Femtocell base station shipments set to triple in 2010
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Femtocell base stations are poised for 'spectacular growth', with shipments set to triple this year, according to analyst iSuppli.
The analyst forecasts that shipments will rise to 1.9million, up from 571,000 in 2009. According to iSuppli, a period of expansion then will follow, with shipments reaching 7.2m units in 2011, up 289% from 2010. Shipments are forecast to rise by 232% to reach 23.9m units in 2012 and by 657% to hit 39.6m units in 2013.
Francis Sideco, analyst at iSuppli, said: "Along the wireless supply chain, various nodes are busy mobilising to provide solutions for femtocells, which resemble Wi-Fi routers in appearance. Instead of enabling wireless local area networks, however, femtocell base stations improve 3G coverage inside buildings or homes—locations where wireless signals tend to be weak because of building materials blocking the signal or the site's distance from a cell tower."
Among participants, major global operators such as Vodafone have launched femtocell solutions, while commercial deployments are also being launched by an increasing number of carriers around the world.
In addition to carriers, several device manufacturers are firming up their femtocell positions after recently announcing the selection of picoChip to supply the key baseband chipset components for their products. Femtocells are also being evaluated by chipset suppliers such as Qualcomm and Texas Instruments which are examining entry strategies for breaking into the market.
A fourth node comprising test and measurement companies is leading the charge for self optimisation of coverage for femtocell deployments.
Taking into account such developments across the mobile ecosystem, iSuppli claims that 2010 will be the year in which femtocell units become a key ingredient in the foundation for future radio access network topologies.
Sideco concluded: "While technical and commercial challenges remain, femtocells are proving to be viable solutions for players in the wireless industry—especially mobile network operators—seeking to optimise their resources in providing seamless wireless coverage inside indoor environments."
