The buzz about femtocells reached a fevered pitch this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with many vendors talking about the latest innovation--the "super" femto. This device allows multiple voice calls and data sessions further blurring the line between the "super" femto and the picocell.
picoChip announced a new super-femto, the PC8219, which offers an eight-user HSDPA/HSUPA femtocell baseband implementation, compliant with 3GPP Release 6 HSUPA and femto-specific features from Release 8. According to Rupert Baines, spokesman for picoChip, the device is intended for the enterprise market. "Typically a femtocell has capacity for four voice calls and four data sessions but the carriers are telling us they want to deploy these in places with bad coverage such as airports, shopping malls and basements of hotels," Baines said.
For more:
- see this press release [1]
Related articles:
picoChip [2] unveils LTE femtocell reference designs
picoChip [3] receives strategic investment from Samsung
Femtocells [4] and the consumer proposition
Femto Forum [5] Announces Results of Femtocell Interference Research
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/picochip-launches-eight-user-femtocell-reference-design-platform-lead-customers-steer
[2] http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/picochip-unveils-lte-femtocell-reference-designs/2008-05-22
[3] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/picochip-receives-strategic-investment-samsung
[4] http://www.fiercewireless.com/europe/story/femtocells-and-consumer-proposition/2008-11-13
[5] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/femto-forum-announces-results-femtocell-interference-research