Ericsson Launches GSM Radio Base Station for Home Coverage

Ericsson today launched its Femto Cell Solution. Consumers using GSM and WCDMA phones will now be able to use their mobile phones at home, with the price advantages offered by fixed-line and Internet phones.

Ericsson's Femto Cell Solution includes a home access point that is, according to the company, the world's smallest GSM radio base station. The home access point is compatible with GSM and WCDMA phones and also includes Wi-Fi and ADSL.

Ericsson's Femto Cell Solution enables the operator to offer a "home-area" tariff to all the people living in a household.

Ulf Ewaldsson, vice president and head of product area radio at Ericsson, says: "This is a major technological breakthrough. Ericsson's Femto Cell Solution enables mobile operators to compete on the fixed access market, offering price-competitive, innovative and secure services to their customers."

Femto Cell's home access point is connected, plug-and-play, to any existing IP backhaul network, and the end user's mobile phone will switch to the indoor radio base station automatically as he or she walks through the door.

The solution will be available through selected operators, starting in mid-2007.