interview, Thierry Berthouloux, SFR's network solutions
director, said: "We have decided to extend that assessment
period and have put this process on hold to give equipment
suppliers time to consolidate roadmaps. There's no point
making a decision today."
there continue to be varying opinions regarding the
underlying drivers for a femtocell-based service. Clearly
the most addressable option is coverage improvement.
Femtocells are simply lower-cost picocells, optimized for
filling in coverage gaps throughout a region.
will not be reached.
and HSDPA is an incredibly important aspect of service
delivery," notes ABI Research Principal Analyst Stuart
Carlaw. "On a conceptual basis, femtocells allow carriers to
price cellular data services in the home aggressively, with the
ultimate goal of shaping consumer behavior."
consumers indicated that 40% of respondents would
the next 12 months to receive benefits such as `improved
coverage' and `lower cost in-home voice charges.'
explains. "The survey clearly outlined that there is significant
opportunity to link the handset into the connected home
concept that leverages rich multimedia services, as well as
voice."
Bubley, principal analyst and founder of Disruptive
Analysis, sees femtocells biding time until LTE, the next
generation all-IP access network.
mobile coverage," says Bubley.
in mind," he said. "With 3G, femtocells have to be
retrofitted, but with LTE things needed by femtocells, like
cell registration and closed user groups, are all built into
standards up-front."