Broadband ‘could improve mobile calls’
29th February 2008
A new broadband technology soon to be trialled in the UK could pave the way for better mobile signals and cheaper calls.
Femtocells, as the new devices are known, work by picking up on mobile devices using broadband connections, allowing people to use their mobile as though it was a landline phone.
The product uses short-range base-stations that can be plugged into broadband connections to improve mobile signal strength and route calls over the internet when mobile users are are at home or work, reports Paul Taylor in the Financial Times today.
"If the leading backers of the technology are correct, the femtocell could soon have a place alongside the broadband modem, set-top box and Wi-Fi routers found in more and more homes and offices," he adds.
Telecoms provider O2 has recently announced that it will begin the largest ever UK Femtocell trials, with a full product launch scheduled for next year, the Guardian reports.
Around 500 users will trial the service during the summer, with the company hoping to capitalise on the growing number of smart mobile devices such as the iPhone, which O2 has exclusive distribution rights for.
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