Is there such a thing as an IP femtocell, and what does it do?

Is there such a thing as an IP femtocell, and what does it do?

My dad mentioned a co-worker suggested using a device, that might use CDMA to route calls through IP to save costs on a certain overseas project we're on- since our home base is quite far from there. I've never heard of such a device, so if it does exist, I'm wondering, if it's specific to particular ISPs, or if you can just pick one off the shelf, plug it into an arbitrary Internet connection, and make calls using it and a cellphone of some sort?

Asked by: Guest | Views: 280

Total answers/comments: 2

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Guest [Entry]

Different cell carriers offer femtocells, as well as Magicjack who is about to release one. You may want to consider using phones that simply integrate with normal wifi through UMA. I get crap service where I am, but my phone just patches into my access point at home and doesn't have trouble.

Guest [Entry]

"From the Wikipedia article on Femtocell:

In telecommunications, a
femtocell—originally known as an
Access Point Base Station—is a small
cellular base station, typically
designed for use in a home or small
business. It connects to the service
provider’s network via broadband (such
as DSL or cable); current designs
typically support 2 to 4 active mobile
phones in a residential setting, and 8
to 16 active mobile phones in
enterprise settings. A femtocell
allows service providers to extend
service coverage indoors, especially
where access would otherwise be
limited or unavailable. The femtocell
incorporates the functionality of a
typical base station but extends it to
allow a simpler, self contained
deployment; an example is a UMTS
femtocell containing a Node B, RNC and
in some cases GPRS Support Node (SGSN)
with Ethernet for backhaul. Although
much attention is focused on WCDMA,
the concept is applicable to all
standards, including GSM, CDMA2000,
TD-SCDMA, WiMAX and LTE solutions.

There is a ton more information in that article. I won't repeat it all here, but there are several pieces of discussion in there about ""lub over IP"" and VoIP with terminal adapters, etc."