Huawei Technologies is trialing femtocell technology with 3G operators in Europe and Asia, with commercial deployment planned early next year, a company executive said.
Zhao Ming, VP of wireless network marketing, said the company was working with a number of 3G operators in both regions on the deployment of femtocells to improve indoor coverage of data services.
In Europe, the company has completed a six-month trial with an unidentified 3G operator, during which femtocell base stations are placed in end-users' homes to test the technology. Similar trials are also being conducted with 3G operators in Asia, including SK Telecom, Zhao told telecomasia.net at the Mobile Asia Congress.
According to Zhao, Huawei will launch commercial HSDPA femtocell products, including base stations and an end-to-end solution by year-end, with commercial deployment by operators scheduled for first quarter next year. He said the HSDPA femtocell base station can support speed up to 7.2 Mbps.
"As many 3G operators have already deployed HSDPA, mobile users can now enjoy download speed of up to 7.2 Mbps in an outdoor environment, so it's very important to bring the same experience into the home," he said.
Femtocells, which allow mobile operators to extend their cellular coverage in the home and office environment, are gaining momentum with over 20 trials are taking place around the world, driven by operators like Vodafone, Softbank Mobile and femtocell supporters like ip.access, Motorola and Nokia Siemens Networks.