Former Ministry of Communications director general Dan Rosen, considered one of Israel's top telecommunications experts, is calling on the ministry to adopt femtocell technology in order institute real change in the market. Sources inform ''Globes'' that in a letter to the ministry, Rosen detailed how femtocell technology can promote competition in the telecommunications market for less than $100 per unit.
A femtocell is a small base station or wireless access point in subscribers' homes, provides clearer and better access for mobile telephones at low rates. A femtocell uses a high-speed Internet connection, instead of outdoor cellular antennas, to send a call from a handset to the operator's base station, which directs the call to its destination.
Femtocell technology has been under development for several years, and recently began commercial deployment. British network 3 Mobile Ltd. and Sprint Nextel Inc. (NYSE: S) in the US both use the technology.
Rosen says that consumers can install a femtocell at home in same way that a Wi-Fi access point is installed. This will make it possible to use their cellular telephones at home for calls or data communications at reduced rates using the same cellular equipment for outside the building. A cellular service provider can offer subscribers a range of services, while controlling the services' range, quality, and rates in the same way that a service provider with an independent infrastructure is able to do, thereby creating real competition.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 15, 2008
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