We've repeatedly noted that femtocells (which allow you to route mobile calls over your broadband connection) would probably take off if carriers stopped sucking all the value out of them. Carriers like Verizon seem intent on making users over pay for the hardware on top of monthly fees, in addition to having usage eat away at user minutes. Consumers correctly observe that this is ridiculous, since they're paying extra money to reduce strain on local carrier towers, while using their own bandwidth to fuel the devices.

Sprint for one kind of gets it, and is giving away their new EVDO-capable Airave femtocells to anybody who calls in to complain about shoddy indoor cell coverage. In contrast, AT&T seems confused with the recent launch of their Microcell femtocell device, giving away the unit to some users but not others -- with no discernible way to determine if you're worthy of their free femto blessings. Worse perhaps, the Consumerist notes that some users are being promised a free Microcell, only to have AT&T turn around and change their mind:The user got a call back a few days later to be told that even though there were Microcells in stock, he couldn't get a free one because managers wouldn't approve it. He did get a $50 credit, but that obviously didn't help his coverage problem. Of course given some of the activation and glitches users at the AT&T forums continue to experience, it's not clear if getting one (for free or paid) would cure his coverage problems anyway.

At the very least, femtos should be used as a customer retention and added value proposition. There's a world of innovation and value that's possible here too, were companies like AT&T interested. What about a Fon-esque mesh network of femtocell-loaded home gateways tied to AT&T's 20,000 strong hotspot network (AT&T would have to upgrade to FTTH, of course)? Instead, they're being used to milk consumers in already-troubled coverage areas even further, which is par for the mega-carrier executive mindset, and of course doesn't win AT&T any new consumer friends.

Update: Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal today also explores how AT&T's Microcell works best in total dead zones, but gets flummoxed if you're in a "sorta kinda" coverage area.