Vodafone trials Femtocells in Spain

Joining an increasing number of mobile operators investigating Femtocell services, Vodafone has chosen Spain to pilot a set of targeted services to home consumers and businesses using 3G Femtocells.

The company said that the principal aim was to test if this technology can be used to deliver cost-effective broadband services. Andy MacLeod, global networks director at Vodafone, said: "We have been driving the industry development of Femtocell technology, and the trials with Alcatel-Lucent and Huawei are an opportunity for us to assess how much benefit it can bring to our customers."

However, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Qualcomm's CEO, Paul Jacobs, issued a note of caution during a keynote session. "Femtocells are going to cause management and interference problems. They may jam other access points or create jams or gaps in macro coverage. It's a challenge for the technology world to make this work properly."

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