1 July launch for Access Gateway service
Vodafone has announced that it will launch a consumer femtocell product and service in the UK from the 1 July. The announcement – made at the Femtocells World Summit being held today in London – has taken many by surprise.
"There has been a sense that femtocells were going to be slow to arrive in Europe," Andy Tiller, CTO of ip.access told Mobile Europe, "but I think this announcement willl provide real impetus."
Sanjeev Verma, vp of femtocell at Airvana, said, "Operators are competitive, and although Europe doesn't have the coverage issues like the USA and Asian markets, Vodafone's announcement will drive a competitive response from other operators."
Kenny Graham, head of new technologies and innovation at Vodafone, told the audience at the Femotcells World Summit that the service will be available online and in stores from the 1 July. Vodafone is using equipment from Alcatel-Lucent for the service, which it will be calling Vodafone Access Gateway. In Spain, where Vodafone is also developing a service, it is using Huawei equipment.
A Vodafone press release said that the Gateway will be available from free or as part of an inclusive price plan from £15 a month. It is also available as a one off purchase for £160 or a monthly charge from as little as £5.
“The Vodafone Access Gateway will boost indoor mobile phone coverage for customers who today, find they need to move around the rooms in their home to get a consistent signal strength,” said Ian Shepherd, Consumer Director, Vodafone UK. “We are committed to delivering the best, most reliable network and this is another step towards maintaining a seamless service.”
The Vodafone Access Gateway can be ordered from July 1 at vodafone.co.uk/gateway or in Vodafone stores and is delivered to the customer. Customers then register online the mobile numbers they want linked to the Vodafone Access Gateway and within 24 hours the full service will be ready and working.