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Cell research - WiMAX and Femtocell Technology

Mention the words "cell research" today and it's likely to evoke a lively conversation of the morals and ethics surrounding stem cell research.  Not quite as controversial but certainly inspiring of consideration and investment is the deployment of femtocell technology in a WiMAX environment.  Early adoption of femtocell technology has already emerged in the 3G space; is there a home for it in WiMAX as well?

By definition a femtocell agnostically refers to a small wireless base station or access point.  This small element of wireless infrastructure is generally intended to quickly and inexpensively extend wireless footprint and capacity in an indoor environment.  Femtocells can be employed in outdoor environments as well and whether indoor or not, typically support only a few simultaneous users.  Early adopters of femtocells have been seen in the UMTS, GSM and CDMA carrier space but the promise of this still-evolving technology extends into both fixed and mobile WiMAX deployments as well.

Femtocells are of unique benefit in the WiMAX ecosystem because they have the potential to bring value to the "better, faster, cheaper" equation for both a carrier or operator and the end-user.  For an indoor environment, employing a femtocell provides a "better, faster, cheaper" coverage fill for both the carrier and user.  In a residential or SMB deployment femtocells also provide the added advantage of generating "stickiness" or carrier loyalty from the user.  Given an appropriate price point, CPE femtocells can effectively address the challenges associated with architecting outdoor networks to reach indoor users in locations like shopping malls or office complexes.

For those in the ODM and OEM space of the WiMAX ecosystem, the extent to which femtocells will be deployed presents some interesting options.  The key to early success for these vendors will be to create an inexpensive and ubiquitous product that can support multiple wireless technologies.  Creating designs and products that allow users to connect to a femtocell using WiMAX or WiFi will leverage the pervasiveness of WiFi devices and consumer demand.  Supporting multiple femtocell backhaul options will be another key consideration.  Allowing simple consumer deployments using wired Internet connectivity can solve nagging problems of sub-optimal wireless backhaul for tough indoor deployments.

Much of the benefit to be seen from femtocell technology remains well ahead of us.  Success for the WiMAX ecosystem will come from an increasing number of deployed fixed and mobile networks.  With the increase of networks will come the obvious opportunities for coverage fill-ins and in new opportunities such as WiFi/WiMAX roaming solutions.  The future for femtocells in WiMAX looks to be a bright one.

Want to learn more about the opportunities and challenges associated femtocell technology deployments in a WiMAX environment? Join the WiMAX ecosystem experts at WiMAX World EMEA 2008. Register now using priority code WMXEML1 to save $300 off your registration.

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Sincerely,
Kate Walsh
Sr. Director Marketing, Trendsmedia
Ph: +1 617-259-2320
E-Mail: kwalsh@yankeegroup.com