ip.access launches 3G C-class consumer small cell

CAMBRIDGE, UK: At its European User Group conference in Central London, ip.access announced a new C8 consumer femtocell Access Point. In front of representatives from its existing customer base, which numbers some 60 network operators, ip.access unveiled the smart new 3G residential small cell which can provide strong 3G signal for up to eight phones simultaneously within a home or home office.

The plug-and-play unit is quick and easy to install, and automatically configures its radio parameters to optimise performance within the surrounding macro network. Designed for operation in Closed Access mode, the C-class AP allows the home owner to choose which phones can access the small cell to make and receive calls, surf the web or download music and movies at speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps.

The new C8 unit is built with ip.access' award-winning Oyster 3G technology, which is used by Cisco in the world’s largest femtocell deployment with AT&T in the USA. The C8 AP becomes part of the company’s end-to-end nano3G small cell solution, which enables mobile network operators to get a high quality 3G mobile phone signal inside buildings and other hard-to-reach places, and uses broadband IP backhaul for rapid deployment and low-cost operation.

Making the announcement, ip.access SVP product strategy and marketing, Dr Andy Tiller said: “We lead the world in small cell deployments, both within homes through our work with Cisco and AT&T and in public small cell deployments with our worldwide operator customers. Today, we are further extending our nano3G solution with our own C-class product as a natural complement to our existing S-Class and E-Class 3G units. Our picocells and femtocells already serve millions of subscribers in homes, shops, offices and busy public locations.”

In August this year ip.access announced that its Oyster 3G technology is powering more than half a million small cell Access Points in mobile networks worldwide.