Ubiquisys, the developer of 3G and LTE intelligent cells, today announced the world’s first attocell – a personal femtocell. Designed primarily for people travelling abroad, it enables mobile calls to be made and received as though in their home
country. Although developed specifically for the iPhone, the attocell works out of the box with any 3G phone, and has also been tested with Blackberry, Nokia and Android smartphones. Ubiquisys is already in discussions with several mobile operators about the product.
The attocell connects to a user’s laptop via USB, which provides power
and an internet connection. It then analyses the IP address and radio
environment to determine which country it is in, and sets its 3G radio
power accordingly to below the licenced level. In some countries its
range will be just 5mm, in other countries, it could cover a whole room.
Like Ubiquisys femtocells, the attocell continuously monitors its radio
environment to ensure that there is zero impact on existing mobile
networks. This intelligence, combined with its tiny power output, is
likely to make the attocell exempt from regulatory controls and the
requirement for type approval.
In 5mm mode, the traveller simply lays the iPhone on top of the device
and the phone connects automatically, just like a regular femtocell.
Calls can be made using a Bluetooth or wired headset , or by using the
iPhone’s speaker.
“At Ubiquisys we are constantly developing new ways to harness
intelligent cell technology,” said Chris Gilbert, CEO Ubiquisys. “The
attocell innovation is a direct response to meet a specific requirement
from mobile operators.”
The company will showcase the attocell to customers at Mobile World Congress.