http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/ Engadget Mobile Comments for Details on AT&T's 3G MicroCell: everything but the date and price http://mobile.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://mobile.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://www.ipaccess.com/company/investors.php), which is one of the leading femtocell companies. AT&T typically doesn't like to associate publicly with small (aka unknown etc) companies for products that will go into the homes and businesses of millions of people, so it's possible they cut Cisco into the action for the branding/service/support part. At leas this is what was reported in or about April 2008, so unless something has changed...]]>Jan 25th 2009 11:55PMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/
Of course they bought Linksys for home/SOHO network hardware, but in my experience Linksys routers were mostly really good, so I would have bought a Linksys home router anyway. I sure wouldn't have bought a Samsung...]]>Jan 26th 2009 2:07AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 4:20AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 1:11AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/
This product (called a femtocell) on the other hand, is a hardware appliance running a VoIP client on your LAN, and serves up a small GSM network to extend AT&T's network in your house. Your phone calls still go through your phone's GSM antenna instead of its WiFi antenna, but then get converted to VoIP at the appliance.
]]>Jan 26th 2009 2:10AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/
UMA has advantages and disadvantages over femtocell implementations like the AT&T one. The major advantage is that it works anywhere. If you're in a coffee shop with Wifi in Amsterdam, you can tell your cellphone to use that connection, and then start making calls without incurring huge roaming charges (indeed, if you pay T-Mobiles H@H subscription, your calls to the US are free at that point.) It's also carrier independent, meaning that if someone has a Wifi hotspot in their building, anyone with a UMA-enabled phone and an operator that supports UMA access can use it.

The major disadvantage is that it only works with a limited range of phones right now. I'm fairly disappointed T-Mobile hasn't used its muscle to force manufacturers to ship Wifi built into all their phones, but, oh well.

What I'd like to see is a proliferation of both femtocells and UMA, but that's not going to happen at the moment as it appears most people see these as competing technologies.]]>Jan 26th 2009 9:11AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 3:08AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 5:36AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 8:41AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/
Only similar thing i've seen are mobile repeaters, but dubious on whether they work. This kind of things sounds like it would be perfect. ]]>Jan 26th 2009 3:50AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 6:52AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 6:56AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/
Unhacked Femtocells will never be a solution to roaming issues. And hacked femtocells will almost certainly be illegal to use where-ever they operate. Sorry.
]]>Jan 26th 2009 9:16AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://www.wireless.att.com/dcom//English/staticContent/html/help_ATT3GMicroCell_cms.html]]>Jan 26th 2009 10:40AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/
I live in an area where AT&T only has 1900 MHz licenses, which means in building coverage is lousy. It would be nice to trick it into using 850 MHz. I don't care about blah blah blah interference, I just want to try it. If it works, it works. If not, owell. I least I know how to hack a femtocell.

Anyone heard how to do that?]]>Jan 27th 2009 1:12PMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 10:44AMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Jan 26th 2009 1:06PMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/
Their website is down for maintenance.]]>Jan 26th 2009 5:54PMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/so, now we have a website with no deets.
and just try to buy one from att. they have no clue.

it's not official. but i can't wait until it arrives!]]>Jan 28th 2009 7:41PMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Feb 1st 2009 2:00PMhttp://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/01/25/details-on-atandts-3g-microcell-everything-but-the-date-and-pric/Feb 2nd 2009 10:55AM