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PTA decides to deploy femtocell(Flare (Pakistan) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Pakistan telecom traff ic is being operated under macrocell technology but it is not friendly to make access to quality indoor signal reception and high data speed, therefore, PTA has decided to deploy femtocell P akistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is contemplating to deploy ‘femtocell’ technology in order to improve indoor signal reception for voice and data access and also to provide wireless data at lower cost in Pakistan. Currently, in Pakistan telecom traffic is being operated under macrocell technology but it is not friendly to make access to quality indoor signal reception and high data speed, therefore, PTA has decided to deploy femtocell. But, PTA is having licensing concerns due to split regulatory regime, which does not allow PTA to give licence of femtocell to a selected company, PTA’s study report mentioned which is available on its website. The 33-page report titled: Study Report on Regulatory Issues in Femtocell (Indoor) Deployment Strategy. Demand for high speed, innovative and uptodate technologies is always on the rise. Every passing day promises a new possibility and opportunity for the consumers to have access to high quality, highly efficient yet effective and real time services and applications, at the comfort of their homes, workplaces or on the move. With the developments in wireless and fixed line technologies in recent times, we have seen a shift from legacy computers to personal tabs and Smartphones, which are more than just phones. Web browsing, email, messaging, video sharing, networking, location based services, etc are just a few names from this wide range of gadgets which we see every day. All such services and obviously future services are bandwidth hungry and wireless is the preferred choice for users, we want higher data rates, lower spectrum usage, and a lot of applications and at the same time at a cheaper rate, to handle all this, without a liberal wireless spectrum and strong radio engineering, these ambitions cannot be fully realized or implemented. The world has now moved to or is planning to shift to high end mobile technologies such as 3G, 4G, LTE and most of the developed economies have deployed a good functional fixed broadband network across the board. The case of Pakistan is a little different, 3G cellular services are expected to be started this year, whereas the spectrum is limited as always the case. Our users are yet to see a full fledged broadband experience. Efficiency and speed is an important factor for all technologies, whereas the operators will look for solutions which incur lesser CAPEX/OPEX and give a better return on investment, while the regulator will be more than satisfied if both the user and service providers are contented. In this regard, PTA has asked telecom operators to decide the owner of femtocell through mutual agreements, while it has also sought suggestions and solutions from telecom operators for the implementation of this technology in spite of existing split regulatory regime. National Telecom Corporation’s Transmission Division Javed Iqbal stated in this report that above 60 percent of the population has access to voice and data services through cellular network or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). However, the issue of poor indoor reception usually thwarts the end user to go for data connectivity using the cellular network mainly because of lower data rates and the associated cost, he added. PTA claims that femtocell or any other small cells can provide opportunity for operators to provide better wireless services in indoor environments. After execution of femtocell, high speed wireless data services and applications can be used by indoor consumers where macrocell network may not provide same speed. The operators can achieve cost savings on their macrocell network, while at the same time traffic can also be offloaded through utilisation of fixed line alternatives, providing better services for both home users and macrocell users. In view of the latest smart operators’ strategies, one way to achieve higher data rates, better spectral efficiency and access to high end applications for both home and office users is by deploying ‘femtocell’, as this can further reduce the need for external network construction and would also give operators a fixed broadband backhaul network with a lower operating cost than mobile and microcell/Base Transceiver Station. This way traffic offloading can be achieved to a better extent. Femtocells are low-powered access points, based on mobile technology operating in the licensed bands, providing wireless voice and broadband services to the customer in the home fully up to their expectations. PTA further stated in its report that all future services are bandwidth hungry and wireless is the preferred choice for users. PTA wants higher data rates, lower spectrum usage, and a lot of applications and at the same time at a cheaper rate. To handle all this, without a liberal wireless spectrum and strong radio engineering, these ambitions cannot be fully realised or implemented. Globally, United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America have both fixed line and cellular licences (Converged) responsible for overall femtocell deployment and provisioning. But, in Pakistan, a split regulatory regime is in place, like fixed line and mobile telephony for which separate licences have been issued. Considering regulatory issues in the country, PTA ponders that in Pakistan this issue can be resolved through mutual agreements between mobile or local loop operators or ‘Fixed Mobile Convergence’. Femtocells are low-powered access points, based on mobile technology operating in the licensed bands, providing wireless voice and broadband services to the customer in the home up to their expectations |