NETGEAR Releases Second Generation Femtocell, MF100H

Netgear today announced the release of its MF100H Second generation Femtocell device. The MF100H is a new addition to the Netgear’s range of home networking solutions and mobile portfolio.  According to Netgear the MF100H complements the current NETGEAR broadband gateway and router lineup widely used by Cable TV Multiple Systems Operators (MSOs) and Telco broadband service providers for residential and business customers.

Netgear sees the recent increase in mobile data traffic as an opportunity for femtocell devices/solutions. Netgear thinks the current pressure that mobile operators are under to improve performance can be reduce with the addition of femtocell as part of their mobile strategy, because femtocell can be used to reduce network load, improve customer experience and add new revenue streams.

For mobile customers, voice and data consumption occurs most often at home or in the office. Femtocells can be easily placed at either location using the customers' existing wired broadband for backhaul at near zero network facility cost.  . The small cell radius achieved by femtocells delivers a traffic carrying capacity gain in the range of three orders of magnitude (1000x) similar to WiFi. This enables operators to use their licensed spectrum to smartly serve mobile consumers.

"Femtocells are just now getting to the other side of the technology chasm," said Michael Clegg, vice president and general manager, Service Provider Business Unit, NETGEAR. "Today, these nascent devices appear in tiny deployments when measured against the billions of residences and businesses worldwide where they will ultimately be deployed. After three years in the market, femtocells are now poised for widespread adoption thanks to industry advances in interoperability and reduced deployment costs."