Small Cells with Great Sense

I am overly skeptical of many of the mobile Internet pitches that I receive. There, I said it. One case in point is femtocells, which, from the start of the discussion, were looking to take advantage of an over-the-top play in peoples’ homes. This all struck me as confused, particularly with regard to Europe, where naked DSL was in demand, the thinking being that the wireline carriers would see such a scheme as comparable to the “Triple Play” boxes that proliferate courtesy of companies such as Free. Having said that, though, when TruMobility sat down with me, I found myself pleasantly surprised to hear not only a coherent story, but also a value statement that most customers will understand in a heartbeat.

So how does TruMobility work? Good question, and I am glad you asked. TruMoblity provides a small cell that is tightly connected to Sprint’s network and is deployed on your premises. With Sprint, these cells look like an MVNO and have the responsibility of their own billing and support services. However, the billing side of the equation does not involve a usage charge but rather the same types of fees you would expect from a VoIP player; so, in effect, you have the equivalent of a mobile-friendly PBX. Now, back in the days when I was covering Fixed Mobile Convergence, we would attribute over 70 percent of PBX-to-mobile calls to the office; however, now – courtesy of TruMobility -- such calls are considered part of your charges from the company and not the mobile carrier. In addition, the TruMobility system prefers to make use of and manage a wireline connection so it can be assured of having the bandwidth needed to ensure quality calls, which again could fit in nicely with the Sprint backbone network.


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So, with TruMobility, we have a consistent service in the office, one that migrates to the cellular network seamlessly when you leave the office, and that also solves the problems of indoor / outdoor coverage for those of us who find five bars in the driveway and none in the office. Proper deployment of small cells in the office gives you a consistent experience, both in and out. It’s coherent, consistent and convenient because the handsets are not somewhat dependent on the Sprint network, and I believe other CDMA phones can be used. Thus, for those companies with lots of employees who regularly step away from their desks (e.g., hospitals, headquarter offices, manufacturing and warehouse facilities) the solution offered by TruMobility is no doubt extremely very useful. 

TruMobility is currently looking for a channel, and now is a good time for distributors to take advantage of what can only be called – wait for it -- true mobility.