The growing number of people who use smartphones and tablet devices to access the Internet, play games and watch videos in their homes, often find that connections can be slow and coverage can be poor. This may be because of a weak signal due to the physical distance of the building from the operator’s base station or because the structure of the building is impeding the signal. These issues can be solved by the installation of residential small cells – small wireless base stations – that can be easily installed by homeowners themselves to improve mobile broadband speed and quality.

As part of Alcatel-Lucent’s Software Licensing Program, ZyXEL will integrate Alcatel-Lucent’s residential small cell software with its own broadband and wireless products, to provide consumers with high-speed, high-performance connections to the mobile broadband network in their homes. Using the two industry leaders’ combined expertise, these products – or ‘CPEs’ (Customer Premises Equipment) - will allow operators to satisfy their customers’ demands with consistent ‘five-bar’ signals. ZyXEL’s new small cell CPEs will also be a good choice for service providers as they will utilize Alcatel-Lucent’s existing small cell software, already used by many operators worldwide.

Wayne Hwang, Assistant VP of Wireless Strategy Business Unit of ZyXEL, said: “At ZyXEL, our mission is to develop IP-enabled wired and wireless broadband solutions that help people communicate more effectively while enjoying a seamlessly connected network. Alcatel-Lucent’s residential small cell software will help us deliver products with a competitive edge, while allowing us to provide high-quality, high-performance mobile broadband solutions for homes across the globe to enhance the mobile broadband experience for customers.”

ZyXEL Communications Corp.