1 edit | $100 $100 would be a great price.. Sprint just tried to sell me a signal repeater for $349.. I think femtocells are a good idea if you use your phone at home alot like I do.. | |
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 |  NY TelPremium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
kudos:3
 ·AT&T CallVantage
| Re: $100 Yup this will benefit consumers and allow them to further "cut the cord" and ditch their landlines. Take the 50 bucks a month you pay for unlimited dialtone and out it towards an unlimited cell plan for $99.00 if the situation is right for someone.
Not for everyone, but it is a good alternative option. | |
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|  en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | A signal repeater will work where ever you need the signal 'repeated'.
A femtocell requires an internet connection.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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|  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| I thought Femotocells reroute your at home calls via your internet connection (VOIP) and so don't burn your minutes.
If AT&T wants you to pay for the minutes AND pay for the hardware, well, that's just a rip-off. That's making you pay for what you should already get.
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) | |
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| |  djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:1 | Re: $100 It's not a rip off if you just want your cell phone to work reliably in your house. I'd happily pay $100 for such a device. I barely use up my minutes anyway. | |
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| | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
| Re: $100 Yes, that's a rip off. If you have cell service, and it doesn't work in your home, and it's going to use your minutes, they should *give you* a repeater to make the service work.
Now, if this femtocell is like T-Mobiles and will save you minutes, well, I can see offering them for sale to those who want them.
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) | |
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| | | | Reviews:
 ·Sprint Mobile Br..
| Re: $100 said by KrK:Yes, that's a rip off. If you have cell service, and it doesn't work in your home, and it's going to use your minutes, they should *give you* a repeater to make the service work. Now, if this femtocell is like T-Mobiles and will save you minutes, well, I can see offering them for sale to those who want them. T-Mo hotspot service is not femtocell it's just your phone using wi-fi with voip... femtocell is like a miniature cell tower using your internet connection as a backhaul line so you can use it with any GSM phone. | |
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| | | | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
| Re: $100 said by bobjohnson:T-Mo hotspot service is not femtocell it's just your phone using wi-fi with voip... femtocell is like a miniature cell tower using your internet connection as a backhaul line so you can use it with any GSM phone. That's why I said "like T-mobiles." It's not quite the same tech, but it's the exactly the same idea. IE reliable Cell service in your home, going out on your broadband. I like this idea, provided AT&T doesn't still try and charge you for minutes. If the calls go out on your own internet, then there should be no minute charges to your plan.
Now, if they DO use your minutes, then they shouldn't charge you anything for the hardware. It should be free.
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) | |
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| | | | | | Reviews:
·Sprint Mobile Br..
| Re: $100 said by KrK:said by bobjohnson:T-Mo hotspot service is not femtocell it's just your phone using wi-fi with voip... femtocell is like a miniature cell tower using your internet connection as a backhaul line so you can use it with any GSM phone. That's why I said "like T-mobiles." It's not quite the same tech, but it's the exactly the same idea. IE reliable Cell service in your home, going out on your broadband. I like this idea, provided AT&T doesn't still try and charge you for minutes. If the calls go out on your own internet, then there should be no minute charges to your plan. Now, if they DO use your minutes, then they shouldn't charge you anything for the hardware. It should be free. Oh, ok I got ya... They will just charge you for an unlimited plan for the minutes at home like everyone else has so far i'm sure | |
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| | | | djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:1 Reviews:
·Verizon Wireless..
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·VOIPo
·PHONE POWER
| quote:
If you have cell service, and it doesn't work in your home, and it's going to use your minutes, they should *give you* a repeater to make the service work.
That would be nice, but IMHO, that's an unrealistic expectation. No cell company guarantees coverage.
Plus, I really can't fault AT&T too much for my poor reception - they built a tower about 3,000 feet away. The terrain is simply not good for any sort of radio reception here. I've considered buying a repeater, but the ones I've seen are way more than $100, and I'd want something I know is going to work with 3G. A simpler, cheaper device that I can plug into my broadband connection sounds like a great idea to me. I have no need for cheaper/extra minutes. I don't spend that much time on my phone. I just want it to work for those few times I do need it. | |
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| | | | | en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: $100 Are you on Seco Canyon ?
There are plans to build a couple of sites on Seco in 2009
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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| | |  Romney2012Defeat Obama 2012-Chg we can believe inPremium
join:2002-03-03
USA
kudos:4 | said by djrobx:It's not a rip off if you just want your cell phone to work reliably in your house. I'd happily pay $100 for such a device. I barely use up my minutes anyway. If Verizon offered a femtocell service, I'd seriously look at it and then dump my land line altogether.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
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| | | | NY TelPremium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
kudos:3 Reviews:
·AT&T CallVantage
1 edit | Re: $100 said by Romney2012:said by djrobx:It's not a rip off if you just want your cell phone to work reliably in your house. I'd happily pay $100 for such a device. I barely use up my minutes anyway. If Verizon offered a femtocell service, I'd seriously look at it and then dump my land line altogether. They are going to offer it later this year. Details are here:
Verizon Wireless: Femtocells in 2008
By admin
Created Apr 7 2008 - 6:59am
Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said at the CTIA Wireless 2008 trade show last week that the carrier would begin offering femtocell products and service plans sometime this year. The announcement follows a move by Sprint into the femtocell arena. AT&T also is said to be evaluating a femtocell offering.
What remains to be seen is what Verizon will charge for the femtocell device and the service plan. Sprint charges around $50 for the product and $15 per month for service. Verizon's commitment, broader than Sprint's thus far and the only one by a U.S. telco that has both local wireline and wireless networks, may well bring femtocell deployment to its tipping point in the U.S. market. | |
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spe1996
join:2001-01-10
Chagrin Falls, OH |  Missing the point
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|  sirwoogieBlahPremium
join:2002-01-02
Carleton, MI
1 edit | Re: Missing the point Typically, the carrier would offer a plan where for a small fee (in addition to the cost of the unit) you would get unlimited minutes if you are attached to the femtocell.
For example, Sprint charges $15/mo on individual account for this type of service. In my opinion, it should be $5 or less. But that would cannibalize their profits. | |
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| | en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: Missing the point It would truly allow you to ditch your landline, if that were the case.
I don't think AT&T 'really' wants to cannibalize their VoIP and POTS service (yet) for a $5 add on to cell service.
I know that I would ditch VoIP and/or POTS for $5/month to have unlimited on my cell.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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| Reviews:
·Sprint Mobile Br..
| said by spe1996:So maybe I am missing the point, once I spend $100 on the Femtocell for my home am I still charged by AT&T for the minutes I use when I talk or the data used while connected thru the Femtocell? If so what the point if I get acceptable reception in my home I know t-mo has a $9.99 add-on for their UMA service but i'm sure att will rape their customers as usual | |
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|  CabalPremium
join:2007-01-21
Austin, TX
·Suddenlink
| said by spe1996:So maybe I am missing the point, once I spend $100 on the Femtocell for my home am I still charged by AT&T for the minutes I use when I talk or the data used while connected thru the Femtocell? If so what the point if I get acceptable reception in my home If you get 5 bars of reception in your home, you aren't gaining much. If you get 0 bars of reception in your home and a usable number of bars outside your home, there's a very big point to it. I can't speak on potential cost discounts, as they haven't been determined yet.
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Interested in open source engine management for your Subaru? | |
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| | emptywigHuh? What?Premium
join:2002-08-05
Pasadena, TX | Re: Missing the point If that's the case, though, why wouldn't I just put a repeater in my attic for a one-time cost?
There is no way I would pay an additional monthly fee for this.
wig
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Please keep your f---ing religion to yourself. | |
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| |  Old_GrouchDon't just sit there silly DO somethingPremium
join:2004-05-26
Greenwood, IN
kudos:1 | Re: Missing the point said by mikes60:They would be making a $100.00 one time sale against all the income from your cell plan. Plus, they would probably lose even more land lines to cell phone users who would now get good enough reception to drop the land line. Hmmm, and every customer who drops their land line in favor of cell has moved from State and Federal to Federal-only regulatory oversight.
Naaa, at&t would never want that to happen. Lose a major PITA regulatory problem? Naaa. 
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At Team Discovery we know how to get more outta that danged 'puter of yours!
If you paid taxes it's a rebate. If you didn't, it's welfare. | |
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 RKBA
join:2001-12-30
La Crescenta, CA
1 edit | Signal Lag? Nevermind. I deleted my original post because I didn't realize this topic has nothing to do with Internet telephony - Duh.
I would love to purchase a "Femocell" myself if the $100 purchase price is the only cost and there is no additional monthly charge for the unit itself. I'm up against the foothills here in Southern California and the coverage is really spotty, and particularly poot in the back yard which is up against a mountain.  | |
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Reviews:
·CDE
| This is a joke right? So let me get this str8... I pay ATT $100 dollars to make thier job easier and cheaper? LOL!!! U cant b serious!!! They sould b giving me this 4 free...Or at least as a free option when I renew my account. They r crazy 2 think I would pay them. Sounds to me this deal is all in ATT favor. Leave it 2 ATT 2 try to get u in the front and the rear when ever possible. | |
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| | T-Mobile @home seems better It would just seem easier to go with phones that support wifi capability much like T-Mobile... | |
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 atuarreHere come the drumsPremium
join:2004-02-14
College Station, TX | Hmmm...
Can someone provide a more detailed bit of information about how they work, or are they just comparable to a wi-fi hotspot, except it is for mobile phones?
What prevents other users from using your femtocell to make phone calls, possibly opening you up to litigation for illegal activities which may be done using your broadband connection and the criminals mobile phone? | |
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|  CoronaIt's cool, I'm takin it backPremium
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX | Re: Hmmm... Unless you configure the femtocell to recognize (and allow access) only certain handsets, then you raise a valid point. | |
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| | | On sprint's you specified up to 5 ESN's you wanted to allow access it and only those could | |
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| | atuarreHere come the drumsPremium
join:2004-02-14
College Station, TX | Re: Hmmm... GSM does not use ESN's however...so I would like to know how they would implement this. | |
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 ZaberWhen all are gone, there shall be none
join:2000-06-08
Cleveland, OH | UMA Why is AT&T making a big deal out of this, they could just use UMA. | |
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|  Sandman5Premium
join:2002-07-10
Strafford, MO | Re: Alacarte Pricing is Sooo Wonderful said by Mr Matt:If a customer requires a Femtocell in order to get a satisfactory signal in their home, The Femtocell should be provided at no cost to the customer. Unlimited in home usage of the wireless service should be at no cost, to compensate the customer for use of their broadband service. While I agree with you, the carriers don't and their customers are the ones paying the price. Either by actually using and paying for a Femtocell or crappy signal in the home.
My brother lives by Luke AFB and his signal gets really bad when he gets near his house. I'm sure this is due to a combination of a tower not being close enough and interference from the base. Since the signal isn't great out there to begin with, he can't use a repeater. The Femtocell will allow him to use his cell phone in the house without the dropped and missed calls that he's dealing with now.
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Rule #62: Don't take yourself so damn seriously! | |
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atuarreHere come the drumsPremium
join:2004-02-14
College Station, TX | RE I think the idea AT&T has, overall is if enough users purchase these devices, especially in areas laden with FIOS fiber connections, that they would be able to improve their network coverage, with absolutely no cost to them. You pay for the broadband connection the femtocell is connected to, and you also purchased the femtocell, as well as are paying a mrc (monthly recurring charge) for the use of the device. In my eyes, the whole deal is in AT&T's favor.
As I stated earlier, unless the devices can be configured to restrict access to the owners mobile phone, and the phones of other people living in the househole, I have a serious issue with this. | |
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See 6 replies to this post |
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 bencPremium
join:2007-06-17
Glen Carbon, IL
·Charter
| Femtocells and POTS I wonder, is there a way to tie a femtocell into a POTS line? You know, using the POTS line as a trunk?
For one, I plan to keep my POTS indefinitely. Nothing else affordable measures up to the reliability that's provided. Line power is a good thing too.
However, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be interested in gaining additional mileage out of the POTS line.
If the femtocell is just VOIP, is there a way to tie it into an Asterisk server, or even some other VOIP provider?
Of course, I'm sure that there's no technical reason why this can't be done.... | |
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| | Old_GrouchDon't just sit there silly DO somethingPremium
join:2004-05-26
Greenwood, IN
kudos:1 | Re: Femtocells and POTS Cingular's (or whatever name) offering was called FastForward. One of the best ideas I've come across and continuing proof that they can find a way to screw up most anything.
The Charger was able to "read" any one of three (I think) numbers programmed in your address book as FF1, FF2 or FF3 rather than a "name". There is/was a switch on the charger that could be set to...duh...1 or 2 or 3.
I have used it since it came out. Still do...and have three additional charger units in case my original breaks.
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At Team Discovery we know how to get more outta that danged 'puter of yours!
If you paid taxes it's a rebate. If you didn't, it's welfare. | |
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 jjoshuaPremium
join:2001-06-01
Scotch Plains, NJ
kudos:1 | E911? How does E911 work with a Femtocell?
Is anyone going to make a big stink over this like VOIP? | |
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Alacarte Pricing is Sooo Wonderful
I guess the wireless service providers always have their hands out for more money. When I moved to a new home Sprint Wireless's signal was to weak to be usable. Sprint's solution cost more, required me to sign a new contract and purchase handsets with new models that could be locked on Digital Roaming only, to roam on a nearby Verizon tower. I was also required to pay a $5.00 roaming charge per handset since my grandfathered plan did not include roaming. I suggested to the retention department that Sprint should do all of the above at no charge. They refused. I was forced to cancel my more lower cost Sprint service and sign up with Verizon.
Re: Femtocells and POTS
During the year 2003 Cingular offered a service to Bellsouth Subscribers. The subscriber purchased a special charger holder. When the subscriber plugged their TDMA Handset into the holder, calls to the handset automatically forwarded to their land line. The subscriber was not charged wireless usage when calls were forwarded to the land line. I believe that there was a monthly charge for the feature. The holder was specific to the subscribers handset model. If the subscriber changed handsets they had to purchase a different holder.