Sprint Offers Femtocell for Wholesale Partners

Wireless carrier Sprint announced recently that it had become the first operator in the US to allow wholesale partners to benefit from the nationwide availability of a femtocell solution, which enhanced the wireless coverage. The femtocell is the latest addition to Sprint's wholesale solutions, which also include wholesale wireline, machine-to-machine, wireless voice and data, and VoIP solutions.

The femtocells are meant to work like mini cell towers, delivering this way improved wireless coverage, of up to 5,000 square feet, and creating a CDMA network signal at home or at the office. The service needs an Internet broadband connection and works with any Sprint phone. The solution provides more reliable performance and less interference than typical public WiFi network solutions, Sprint says.

“We want to provide the best set of solutions to Sprint partners and their customers,” said Jim Patterson, president, Sprint Wholesale Solutions. “With this launch, Sprint is delivering on its goals to deliver the innovative solutions that our partners want and need to be successful. The femtocell offering is not only a differentiator in the marketplace but is very compelling to those who want to get into the wireless business.”

The availability of the femtocell solution is meant to provide several benefits to Sprint's wholesale partners and customers, including increased coverage, savings and customer satisfaction. At the same time, the solution enables wireline and cable partners to offer wireless services. Resellers and customers are also enabled to take advantage of enhanced coverage without having to purchase a new phone, enjoy support for calls on up to three lines simultaneously, easily install the device with an existing broadband Internet connection and AC power outlet, as well as call transfer from the femtocell to the Sprint network when leaving the coverage area of the solution.

“Sprint continues to be a leader in the wholesale space as evidenced by their recent best-in-class ratings for customer service, provisioning (equipment install and network reliability) and sales,” says Fedor Smith, president, Atlantic ACM. “This type of innovation is what we've come to expect from this company.”