The CDMA pioneer is listing a number of technical features for the upcoming chipsets:
- A combined radio chip and 3G baseband controller
- Support for 3G CDMA standards as well as GSM technologies, such as High-Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+)
- A 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a GPS receiver
It is not yet clear why multistandard 3G support is part of Qualcomm's package. Femtocells have traditionally been sold through carriers to boost capacity in a user's home, so support for either CDMA or GSM has typically been the approach that vendors take.
The positioning of the femtocell as a possible future multimedia gateway, however, is more usual in the market. Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), in particular, is said to be interested in combining femtocell technology with cable TV and wired Internet access. (See Cisco Femto Spotted at AT&T.)
In fact, both Cisco and Qualcomm invested in UK-based ip.access Ltd. (See Qualcomm Invests in ip.access.)
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile