AT&T is gearing up to launch their own signal-boosting femtocell solution for customers with spotty wireless service in their homes. The misleadingly-named AT&T MicroCell serves as a mini cellular tower in your home that routes cellular communications to AT&T’s network via a broadband internet connection. The MicroCell blankets up to 5,000 sq. ft. of real-estate in AT&T’s GSM network, allowing up to 10 handsets to use voice and even 3G data simultaneously.
Apple’s iPhone and iPhone 3G are now officially compatible with AT&T’s upcoming MicroCell femtocell. AT&T has pushed out a “carrier patch” to iPhone users via iTunes’ iPhone update mechanism. The update patch essentially provides a new carrier logo to replace the “AT&T” carrier logo when an iPhone connects to a MicroCell network. Of course, there are some additional changes rolled into the AT&T iPhone “carrier patch,” but special dialing codes and new default application settings take a back seat to the iPhone’s MicroCell support.
So, if your iPhone or iPhone 3G is always searching for a reliable signal in your home, you can rest easy knowing that AT&T is working to bring you 100% signal strength in your domicile soon. With AT&T pushing out updates to bring its fleet of iPhones and iPhone 3Gs, we’re expecting AT&T to get the MicroCell-ball rolling sooner rather than later.
[Via: MobileCrunch]