Ubiquisys Unveils 3G Metro Femto

LAS VEGAS -- Public Wireless, the specialist in wireless siting solutions, and Ubiquisys, the leader in 3G femtocells, today announced the commercial availability of the Public Wireless Colo-Node HSPA, the first metro femtocell solution specifically designed for outdoor hotspot locations. Metro femtocells are an elegant solution to the smartphone-led explosion in capacity demand, providing voice coverage and capacity for data hungry users precisely when and where it is needed. These hotspots may be found in busy urban centers, train stations, crowded event venues or topographically diverse suburban and rural locations.

The Public Wireless Colo-Node HSPA is a new class of device: a metro femtocell that provides a targeted, low-cost solution that can be rapidly installed and easily maintained. It automatically complements the existing macro network and adapts to changes in the adjacent macro and femtocell networks. The Colo-Node HSPA provides seamless capacity relief for increasingly congested macro networks, and backhauls over the ubiquitous, low-cost IP infrastructure already deployed – typically cable or DSL. A single Colo-Node HSPA metro femtocell provides a range of up to 2km at pedestrian and vehicular speeds.

The Colo-Node HSPA is part of a range of metro cell solutions based on Public Wireless’ proven Distributed Network Element (DNE) platform, building on the company’s expertise in wireless hotspots. The platform includes all the necessary equipment to make a highly functional outdoor metro cell deployment: a compact ruggedized casing designed for pole or strand co-location, IP backhaul, power amplifier, management system interfaces, and an external antenna. This platform can support many of the currently deployed wireless standards in one single location. Public Wireless can integrate all 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies in this single box. WiFi 802.11n is also a supported option.

In a separate release:

Ubiquisys, the leading provider of 3G femtocells, today announced the latest addition to its Enterprise Femto Net solution, the G34, powered by Femto-Engine software and building on the G3 model currently being deployed by mobile operators. The G34 includes support for UMTS bands I, II and V, making it suitable for the majority of operators in North, Central and South America, Europe and Asia and also includes Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Assisted GPS (A-GPS) options. It also boasts support for 16 simultaneous calls, with data speeds of 14.4Mbps downlink and 5.7Mbps uplink, and a picocell-class 24dBm radio.

The Ubiquisys Femto-Engine software enables G34 femtocells to autonomously communicate with their femto neighbours to create a robust Self-Organising Network (SON). This allows the femto network to scale to any size by simply adding more femtos. Despite its extended range, the G34 has low enough power consumption to allow Power over Ethernet, so installation simply involves plugging it into the corporate LAN. In common with other Ubiquisys femtocell designs, the G34 is manufactured by Ubiquisys’ hardware partners.

“Operators have been quick to realise the huge market opportunity for femtocells in the enterprise sector and have demanded access points tailored to this segment,” said Chris Gilbert, CEO of Ubiquisys. “The G34 builds upon the commercially proven functionality of our existing enterprise product. The addition of the new bands, A-GPS, Power over Ethernet and greater range make it even more attractive for enterprises, particularly in the US.”

Ubiquisys Ltd.