Good Idea! Now find a better one.

In two previous posts, Does Verizon really care about the Network? and Scrounging for Ideas behind the Marketing, we asked what tangible actions customers see to back up the Network and Dropped Call bragging that Verizon and Cingular do.

They don’t provide any statistics that, say, plot a customers signal strength over the month. What about after-action reports on why a call was dropped and what’s being done to prevent it, or even how to avoid the drop? Not a chance. And what recourse do you have for that apartment or office that happens to be in a dead spot?

Well, there are a couple of device makers like Spotwave, but GigaOM reports that cellular providers are now working to bring a new “femto solution” to market:

The forthcoming femto solution? Having end-users buy a small femto device, similar in concept to a Wi-Fi access point, that is a personal cellular site. The femto cellular device has a cellular antenna to boost the available signal as well as an Internet connection. The device uses your Internet connection to connect to your mobile provider’s’ network and route your phone calls.

It’s nice to see an option coming out where individual users can do something, anything, about their reception where they live and work.

From the Ether

TVover.net touches on a report from ABI Research: “According to ABI Research, by 2011 the worldwide market for femtocell products is expected to reach nearly 19 million units per annum.”

The report itself looks quite informative but at $4200, if you aren’t in the business, it ain’t worth it.

Dean Bubley predicts a slow road to these femto cells achieving their full potential for the customer as there are many practical issues to be worked out.