ubiquisys,
since deemed the global leader in femtocells. Thomson (TMS), the world's largest
maker of DSL modems, struck a deal with infrastructure maker Nokia Siemens
Networks to develop femtocell gear. Then, to organize efforts, an independent group
of companies created the Femto Forum, designed to promote femtocell standards
and use worldwide.
be addressed before the femtocell market can experience significant commercial
success. One such challenge is to define and standardize an approach for integrating
femtocells back into mobile core service networks; or device-to-core network
connectivity.
Network Controllers (RNCs), femtocell access networks require operators to integrate
hundreds of thousands of low-capacity base stations that can be moved/added/
changed by users at any time, all connected over the unsecured and untrusted public
internet. In order for the femtocell market to reach its full potential, it is critical for
the industry to quickly address the unique requirements for femtocell integration.
community to come together around
technology standards. Standards
will help accelerate the market,
thus driving femtocell volumes up
and ultimately lowering costs.