Femto Cell

A Femto Cell, as defined by the 3GPP in their Release 8 specifications, can be simply described as a personal base station which is sited inside a subscriber’s home or small business. As it is able to provide targeted coverage, the Femto Cell can significantly increase the bandwidth available to a mobile within its field of operation. The Femto Cell or HNB connects to the service provider’s network via a broadband IP network and HNB-GW. Unlike similar technologies such as UMA , which uses an alternative radio access technology like WiFi , Femto Cells support standard cellular air interfaces such as UMTS and CDMA2000.