STAFF REPORT IBD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has planned to roll out the femtocells infrastructure network for cellular phone operators in order to introduce high speed internet or data services through their customers at reduced capital and operational cost.
A femtocell is a small and low-power cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business. It connects to the service providers network via broadband. The current designs typically support two to four active mobile phones in a residential setting, and eight to 16 active mobile phones in enterprise settings.
The rising trend of smartphone among the customers and their need of speedy bandwidth is the issue in Pakistan since the expected launch of 3G services has yet to be made. On the other hand, cellular phone operators are looking for options to lessen their expenses to provide high speed data services at competitive rates.
The deployment of femtocell network could serve the purpose of the customers and cellular phone alike before the launch of 3G services if the industry stakeholders agree to launch new technology based on high speed internet.
The telecom authority has sought feedback of the industry stakeholders to roll out the new network through adjustable regulatory requirement to facilitate service providers.
The cellular operator can provide femto based services through existing DSL/broadband connection of the end user without going into any interconnect agreement with the ISP/Broadband service provider.