Sprint today announced that it will be offering its wholesale partners a femtocell solution.
Sprint has grown as a wholesaler of various services, most notably by providing service for the Amazon Kindle. But the company also provides wholesale wireline, wireless voice and data, machine-to-machine (M2M) and VoIP solutions.
A press release from Sprint indicates that femtocells would allow more of its wireline and cable partners to enter the wireless market, citing "cord cutting" as a major impetus for many of those partners to do so.
"The femtocell offering is not only a differentiator in the marketplace but is very compelling to those who want to get into the wireless business,” Jim Patterson, president of Sprint wholesale solutions, said in a press release.
On the consumer side, the femtocell has long been touted as a cheap solution for backhaul and providing coverage in dead zones. However, lack of a business model that would be palatable for both customer and carrier may be one reason for slow implementation.
Sprint currently offers the Samsung AIRAVE direct to customers for $99 per unit with a monthly AIRAVE Enhanced Coverage Charge of $4.99, and an additional $10 per month for a single user or $20 per month for multiple users. Verizon customers can purchase a femtocell for a one-time purchase price of $250.