2009

List of Femtocell Manufacturers

The combined list of femtocell manufactures have raised approximately $270M from various VCs and strategic investors over the last 2 years. This list was compiled using Crunch Base numbers as well as news articles. My biggest concern for these companies is the lack of consumer awareness that the companies and their products have in the marketplace. How many consumers have heard of any of these companies below discussed in the media or know what a femtocell is? The answer is virtually zero.

Airvana: $83 million (AIRV) IPO and now going private for $530M purchased by 72 Mobile Holdings, S.A.C. Capital and Blackstone Group
Vanu: $32 million Norwest, Charles River, Tata
PicoChip: $31 million AT&T, Intel, Highland, Atlas, Samsung
RadioFrame: $28 million Eastven, Vantage Point, Ignition, Samsung
Tatara: $26 million Highland, North Bridge
Ubiquisys: $25 million from Accel, Atlas and Google & T-Ventures
Kineto: $15.5 million round from Venrock, SutterHill, Oak, Motorola & NEC
Percello: $12 million Granite, T-Venture, Vertex
AirWalk: $10 million TL Ventures, Seven Rosen, Nedelco
ip.access: $10 million Scottish Equity, ADC, Cisco, Qualcomm

For the last two years I have noticed a pattern of frustration from executives at these companies who vent their frustration having to sell their femtocells through the carrier channels. It troubles me that all of these companies continue rely on incompetent marketers (the carriers) to sell their products and educate consumers that they exist. Cannibalization of your customers marketing just might be the only way to get ahead in business. I strongly suggesting that each of these companies will need to "steal a page from the Google Nexus One Phone" and start doing some demand side research of who needs the product and where. Its obvious that the carriers have very little financial incentive to push femtocells to their customers for fear of cannibalizing their existing businesses. Yes I am suggesting that femtocell marketing executives start thinking like Cannibal Lecter in order to make their companies successful. Sometimes cannibalization of your own customers is the only way to succeed and rise about the crowd.

AT&T Home Cell Tower or MicroCell

It doesn't surprise me that AT&T has come out with a device or femtocell that helps with iPhone coverage indoors. Lots of people I know who have iPhones say their coverage stinks compared to previous phones and can't use their phone any longer in the home or office. Maybe that's why AT&T has the most wireless coverage complaints on DeadCellZones.com.

AT&T's 3G MicroCell acts like a mini cellular tower for your home or small business environment. It connects to AT&T's network via your existing broadband internet service (such as DSL or cable) and is designed to support up to 10 3G capable wireless phones in a home or small business setting. The cost of the device has not been announced, although similar devices for Sprint and Verizon retail for $99 and $249, respectively but they are only 2G speeds. Sprint charges a $5.00 monthly fee, but Verizon does not charge anything beyond the initial cost. Select features include:

Installing your device near a window is strongly recommended to ensure access to Global Positioning System (GPS). A GPS link is needed to verify the device's location during the initial startup. GPS signals are even worse at penetrating walls than cellular signals. The GPS confirmation is needed so that AT&T knows you are not bringing AT&T’s network to an unauthorized area.
Enhanced coverage indoors - supports both voice and data up to 5000 square feet.
The 3G MicroCell device is portable. The device may be moved, provided the new location is within the AT&T authorized service area, and properly registered online.
3G also has limitations outdoors and when you are traveling you consider a signal booster for your car products like the Wilson Electronic's iPhone Booster.
AT&T Official Description Here:

Consumer Reports Has No Credibility in Mobile

Do 50,000 people (teenagers) filling out surveys for money justify AT&T deserving the worst customer service rating from Consumer Reports? I am not trying to defend AT&T but I would argue that the Consumer Reports survey methodology is flawed. Service and coverage is a local issue and no one should trust surveys that represent .02% of the entire U.S. wireless market. They need to provide more transparency about who is filling out the survey based on this quote: "AT&T ranked the lowest in overall consumer satisfaction in 19 of the 26 surveyed cities (which), ranging from New York and San Francisco to (as FierceWireless points out) Atlanta, Cleveland, and Houston. Verizon, meanwhile, ranked first in all 26 cities in the Consumer Reports survey. Ouch."

Deadcellzones.com has far more visitors and contributors that contribute to local and objective views about service. Consumer Reports is drinking the same Kool-Aid all of the carriers want you to drink and trust surveys and coverage maps. Wireless is a local issue and you shouldn't care about customer service if your phone works, the price is competitive and you have coverage in your home, office, and places you frequently visit.

Femtocell Companies Funded In 2008

The femtocell market has seen a few large investments in recent months, showing that the industry has strong market potential and there are lots of home and commercial dead zones to fix. Prominent players (e.g. Airvana, Ticker: AIRV IPO in July of 2007 for $60M, picoChip $27M, Ubiquisys ($25M) were funded in 2007, the emerging industry appears to be reasonably well capitalized for the turbulent times ahead and growth. Investors are hoping for more commercial deployments of femtocells during the next 12 months, setting the stage for mass market deployments during 2010. Here are a few companies that were successful at raising money in 2008.

October 2008 - Kineto Wireless $15.5M, which includes substantial amounts from NEC and Motorola.

September 2008 - Percello raised $12M to fund development of their femtocell chipset, bringing to $18M the total investment raised.

August 2008 - RadioFrame raised $26M to expand their picocell and femtocell range, bringing investment up to $100M since 2001.

May 2008 - Qualcomm and other venture capitalists invested an undisclosed amount in ip.access

January 2008 - Airwalk received $10M

Updated list from 3G in Home Blog

Airvana: IPO
AirWalk: $10 m
ip.access: strategic investment from ADC, Cisco, Qualcomm
Kineto: $15.5 million round including Motorola & strategic investment from NEC
Percello: $12 million
picoChip: strategic investment from Samsung
RadioFrame: $28 million
Tatara: $6.5 million
Vanu: $32 million
Ubiquisys: $25 million round including VC money and Google as a strategic investor; further strategic investment from T-Ventures.

DeadCellZones.com sits in a unique position based on our brand recognition and utility to educate the market about femtocell technology as control of in-building-coverage is suddenly in the hands of consumers and not carriers any longer. The masses are still not very familiar with the technology but its starting to trickle down to early adopters and we hope to provide a source of information for these companies where the coverage pain exists.

Best Cell Phone Service In Your Area

Best Cell Service Phone Service In Your Area

The single most common question we get asked on a regular basis is "Which carrier has the best cell phone service"? My answer is always, "it depends where you live and work." Cell phone coverage is a very personal issue due to the number of variables that can create coverage like terrain, the distance of the tower handsets, building material, weather and heavy users competing for the network near you. The US carriers have been pulling the wool over our eyes for the last two decades and have conditioned consumers to look at their coverage maps from a 20,000-foot level and assume all customers are equal. We all know that their coverage maps are useless especially if you are indoors, on the fringe of their network or roaming on another carrier's network.

So we have developed a methodology of benchmarking cell phone service to determine who has the best cell phone coverage based on who has the worst coverage. The proper questions should be stated as who has "less bad coverage" or who has the most pins on your "inverse coverage map". The only challenge with this methodology is it assumes that you are reaching equal amounts of customers for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. For better or worse AT&T and Verizon have two-thirds of the entire US mobile phone consumer market so our data is a bit skewed to them right now.
Choosing a cell phone carrier can be a little overwhelming especially if you are moving to a new area or traveling. Understand equally your wireless needs, coverage in your neighborhood and what features each carrier offers is important before selecting coverage. Once you find the best cell phone coverage or learn how to fix your in-building coverage using femtocell, microcell, UMA phone, VoIP, or repeater it is easy to pick the plan that fits you best. The top four carrier service plans and coverage are compared below.

Cell Phone Coverage in Nevada

We recently launched National reviews on the top four cell phone carriers and we are starting to get a lot of feedback. However, we are starting to focus more granularly on states as well and one state that we lack a lot of data on is Nevada and the Las Vegas and Reno surrounding areas. We would like to ask for your help and contribute areas to our map where you experience dead zones around the state. We would especially like to know about dead zones on I-80 out of Reno in the Northern part of the state as well as I-95, I-93, I-15, 1-60 around the Las Vegas area.

Nevada Deadcellzones.com Map

Click on the map image below for and type in your zip code, state, city or address. Then double click on the map in the problem location and add your comments such as indoor, or outdoors and other details of problem. We have a searchable database of over 100,000+ cell phone carrier comments in major metropolitan areas around the U.S. and we are looking of your contributors in rural areas like Nevada where we have limited data. Wireless coverage is a personal issue and users want relevant feedback of places where their phone most likely will get little or no reception. Can you hear us now Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile?

WiMAX Operators Fined For Poor Coverage

WiMAX operators fined for failure to reach the coverage target of 25% the population by March of 2009 stipulated by their concessions.

Three of Malaysia's WiMAX operators have been hit with fines relating to failures in rolling out their networks on time, the Star Online reports.

Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, head of the YTL Group, which owns Y-Max, saying: ‘We believe in having an extensive network up and running as we don’t see the point in having incremental coverage. We take this business seriously. We will have 60% coverage (more than the needed 40%) by the next deadline.’ Additionally, unnamed sources at one of the operators claimed that the delays in achieving the coverage target stemmed from a number of issues including long waits for approval to install the base stations. REDtone meanwhile blamed technical issues with its spectrum allocation for its delays. According to reports, the country’s telecoms watchdog, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), advised REDtone, Asiaspace, and Y-Max Networks that they had failed to reach the 25% population coverage stipulated by their concessions by March 2009. The three operators all face differing levels of financial penalty, with Y-Max looking at an MYR1.9 million (USD559,000) penalty, while Asiaspace and REDtone will be required to pay MYR1.7 million and MYR200,000 respectively.

We promise to provide you coverage just look at our maps. Where have we heard this story before? I guess its much easier to audit coverage in a smaller country like Malaysia than the U.S. Good to see some accountability coming to the telecom industry which notoriously over-promises and under-delivers. If the FCC wanted to enforce rules it also could become a profit center of fines itself. All they have to do is levy a fine against the carriers for over-promising coverage and the Deadcellzones.com community of users can assist in the audit.

Jon Stewart & Rachel Maddow Take On Net Neutrality

Jon Stewart Takes On "Net Neutrality"

Jon Stewart took up the issue of 'net neutrality' and Senator John McCain's efforts to create one of those ironically named pieces of legislation that sounds like it is going to deliver something good -- in this case 'Internet Freedom' -- but would actually make the Internet suck out loud, forever and ever. As Stewart explains, everything on the Internet moves through what former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens famously called the 'series of tubes... at the same rate.' As Stewart explains, 'If you've got a packet of information from a major corporation like Google, that information gets exactly the same treatment as a packet from a little start-up company like

All of which makes sense -- even the part where people would want to see John Stewart's head on Mario Lopez's body carnally impaled by an onrushing unicorn. That's what 'net neutrality' allows for. But telecoms have been lobbying for changes in those rules so that Internet service providers would have the leeway to privilege their own content over the content of other sources by slowing or blocking access. In this cause, telecom lobbyists have found a friend in John McCain, author of the 'Internet Freedom Act.'

STEWART: The "Internet Freedom Act of 2009." Now I know it sounds like that bill is the opposite of what its name implies in the way that, say, George Bush's "Clear Skies Act" gutted environmental regulations or Larry Craig's "No Handjobs For Me, Thanks Act" -- which oddly enough allocated a million dollars in federal funding for... and I'm quoting here, "handjobs for Larry Craig." But it's not! What McCain is proposing is that AT&T and Verizon be given "freedom" to control what information passes through the Internet. Information like: John McCain is the number one recipient of donations from the telecom industry and its lobbyists for the past three years, that I looked up on Google, and it loaded pretty fast!

As Stewart points out, there's a hidden motive behind everyone who promotes net neutrality! And that is, naturally, advancing a radical socialist agenda by controlling the Internet! Set the telecoms free! Surely we can trust them!

Rachel Maddow, Boing Boing Editor On McCain And Net Neutrality

RadioShack Bolsters Sales Using Kiosks

RadioShack Bolsters Sales Using Kiosks at Target and Sam's Club

RadioShack third-quarter profits were down 24 percent but the company benefited from better-than-expected sales, some of which was attributed to the company's introduction of Verizon Wireless to its Sam's Club kiosks. In September RadioShack announced it will introduce Verizon Wireless in neary 450 Sam's Club wireless kiosks that it operates nationwide. Verizon -- the largest U.S. wireless carrier with about 80 million subscribers -- will make its hand-held devices and services available through Sam's Club wireless kiosks operated by RadioShack effective Oct. 1.

Radio Shack’s Kiosk Operations division is also launching their BullsEye Mobile Solutions inside of Target stores. Roll out begins in California with 104 stores. Nationwide roll-out total locations inside of Target is expected to be 1100 to 1500 locations by end of 2010, with eventually leading to a total of 1800 retail locations, including locations inside of Sam’s club. The Target locations will consist of three carriers which are Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, Radio Shack is already inside of Sam’s club locations but with one diffference; an additional carrier, Sprint are carried at the Sam’s club locations. Pricing will be extremely competitive with Best Buy and other retail locations.

Specifically, RadioShack reported a net income of $37.4 million, down from a net income of $49.1 million in third-quarter 2008. Sales from the company's 1,300 RadioShack stores dropped 15.7 percent and online sales fell 5.1 percent from the same quarter a year ago. Wireless represents more than one-third of RadioShack's total sales. Company executives said that there was some uptick toward the end of the quarter because of netbook sales and other mobile products. Company executives said RadioShack benefited from having a full range of mobile products--the retailer recently added T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless to a lineup that includes Sprint Nextel and AT&T Mobility.

RadioShack is facing increased competition in mobile from the likes of Best Buy Mobile and Wal-Mart Mobile. Best Buy is expanding its Best Buy Mobile stores to more markets, and Wal-Mart recently started selling TracFone's prepaid service Straight Talk nationwide.

These retailers may soon be jumping on the consumer generated coverage map bandwagon, realizing their consumers are tired of looking at carrier generated coverage maps from 50,000 feet. We think is most important for consumer generated coverage maps to reflect real customer experiences indoors and outdoors. Its also, very important to have granular data down to the individual house, neighborhood, street and zip code level. Many of these retailers are trying to figure out what data is important and how they can the acquire it. Keep your eyes open for mobile retailers who may soon begin offering beta map products soon.

Cell Phone Reception Through Wifi

Cell phones can use your home's wireless internet connection to make and receive calls. It's a handy technology if the cell phone coverage in and around your house is in a dead zone. Phones will automatically select Wifi if it's there but will require a compromise between economy and mobility. For example, Voice over Wifi offers potentially free service but is only available within the coverage area of a Wifi Access Point and currently will not allow you to hop between networks.

VoIP mobile applications that may be compatible with your phone's operating system.

Skype - iPhone, Windows Mobile, Nokia
Line2 - iPhone, Android

Truphone - Nokia-Symbian, iPhone, Android, Blackberry

Jajah - Windows Mobile, Symbian OS

fring - Symbian 8.x and 9.x, Windows Mobile 5 and 6, iPhone, Maemo

Nimbuzz!- J2ME, S60, Windows Mobile, iPhone

Gizmo5 - Windows Mobile, Motorola, Nokia, Blackberry, Java PDA, Sony-Ericsson, Samsung

Windows Mobile 6 - Windows Mobile 6 Professional/Standard

3 Mobile VoIP Protocols The Applications Above Are Built On

Skype - closed proprietary peer to peer network and working on video mobile phones

SIP - the standard used by most VoIP services

UMA - the Unlicensed Mobile Access Generic Access Network, designed in response to Skype by a group of carriers to allow VoIP to run over the GSM cellular backbone.

See Wikipedia VoIP software platforms for more details. The challenge for the mobile operator industry is to deliver the benefits and innovations of IP without losing control of the network service. Users like the Internet to be free and high speed without extra charges for browsing the internet. VoIP services challenges the most valuable service in the telecommunications industry — voice — and threatens to change the nature of the global communications industry. Net neutrality is an important issue with the FCC for these reasons.

Related article: UMA Phone + Wi-Fi = Home Cell Coverage

End Data Discrimination

As expected, the FCC voted to move forward with a proposal to codify its four net neutrality principles and add non-discrimination and transparency rules to the regulations that will govern both wireless and wired broadband networks.

The first of the new principles would prevent Internet access providers from discriminating against particular Internet content or applications while allowing for reasonable network management. The second would ensure that Internet access providers are transparent about the network management practices they implement. The other four are:

To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice.
To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement.
To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network.
To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to competition among network providers, application and service providers, and content providers.

FCC votes for the net neutrality rule-making process

The commission voted 5-0 to begin the rule-making process. The next steps will likely involve months of debate now that the FCC is asked for comments on the proposal. Initial comments are due on Jan. 14. Hours later, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation aimed at prohibiting the FCC from enacting rules that would regulate access to the Internet. The legislation, called 'The Internet Freedom Act of 2009,' aimed at keeping the Internet from being regulated by the government. 'Keeping businesses free from oppressive regulations is the best stimulus for the current economy,' he said. The two Republican FCC commissioners, Robert McDowell and Meredith Attwell Baker dissented in part on last week's vote, arguing that the commission should proceed with its eyes open to the unintended consequences of the new regulations. They said they were unsure that there was enough of a problem to warrant new regulations, and questioned whether the FCC had the authority to impose the new rules. The GOP commissioners' dissent essentially signals that they intend to move forward with the action, but disagree with the current language in the proposal.

As promised by Chairman Julius Genachowski, the proposed rules governing wireless networks took into account that wireless networks have different network architectures, market structures, patterns of consumer usage, and regulatory history than wired networks. The draft rules will seek comment on how in what time frames and to what extent the rules should apply to wireless. Moreover, another point of debate will likely center on what "reasonable network management" means as it pertains to an operator's ability to manage network traffic (based on tiered access?). The draft rules say that such management includes practices that reduce or mitigate network congestion, address traffic that is unlawful, unwanted by users, or deemed harmful. The commission staff also noted that nothing in the rules will prohibit service providers from delivering emergency communications. Additionally, the notice seeks comment on how to define managed services, such as subscription video services, telemedicine, or smart grids, and how the new policies should apply to them. The commission also is going to form a technical outreach group to discuss network management issues and all other issues that have technical ramifications.

Instances of data discrimination listed on Wikipedia from 2004-2007, unfortunately, cause hardship for other applications that get grouped into the same categories and get blocked.

In 2004, a small North Carolina telecom company, Madison River Communications, blocked their DSL customers from using the Vonage VoIP service. Service was restored after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intervened and entered into a consent decree that had Madison River pay a fine of $15,000.^[6]
In 2005, Canadian telephone giant Telus blocked access to voices-for-change.ca, a website supporting the company's labor union during a labor dispute, as well as over 600 other websites, for about sixteen hours after pictures were posted on the website of employees crossing the picket line.^[7]
In April 2006, Time Warner's AOL (America On-Line) blocked all e-mails that mentioned dearaol.com, an advocacy campaign opposing the company's pay-to-send e-mail scheme. An AOL spokesman called the issue an unintentional glitch.
In February 2006, some of Cox Cable's customers were unable to access Craig's List because of a confluence of a software bug in the Authentium personal firewall distributed by Cox Cable to improve customers' security and the way that Craigslist had their servers misconfigured. Save the Internet said this was an intentional act on the part of Cox Cable to protect classified ad services offered by its partners. The issue was resolved by the correction of the software as well as a change in the network configuration used by Craig's List. Craig's List founder Craig Newmark stated that he believed the blocking was unintentional.
In September 2007, Verizon Wireless prevented a pro-choice organization from sending text messages to its members coordinating a public demonstration, despite the fact that the intended recipients had explicitly signed up to receive such messages.
In October 2007, Comcast was found to be preventing or at least severely delaying uploads on BitTorrent.

COMMENTARY: All this seems great in theory but it still seems to indicate that tiered network access is coming and carriers are still going to largely be able to control and discriminate packets across their network. Is that good for companies who want open access like Skype, Google, Slingbox who don't control the pipes? I suppose it depends upon which tier of access they end up on. Hopefully its the top tier.

Wireless Powered Cell Phones

Gigaom: Wireless Power Is Still Pretty Useless:

Your cell phone uses a lot more power when connecting a call than when it is has a low cell signal. Often, your battery can be strong enough to attempt a call, but not strong enough to find a signal. Bad cellular signals are a big contributor to battery drain problems. The weaker the signal the more battery drain. The stronger the cellular signal the less battery drain. It's amazing to me how many iPhone users tolerate their poor battery life and purchase external batteries.

The technology industry has invested a lot of marketing energy and dollars into getting consumers excited about wireless power, the promise is that it will free us from the size and feature constraints imposed by batteries. There’s a consortium of bigwigs from Nokia to Dell trying to advance a standard called Qi, and Intel and WiTricity are trying to develop an even more compelling technology that will transfer power over the air. But we’re still a long way from cutting the cord.

Consumers intent on living a wireless life have two new options this holiday season — both of which are getting a lot of attention: mats on which they can wirelessly charge their mobile devices. Unfortunately, this sounds far cooler than it really is. The two products — the Powermat, which goes on sale Sunday at Amazon, and the Duracell MyGrid, which went on sale earlier this month — use different techniques to charge a device, but both require the mat to be plugged into an outlet, which eliminates the wire to the device, but not the one to the wall.

After years of hope (and no little amount of hype), wireless power is finally getting into consumer's hands. However, the technology that is showing up on trade show floors and store shelves is a far cry from the truly disruptive promise of wireless power. As we cram more computing power into our mobile phones and use them to deliver the web, take photos and shoot video (as well as talk), a key limitation has become the battery. Anyone who has experienced a three-hour battery life after surfing on a Wi-Fi network knows first-hand that battery life can impede the enjoyment of a full-featured mobile device. And that problem is the one that wireless power will one day solve.

Below is a comparison of total system efficiencies versus the transmitting range of the various technologies. Efficiency describes how much power is wasted and how much heat is dissipated during power transmission. Inductive systems have the highest system efficiencies of any wireless system.

Google Voice and Skype are good for the consumer

Millions of U.S. cell phone users could have seamless home coverage if they could simply use Wi-Fi VoIP services from Skype or Google Voice. More than 50% of cell phone users who have wifi in their home also are unable to get a strong cell phone signal throughout their entire home. Please explain why in 2009 I still can't use a VOIP service on my iPhone or Android?

Google has published a blog post responding to AT&T's complaints. The gist: A) Google Voice is a free application and therefore not required to follow common-carrier rules or basically listen to the FCC at all; B) it's not a replacement for traditional phone service such as that offered by AT&T; and C) it's still in private beta.

Wireless carriers fundamentally do not like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Myspace or even the tiniest blogger either. They see all these Internet companies coming to the playground and taking their marbles away. Carriers would like to charge you for every single thing that traverses the Internet, each individual email, every IM, every Facebook post, every Twitter post, literally everything. This is precisely why we need net neutrality and why it is important for the FCC to keep the lines drawn between the telephone common carriers and the Internet.

in reference to: City Brights: Yobie Benjamin : Why AT&T is full of it and why Google Voice is good for the consumer

How to Get out of a Cellular Service Contract

Are you in a cell phone contract with a carrier that suddenly does not get coverage at your home or office anymore? Have you been told that it will cost you $$$ to terminate your agreement? Well you can get out of your cell phone agreement, legally if the problems are documented. The Material Adverse Clause is a little known part of your cell phone agreement that essentially states that should any terms or conditions change following your signing of the contract, you have a right to terminate without having to pay any Early Termination Fee (ETF).

Here’s what to do:

Step 1 - Document legitimate dead zones when making calls with the carrier. When you experience a dead zone, dropped calls or network congestion, the trick is to continue making and calls you know will drop moments later. You will want to accumulate a high number of dropped calls because when you call customer service, and ask to speak to a supervisor, they will have the ability to view your calls and will see that the percentage of dropped calls in relation to total calls made is in fact very high.

Step 2 - Document your dropped calls on DeadCellZones.com by typing in your address or zip code on the map. Add your complaint and view complaints made by other users in your area. Copy (Ctrl + PrtSc) and paste (Ctrl + V) the map so you can send the coverage complaints to your carrier.

Step 3 - Call your cell phone carrier and politely ask to speak to a supervisor (this is a good practice whenever you have a concern and need to contact a company). Refer to your saved bills when speaking with the supervisor and use the term Material Adverse Clause specifically, and refer to the the changes that have occurred in your contract. Tell him/her that you want to cancel your agreement. Should you receive any pushback, remind the supervisor of the Material Adverse Clause and the specific changes in your contract and that should put a quick end to any challenge.

Related Stories:
How to Drop Early Termination Fees

What Are Femtocells?

Femtocells are small, low-power cellular base stations designed to provide enhanced indoor cellular coverage in areas with weak or limited network signals. They are typically used in residential or small office settings and connect to the existing broadband internet connection to transmit cellular signals.

Here's how femtocells work:

Installation: A femtocell is connected to the user's broadband internet router or modem via an Ethernet cable. The femtocell unit is usually compact and can be plugged directly into a power outlet.

Cellular Signal Transmission: Once connected, the femtocell acts as a miniature cellular tower. It receives the user's cellular signals, converts them into IP (Internet Protocol) packets, and transmits them over the internet connection to the wireless carrier's network.

Enhanced Indoor Coverage: The transmitted signals from the femtocell provide improved cellular coverage within a limited range, typically covering an area of a few hundred to a few thousand square feet. Users within this coverage area can connect to the femtocell and make calls, send messages, and access data services using their cellular devices.

Network Integration: The femtocell is integrated with the wireless carrier's network infrastructure, allowing seamless handover of calls and data sessions between the femtocell and the macro cellular network when users move in or out of the coverage area.

Femtocells offer several benefits:

Enhanced Indoor Coverage: Femtocells address the issue of weak or limited cellular signals indoors, where the signals from macro cellular towers may struggle to penetrate buildings. They provide reliable coverage and better call quality for users within the femtocell's range.

Offloading Network Traffic: By utilizing the internet connection for transmitting cellular signals, femtocells help offload network traffic from macro cellular towers. This can help improve overall network capacity and performance.

Cost Savings: Users can potentially save on cellular call charges by making calls through the femtocell, as it uses the internet connection rather than consuming cellular network resources.

Improved Battery Life: Since femtocells operate at lower power levels compared to macro cellular towers, the reduced distance between the device and the femtocell can lead to improved battery life for cellular devices.

It's important to note that femtocells are specific to a particular wireless carrier and require authorization and activation from the carrier. They are typically provided by the carrier as a solution for customers experiencing poor indoor coverage.

Distributed Antenna Systems: Challenges and Opportunities

Distributed Antenna Systems, or DAS, is a network of spatially separated antenna nodes connected to a common source via a transport medium that provides wireless service within a geographic area or structure. There are several regulatory challenges that arise out of DAS deployments. DAS is used in scenarios where alternate technologies are infeasible due to - terrain, zoning challenges for cell towers, infeasible cell tower placements, etc. Regulatory challenges arise at the federal, state, and municipal levels. Strangely, the FCC is proposing to ban cell phone signal boosters which are essentially consumers' versions of DAS.

It’s a new, evolving world for carriers, DAS providers (NextG & ExteNet), and jurisdictions when it comes to building ubiquitous, voice and data-rich networks for customers. Communities and their local officials are greatly improving their knowledge about DAS sites and taking a proactive approach to fixing coverage when often new cell phone towers are not the answer. Ordinances are starting to be proposed and written – how do carriers and DAS providers, as stakeholders, influence these codes? How do carriers and DAS providers work collaboratively – a unified force rather than dividing one another before the community. What behaviors do DAS providers need to exhibit as DAS moves into communities in order to not give a black eye to this segment of the wireless industry? How do we influence codes so that they don’t obstruct carriers from building towers along with DAS sites? Rights of way are likely opportunities as revenue sources for jurisdictions – how do carriers and DAS providers maximize their use while keeping time to market reasonable? How are the rights of way managed with respect to using existing infrastructure and supporting the need to use utility poles and street lights for 4G sites?

There are many examples of what happens as communities reach out to DAS providers in areas where carriers have trouble improving their networks using traditional means. DeadCellZones.com aims to help bring together utility, municipal planners, carriers, and DAS vendors.

Signal Boost For In-Building Coverage

Wilson Electronics launches SignalBoost DB Pro to improve in-building cell signal strength. It's easy to install kit that delivers the strongest cellular connection possible for mobile phones and data cards in any building experiencing weak cell signals.

ST. GEORGE, Utah – April 20, 2009 – Wilson Electronics, the leading provider of quality amplifiers and antennas for cellular phones and data cards, today announced the launch of the Wilson Electronics’ SignalBoost DB Pro™, the in-building wireless cellular amplifier kit that significantly improves voice and data performance of any cellular device, on any network, inside buildings or homes experiencing weak signals. Unique to the industry, the SignalBoost DB Pro is designed for simple installation without sacrificing the high-quality performance Wilson Electronics is known for.

“Dependency on cellular signals is on the rise as more and more people choose to drop their landlines in favor of their cell phones, making the need for strong cellular signal connection in the home, office, or any other building more important than ever before,“ said Joe Banos, COO of Wilson Electronics. “While most solutions on the market require complex installation or do not deliver the quality cellular signal enhancement promised, the SignalBoost DB Pro offers consumers, and professional installers, an easy to install, dependable solution, giving cellular users the confidence that their signal connections will be there when they need it most.”

At the center of the DB Pro kit is the dual-band amplifier with a new high gain design. An external omnidirectional high gain antenna with multiple mounting options eliminates researching cell site locations and antenna pointing. The inside panel antenna which rebroadcasts the amplified signal inside the home is designed for easy installation. All components are interconnected using provided standard TV cable which is also easily available and often found pre-installed, simplifying cable runs.

The SignalBoost DB Pro has been tested in real world, weak signal environments ensuring that consumers receive cell signals that could go undetected by most cell phones and data cards. Wilson Electronics’ patent-pending techniques monitor and prevent harmful interference to cell sites, allowing the amplifier to perform at the highest specifications for maximum performance. The kit increases power to the cell site up to 20 times over a typical cell phone and provides the bulk of the power needed for signal reception and transmission, allowing users also benefit from longer cell phone battery life. With minimal outside signal the DB Pro can typically provide coverage for an average 2,000 square foot home. If there is a stronger exterior signal, for example if the exterior antenna can be placed on the roof or above the tree line, the coverage could be up to 25,000 square feet.

The Wilson Electronics’ SignalBoost DB Pro kit includes:

* Dual Band bi-directional amplifier (62dB 75 Ohm)
* Power supply (110/220 V AC)
* Omni-directional exterior antenna with multiple mounting options (75 Ohm)
* Panel antenna (75 Ohm)
* 3 sets of standard TV Cable (RG-6 Cable in 50, 30 and 20 ft lengths)
* 30-day customer satisfaction money back guarantee
* One year warranty on all components

The SignalBoost DB Pro is now available through authorized Wilson Electronics’ dealers with an average selling price around $600. Visit the dealer locator page at www.wilsonelectronics.com to search for dealers by ZIP code, or to buy the product immediately from an online retail partner. For more information on how to become a Wilson Electronics’ dealer, visit www.wilsonelectronics.com/becomeadealer.php

About Wilson Electronics

Wilson Electronics, Inc., a leader in the wireless communications industry for over 40 years, pioneered the design and manufacture of a variety of cellular amplifiers, antennas and related components that significantly improve cellular communications in mobile or in-building installations. Wilson Electronics has consistently led the industry in performance standards and holds a number of patents including the industry’s fastest and most reliable method of oscillation prevention and carrier cell site protection. Wilson Electronics’ designs consistently outperform the competition in real world performance. All Wilson Electronics products are engineered, assembled and tested in the company’s headquarters in St. George, Utah. Wilson Electronics amplifiers fully comply with FCC regulations for cellular devices and are FCC and Industry Canada type accepted. For more information, visit www.wilsonelectronics.com.

*The SignalBoost DB Pro works with all carriers except those on the iDEN frequency. Contact Wilson Electronics for specific iDEN/Nextel Solutions

How To Select A Cellular Amplifier

With an estimated four billion cell phones in use worldwide, and the reliance on mobile voice and data on the rise, a strong cell signal is more important than ever. Cellular amplifiers have emerged as a viable tool to address cellular connectivity. Wilson Electronics outlines criteria for selecting the right cellular amplifier to protect consumers and ensure cellular signals stay within reach. The leading provider of quality amplifiers and antennas for cellular phones and data cards, released the six criteria to select a quality cellular amplifier to address the issue of dropped calls, slow data and bad cellular signal strength.

Due to a lack of industry standards in the cellular amplifier market, consumers are at risk of purchasing an inferior product that will not help them stay connected. “The lack of appropriate industry standards for cellular amplifiers allows for numerous products on the market that, while holding FCC approval, do not have the technical specification to deliver on their claims to improve cell signal quality to any significance,” said Joe Banos, COO at Wilson Electronics. “If a product does not meet six core elements, the user is at risk of purchasing a technology that cannot deliver on its promises.”

To protect buyers from purchasing a low-quality product, a cellular amplifier must have bi-directional amplification, high downlink receiver sensitivity, high uplink output power, oscillation detection and shut down cell site overload protection and a 100 percent unconditional customer satisfaction guarantee. With these elements, cellular phone and data card users can be confident that the amplifier they are selecting will virtually eliminate dropped calls, increase data rates and provide a quality cell signal.

6 Tips How To Select A Quality Cell Phone Amplifier

1) Bi-directional amplification: Select an amplifier that is bi-directional, meaning an amplifier that boosts both the cell site’s incoming downlink signal and outgoing uplink signal. Some amplifiers on the market only boost the downlink signal to the phone, with no amplification of the uplink signal. In this scenario, users will show an increase in bars and might be able to receive calls, but will not have the power to reach back to the cell site for a reliable call. High power uplink amplification yields two benefits - better call reliability and longer battery life.

2) High downlink receiver sensitivity: Receiver sensitivity is an amplifier’s ability to pick up weak signals that a typical cell phone may not hear. The higher the receiver sensitivity an amplifier can provide the better. Buyer beware, some amplifier manufacturers claiming to have high receiver sensitivity are touting numbers collected in perfect cellular signal scenarios. Quality amplifiers should be tested in real-world, weak signal, environments to ensure unsurpassed receiver sensitivity.

3) High uplink output power: The lack of output power from the phone to the cell site is the reason most dropped calls occur. Lowering output power is the easy and low-quality method to prevent oscillation and to keep costs down through less expensive components and simpler designs. By cutting these corners, many amplifiers on the market today deliver less output power than a typical cell phone or data card. Higher output power, with no corners cut, ensures the strongest possible cellular connection.

4) Oscillation detection and shutdown: Similar to a microphone being too close to a speaker, oscillation, also known as feedback, can be attributed to improper installation. However, improper design of a wireless amplifier can also be the cause. This oscillation can make cell sites shut down, violating FCC regulations. A violation could lead to fines imposed by the FCC and confiscation of a user’s amplifier. An amplifier that has a reliable and proven method of quickly and automatically detecting oscillation and shutting down when needed will protect both the cell site and the user.

5) Cell site overload protection: A quality amplifier is capable of monitoring proximity to a cell tower and automatically adjusts its output power to accommodate this change in distance. An amplifier operating at full power when too close to a cell tower will overload the site and impair service to a large number of users. Like oscillation, cell site overload can lead to intervention by the cellular operator and the FCC, as well as put the user at risk to costly fines and amplifier confiscation.

6) 100 percent customer satisfaction guaranteed: Identify a company that stands behind its products and be skeptical of sellers and manufacturers that do not offer an unconditional money-back guarantee. Also, read the fine print to make sure the guarantee you are getting is legitimate. A company that stands behind its products and offers extended customer services to the end-user, such as a U.S.-based tech support helpline, is a good indicator that the product is of high quality.

Wilson Electronics delivers proven, tested cellular amplifiers for in-building and mobile applications with industry-leading performance and quality. For more information about Wilson Electronics’ products and services visit. WilsonElectronics.com

UMA Phone + Wi-Fi = Home Cell Coverage

Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) provides access to cellular mobile voice and data services over unlicensed spectrum technologies, such Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (802.11). A UMA phone will use a cellular networks (GSM, CDMA, etc.) when out and about, and automatically switch to a UMA-enabled Bluetooth or Wi-Fi local network when in range, such as at home or in the office. UMA technology is the 3GPP global standard for fixed-mobile convergence. UMA enables secure, scalable access to mobile voice, data and IMS services over broadband IP access networks. By deploying UMA technology, mobile operators can deliver a number of compelling fixed-mobile convergence services. The most well-known applications of UMA include dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets and 3G femtocells access points.

Leading operators around the world have embraced UMA technology as the foundation for their fixed-mobile convergence strategy, including Orange/France Telecom, British Telecom, T-Mobile US, TeliaSonera, Netcom, Saunalahti and Cincinnati Bell. UMA enables secure, scalable access to mobile voice, data and IMS services over broadband IP access networks. By deploying UMA technology, mobile operators can deliver a number of compelling fixed-mobile convergence services. The most well-known applications of UMA include dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets and 3G femtocells access points. Leading operators around the world have embraced UMA technology as the foundation for their fixed-mobile convergence strategy, including Orange/France Telecom, British Telecom, T-Mobile US, TeliaSonera, Netcom, Saunalahti and Cincinnati Bell.

Improving coverage in areas where cellular signals are weak is an important issue for many organizations. UMA extends coverage to the workplace without forcing employees to change the way they use their cell phones. The only difference is that the phone will switch to Wi-Fi when it loses cellular coverage. To improve coverage with UMA, an organization sets up Wi-Fi access points in areas with poor cellular coverage to overcome coverage gaps and call dead zones. Companies with state-of-the-art, centrally managed wireless LANs (WLAN) can make a global configuration change to enable Wi-Fi UMA access from any location.

UMA-enabled Dual-Mode Wi-Fi Handsets: By far the most well-known UMA service is dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets (DMH), which enables operators to provide high-performance, low-cost mobile services to subscribers when in range of a home, office or public Wi-Fi network. With a UMA-enabled dual-mode Wi-Fi handset, subscribers can automatically roam and handover between cellular and Wi-Fi access, receiving a consistent set of services as they transition between networks.

UMA-enabled Femtocells: UMA-enabled femtocells represent a growing UMA service opportunity. The wireless industry has been searching for low-cost licensed indoor coverage solutions since the beginning of mobile networks. Unfortunately, the bulk of this opportunity (i.e. residential environments) has been beyond the addressable market for cost and operational reasons. To be successful, a residential licensed access point (i.e. femtocell) deployment must include low-cost femtocells (under €150), a reasonable approach for managing RF interference, and a standard, scalable, IP-based approach for core network integration.
UMA Today publishes the UMA Today Magazine, maintains the website, hosts Webinars and is involved in other industry activity to promote UMA technology. For more information, please visit

OnStar Hands Free Cell Phone

I recently heard a commercial on Sirius Satellite Radio advertising OnStar's antennas which can enhance your cell phone coverage. Here is OnStar's "Hands-Free Calling How-To's" video. I also became curious to know what happens if you are in an accident or have an emergency within a cell phone dead zone and you cannot get a cellular signal. Maybe someone reading this can answer that question?

I also looked into the pricing which I found on their OnStar's web site and was not impressed with their direct pricing. However, there was another option to link the package to your Verizon Wireless account and purchase minutes here but don't know the numbers. I do know there are benefits of having antenna boosters installed on the vehicle which is what Wilson Electronics provides without any service fees or purchase of premium minutes.

OnStar Hands-Free
Minutes Price
100 $ 39.99
300 $ 114.99
500 $ 174.99
1,000 $ 299.99

Sirius & XM Satellite Radio Coverage Map?