Mini cell towers: The end of crappy phone service by James O'Toole
June 11, 2014: 12:55 PM ET
Qualcomm has a new line of small cells for use in homes and businesses that are about the size of a wireless router. Tired of crappy cell-phone service at home? Try putting a cell tower in your living room.
That's the solution a number of wireless companies have begun offering for homes and businesses, using "small cell" technology to fill holes in their coverage and ease network congestion.
Qualcomm (QCOM, Tech30) announced a new line of small cell chips Wednesday that work with the high-speed 4G-LTE networks that wireless carriers have been building out in the past few years. Companies like Cisco (CSCO, Tech30) and Texas Instruments (TXN) produce similar technology. And all the major carriers, including AT&T (T, Tech30), Verizon (VZ, Tech30), Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) sell small cells, branding them as "signal enhancers" or "network extenders."
In contrast to the massive metal towers that can beam out cellular service for miles, small cells are only about the size of a wireless router, and their signals don't extend much beyond the boundaries of your home. Qualcomm sees the devices as a solution to the wireless industry's so-called spectrum crunch.