Close Message
None

Femto-cell needs Macro-explaining

Femto Hub Blog (Nov 24 2008)

Categories:
Hot Topics: 4G, Applications, Network, Standards
Regions: Americas, Asia-Pacific, EMEA
More: Femto Events, Market Research
Value Chain: Enabling Technologies, Femtocell Specialists, Network Equipment Vendors, Operators
Other: Jobs, Misc

Entities Mentioned


Authors


  1. Femto-cell needs Macro-explaining  “Femtocell” is still far from being a household word, but little by little, people outside our industry are becoming aware of them through news snippets here and there.  Just last week Computerworld—a mainstream publication by mobile industry standards—published a lengthy Femtocell FAQ.

    As femtocells become known to a wider audience, it’s interesting to see the perceptions and mis-perceptions that arise.  The Computerworld article contains a few technical inaccuracies—curiously equating Wi-Fi with microcells and Bluetooth with picocells.  But by and large it provides a clear and accurate explanation of what femtocells offer and how they work.  We need more of these.

    At Airvana we receive many direct consumer inquiries, which provides a great opportunity to observe how femtocells as a concept are perceived.  By far the most common question is simply “where can I buy one?”—an encouraging sign.  But we do see some fundamental misunderstandings.  The most common is that the femtocell allows the user to bypass the mobile operator’s network.  This is understandable, given reference points like Skype and Vonage.  The second most common is that the femtocell will provide a way to obtain broadband internet access where it is otherwise unavailable.

    Then there are the differences in value perception.  Some people see the femtocell as a savior, solving their most nagging communications problem, while others see it as a cynical ploy by operators to get their customers to pay for the tower.

    In response to these types of questions and misunderstandings, we maintain our own FAQ at the Airvana web site.  The Femto Forum also provides great resources to help people learn about femtocells in plain English.

    For new technologies to succeed in the market, understanding and perception can be just as important as the underlying merit of the concept.  As the market unfolds, we will all need to become better explainers.

    Bookmark or Share this article


    Related Articles

Login to comment.

 
HomeAboutBlogAirvana Login Register Powered by HiveFire