LAS VEGAS -- Femtocells, or small cellular base stations designed to boost cellphone signals, are seen as the next big thing in wireless.
At CES 2009 Motorola showed off femtocells packaged in a digital picture-frame like exterior in a bid to make it easier for consumers to hop on to the trend.
The CDMA femtocell 9100 Series includes a VoIP soft phone and offers enhanced phone coverage inside the home. Touching the screen activates the femtocell.
Through the screen, users can specify coverage radius, average number of walls, windows, doors, or select one or more mobile devices to optimize performance, says Motorola. Device, subscriber management and access control settings can also be handled through the femtocell frame.
Motorola will start trials of the femtocell frame in the first half of the year and hopes to have it available by the end of the year. The company hasn't finalized any deals with carriers yet but Verizon could be the possible service provider for the device.
In Europe, femtocells are available for about ten-euros a month. Motorola hopes to ink deals that will bring similar pricing to North America.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
