Mobile broadband solution provider ZyXEL is trying to improve the quality and coverage of 3G mobile broadband services in the home by integrating Alcatel-Lucent’s residential small cells software into its consumer networking devices.
3G coverage in the home can often be poor due to a weak signal, which can either be caused by the building structure impeding the signal, or by the physical distance of the building from the operator’s base station.
ZyXEL’s new small cell CPEs (Customer Premises Equipment) aim to solve the signal problem by integrating small cells software into wireless routers and set-top boxes, so that users can install residential small cells, or rather small wireless base stations, by themselves in order to improve their mobile broadband speeds.
In a statement, 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.”
A-L’s software licensing program enables operators to work together with their preferred CBE vendors or A-L’s partners to create low-cost CBE.