The recent announcement from Telefonica Movistar that it plans to offer femtocells to consumer and business customers is the latest in a growing number of commercial deployments.
According to Informa Telecoms & Media, this launch brings the number of operators currently offering femtocells to 16, with another four stating their commitment.
Importantly, Informa says that femtocell deployments have now moved beyond basic residential offerings, as Optimus and Vodafone Spain have dedicated enterprise femtocell services, while Vodafone Qatar is using public metro femtocells and SoftBank has deployed public rural femtocells.
"The entrance of mobile giant Telefonica alongside Vodafone's continued commitment to femtocells continues to demonstrate how important this technology is to operators," said Dimitris Mavrakis, senior analyst at Informa.
"Furthermore, it is starting to become apparent that femtocells may have a much larger role to play than simple in-home coverage as we now have a range of operators which have deployed femtocells in enterprises and outdoors. NTT DoCoMo's recent commitment to LTE femtocells also illustrates that the technology is well placed to become a standard part of future mobile network design."
Femtocell commercial launches to date (16 in 11 countries):
|
Operator |
Offering |
Example Pricing |
Capabilities |
Launch date |
|
USA |
Airave (CDMA 1xRTT) |
$4.99 per month ($10 for unlimited calling, $20 for family plans) |
Up to 3 2G users |
September 2007 |
|
Singapore |
Home Zone (UMTS) |
$32.1 per month |
Up to 4 3G (postpaid) users |
November 2008 |
|
USA |
Network Extender (CDMA 1xRTT) |
$249.99 |
Up to 3 2G 1xRTT users |
January 2009 |
|
Singapore |
CallZone (WCDMA) |
Access point: SING$323 Monthly charge: SING$53.50 |
Up to 4 3G users |
January 2010 |
|
UK |
Sure Signal (UMTS/HSPA) |
Various options GBP160 (one-off) GBP5 monthly Handset bundles |
Up to 4 3G users |
July 2009 (Vodafone Access Gateway) Rebranded January 2010 |
|
France |
Home 3G (UMTS/HSPA) |
€199 upfront |
Up to 4 3G users |
November 2009 |
|
Japan |
My Area (UMTS/HSPA) |
$10 per month |
Up to 4 3G users |
November 2009 |
|
China (Northern Provinces) |
3G Inn (UMTS/HSPA) |
FAP cost: CNY 1,200 Monthly fee: CNY 10 |
Up to 4 3G users |
November 2009 |
|
USA |
3G MicroCell |
$159 |
Up to 4 3G users |
September 2009 |
|
Portugal |
Sinal On (UMTS) |
€99.99 upfront €7,8 monthly
|
Up to 4 3G users |
December 2009 |
|
Spain |
Voz y Datos Premium Oficina (WCDMA) |
€15 per month |
Up to 4 3G users |
June 2010 |
|
Japan |
Femtocell service (WCDMA) |
Free of charge |
Up to 4 3G users |
June 2010 |
|
Qatar |
Femtocell service in public areas (WCDMA) |
Metro coverage |
Up to 4 3G users |
Announced June 2010 |
|
Japan |
au Femtocell (CDMA2000 EV-DO) |
Free of charge (in coverage deadspots) |
Up to 4 3G users |
July 2010 |
|
Greece |
Vodafone Access Gateway |
Free of charge (>€40 monthly contract. €75 (<40 monthly contract) €150 retail price |
Up to 4 3G users |
July 2010 |
|
Spain |
Mi Cobertura Movil |
€9/month service charge Requires 3MB DSL service from Movistar |
Up to 4 3G users |
August 2010 |
|
|
||||
Source: Informa Telecoms & Media