Article Tools

• 

Citing deployments in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, the Femto Forum is taking its belief in the massive consumer market potential of femtocell technology on the road to the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week in Las Vegas.

“CES is the first stop of a global road show showcasing the huge opportunities this technology represents not just for carriers, but for consumer electronics players, developers, content provides, and, of course, consumers,” said Simon Saunders, chairman of the Femto Forum.

The organization says that femtocells are rapidly gaining traction as the missing link in delivering true convergence to the digital home, as demonstrated by the fast increase of operator launches across three continents. According to ABI Research, more than 50% of U.S. consumers are interested in having a femtocell in their home.

Femtocells resolve 3G coverage, capacity, and cost issues in a single package, the Femto Forum says, while dramatically improving the mobile experience indoors. The group expects the technology to coexist alongside existing platforms like Wi-Fi to help customers manage their rapidly growing indoor wireless data usage.

“We’re here to explain how femtocells transform application development, removing many of the constraints currently faced by mobile developers,” said Andy Germano, vice chair of the Femto Forum. The group also notes that femtocells have the potential to facilitate high-bandwidth and location-aware applications for a wide range of innovative and differentiated services.

The increasing participation of operator members in the Femto Forum also indicates the technology’s potential, according to the group. With 55 operators among the organization’s 120 members, the Femto Forum represents more than 1.4 billion mobile subscribers worldwide across multiple wireless technologies, such as WiMAX, UMTS, and CDMA.

There are nine commercial femtocell deployments by major carriers worldwide, with numerous advanced trials expected to lead to more deployments later this year, according to the Femto Forum. Its membership encompasses the entire femto ecosystem, including carriers, startups, chip designs and manufacturers, and consumer electronics companies.