Personal femtocell could cut roaming charges

Short-range base station could allow travellers to make international mobile calls via their home network

UK-based mobile equipment maker Ubiquisys has developed a short-range femtocell that could help firms rein in their international roaming charges.

Ubiquisys’ so-called “attocell” enables users to make international mobile calls as if they were on their home network.

It has been designed to work with the iPhone, but can easily be adapted for Android phones, BlackBerrys or any other #G-enabled handset, said Keith Day, marketing vice president at Ubiquisys.

The attocell acts as a short-range base station and plugs into an internet-connected computer via USB. With its 3G signal travelling as little as 5mm, the attocell can be used without breaching spectrum licensing laws, said Day.

The handset can be placed on top of the attocell, which then connects to the user’s mobile network via the internet.

Business travellers often have to rely on services such as Skype to make low-cost international calls, said Day. “Our system has the benefit that you make calls using your own mobile phone,” he told Computing.

Because the calls are routed back to the user’s mobile network, the attocell could help cut roaming bills for firms. But as Day admitted, Ubiquisys’ only route to market is via the mobile operators, who may have their own ideas about the attractiveness of reducing roaming charges.

Day said the product was developed in response to requests from mobile operators and claimed the company is in discussion with several operators to bring the product to market.