Vodafone offers femtocell for businesses

The company has begun rolling out femtocell services under the name of Vodafone Expand to selected business customers whose offices reside within the company's 2100MHz spectrum footprint.

Vodafone is offering two devices: a small expander and a large expander that will allow businesses to offload their mobile phone call and data traffic from the Vodafone network onto the customer's own fixed-line broadband service in areas where there may be difficulty getting coverage, particularly inside the building.

The smaller device is designed for between 10 and 20 users and is capable of handling up to four connections at once, while the larger device is for between 40 and 80 users and can handle up to 16 connections simultaneously. These femtocell devices appear different to the Sure Signal products offered by Vodafone in the UK and New Zealand.

Vodafone CEO Nigel Dews told ZDNet Australia that the company had opted for a quiet launch to ensure that it got the technology right.