Alcatel-Lucent, Softbank Mobile do femto demos

Alcatel-Lucent today announced that it is collaborating with Japanese service provider Softbank Mobile on a series of demonstrations of its 3G wireless in-building solutions in Japan. Specifically, the demonstrations will showcase the vendor’s Femto Base Station Router.

The range of demonstrations Alcatel-Lucent is conducting with Softbank include the completion of circuit-switched voice calls and the delivery of high-speed data services using Softbank handsets, and high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) technology using laptops equipped with HSDPA PC cards, the companies said in a statement.

The femto router uses the vendor’s flat IP architecture, and integrates W-CDMA Node B and HSPA radio access and core network elements into a single unit, which reduces the number of network elements and traffic layers in the network, according to Alcatel-Lucent. The end result is a smaller router that can register itself on the network, making it easier for the service provider to manage, even in large numbers, as they seek to deploy femto gear in homes and businesses.