AT&T still testing femtocells – AT&T 3G Microcell due in 2009
By Will Park on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 11:47 AM PST In AT&T, Accessories, Announcements
For those of you dealing with lackluster AT&T (NYSE: T) reception in your home or office, there’s some good news coming out of AT&T this week. AT&T is on track to fully launch their signal-boosting femtocell, called the 3G Microcell (despite being a femtocell), by the end of 2009! The arrival of an AT&T femtocell should finally allow signal-seeking AT&T customers to rest easy in their homes with a veritable mini cell-tower in their living room.
For the uninitiated, the AT&T 3G MicroCell, despite its name, is a femtocell solution that blankets your home or office with 5,000 sq. ft. of wireless 3G coverage. The femtocell ferries all communications from your phone and to the carrier’s network through a high-speed internet connection. Think of a femtocell as a mini cell-tower packed into a device no bigger than a cable modem. The AT&T 3G Microcell will also allow up to 10 AT&T devices can use 3G voice and data simultaneously.
The 3G Microcells are in customer trials at the moment, and wider market trials are expected to go live within weeks. And, according to AT&T’s executive director for radio access network delivery, Gordon Mansfield, “[AT&T is] on track for a full national launch by the end of 2009.”
Figure AT&T will have the 3G Microcell available nationwide by the holiday shopping season. Because, you know, nothing says “happy holidays” like a femtocell!
[Via: Unstrung]
