T-Mobile announced that through its venture fund it has made a strategic investment in Ubiquisys, a British-based developer of femtocells. Femtocells are low-power base stations designed to improve wireless service within a person’s home. Users can plug the cell into their home broadband network, for better coverage and possibly VoIP service from their mobile phones.

T-Mobile did not disclose the value of the investment, but said that it expects the first commercial launches of products near the end of the year.

“Femtocells are fundamental to the future of mobile. They solve the coverage dilemma while lowering costs for operators and consumers alike,” said Axel Kolb, fund manager at T-Mobile Venture Fund, in a statement. “They pave the way for new mobile services that put the mobile phone at the center of the connected home, and allow operators to offer improved fixed broadband + mobile bundles. We identified Ubiquisys as the clear leader in this space, with an innovative product, a strong deployment ecosystem, and unique software to enable femtocell-ready applications.”

Launched in 2004, Ubiquisys’ other financial backers include Google, Accel Partners, Advent Venture Partners and Atlas Venture.