Sprint will be launching a 3G femtocell, a mini cell phone tower-like device that helps you get a better voice and data signal in your home or office. It will be a faster version of the wireless carrier’s 2G Airave product, according to documents filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The new Sprint femtocell will include a radio for the 3G service and a port for a VoIP (voice-over-IP) line.
A release date for the new femtocell is unknown but expected very soon considering the FCC filing. It may cost the same $100 as the current product and is also likely to carry a $5 monthly fee. When users make calls connected to the Airave, however, the time spent won't count towards plan minutes.
Sprint’s launch comes after AT&T announced its 3G AT&T MicroCell for $150 (+$20 per month) and just as a new study indicates the femtocells could proliferate in the next few years.
A femtocell operates like your personal mini cell phone tower. You connect the router-like device to your existing broadband landline service (cable or fiber) and it provides better indoor coverage for your phone. Sprint, who has reportedly partnered with Femtocell manufacturer Airvana to deliver the new product.
Airave, their $100 femtocell device made by Samsung, has been available nationwide since August 2008. However, Airave doesn’t support 3G - merely Sprint’s CDMA network with speeds of about 150 kilobits per second. Verizon’s solution, the $250 Wireless Network Expander, uses the same network as is only 2G as well.
Femtocells could help numerous customers with coverage issues when it comes to phone calls, but most require an additional monthly fee of $5-$20 per month. In addition, vendors such as Ubiquisys recently announced that the wholesale price of a femtocell has dropped to below $100.
Its usefulness is less obvious when it comes to data transfer, since most customers who own broadband lines already use the much-faster Wi-Fi at home.
Related posts: Sprint Service Plans and Coverage Review
Sprint Home Cell Tower or Femtocell
Related Articles:
Airave,
Airvana,
ATT Wireless,
CDMA,
Cell Towers,
Clearwire,
Connected Car,
Data Congestion,
Data Plans,
Dropped Calls,
Femtocell,
Microcell,
Samsung,
Sprint,
T-Mobile,
Time Warner,
Ubiquisys,
Verizon,
Wifi,
Wimax
Popular Posts
-
The iPhone can be unlocked, which means you can use the phone on any GSM network around the World. T-Mobile is usually "less bad"...
-
LTE = Long Term Evolution Long Term Evolution (LTE) . It is a new radio platform technology that will allow carriers to give you higher ...
-
zBoost YX-510 Cell Phone Signal Booster Dual-Band Unit for Home or Office Q uestion: I’m interested in purchasing a booster for m...
-
Coverage: Sprint has coverage in every state, but coverage in Alaska is limited to analog roaming only. They have also been rolling out t...
-
Coverage: T-Mobile's coverage can be spotty in a few areas around the United States and Mexico, but not as bad as most people procla...
-
Report SiriusXM Satellite Radio Reception Problems See SiriusXM's Coverage Map We have been noticing a lot more Sirius XM radi...
-
Report SiriusXM Radio Reception Problems See SiriusXM's Coverage Map Has the Sirius / XM customer service improved helping custom...
-
Boost Mobile Coverage Map Updated Boost Mobile Coverage Maps 2021 Boost Mobile is a prepaid wireless MVNO that operates on the net...
-
Coverage: Marketing AT&T 5G LTE . AT&T claims to have the fastest download data speeds of any wireless service. However, most ...
-
AT&T came out with a femtocell device 2 years ago to help their customers extend coverage to inside their homes and offices. How is a...