Attocells set to become the next big thing in wireless

Take your mobile phone signal with you, wherever you go

By now just about everyone has caught onto the idea of femtocells – mini access points that create a family-sized 3G cell at home. But what happens when you leave your home and there’s still no mobile signal? Enter the “attocell” – a tiny phone attachment that creates a person-sized 3G cell that you can carry around with you.

Pioneering cellular infrastructure companies have secretly been working on attocell technology for months, and the first prototypes are ready for testing. One of these companies is ip.access, which has developed a 3G attocell attachment for the iPhone based on its award-winning Oyster 3G femtocell technology. As well as creating its own cellular signal, the attocell has the added advantage of making the iPhone 3G capable.

The potential of attocells is huge, according to ip.access CEO Stephen Mallinson. “Where I live, there’s no mobile phone signal for miles around, except for a tiny patch at the corner of my bed,” he says. “With the attocell, I am no longer tethered to the bed, and can use my mobile phone anywhere in the house, the garden, or the entire village.”

Another big selling point is that subscribers will be able to open up their attocell to nearby mobile phone users who don’t have their own signal. Any calls made by these subscribers will be charged at slightly above the normal rate, and a credit will be generated automatically on the attocell owner’s phone bill.

Operators seeking to benefit from lower network costs can’t wait to get their hands on the new devices. “The business case is based on the fact that there will no longer be a need to build cell towers at all,” said Simone Saunter, Chairperson of the newly formed industry body the Atto Forum. “This could put the major network equipment companies out of business almost overnight.” Anti-mast campaigners should also be pleased because attocells have very short range and will have no effect outside a 1 metre radius.

But not everyone is convinced. Renowned industry sceptic Bean Dubley believes that there are still issues that need to be overcome before attocells can hit the market. “People will be confused about their bills,” he points out. “What if I make a call on the attocell and then the attachment falls off the phone and my call continues on the macro network? Will I still be billed at attocell rates?”

Nevertheless, research firm AIB is already predicting a massive market for attocells. “Most people will want one,” said principal analyst Carrot Stulaw. “The potential in the developing world alone is phenomenal. The barriers to starting up a cellphone network have been reduced to almost zero.”

ip.access says its attocells will be ready for mass production later this year.