Norwegian cellco Network Norway claims it is the first Scandinavian operator to introduce commercial femtocell services, having launched on the completion of a year-long trial. In addition, the operator also said it is the first in the world to offer self-organising networks (SON) of femtocells to cover business buildings. ‘Based on customer experiences in the user trial we find that femtocells can support a mobile-only strategy. The fact that the majority of the customers taking part in the trial demanded a continuous commercial service to be established was a clear indication that the technology offers business advantage,’ said Network Norway’s CSO Tom Guldberg of the development.
Network Norway’s trials of the service were conducted with customers in mixed-use buildings across the country, including a light-industrial bakery, a logistics depot and a shopping mall restaurant. Japanese vendor NEC’s femtocell solution, including self organising femtocells, were used for the pilot. According to the cellco the results from the trial was very positive, with 67% of those customers that took part refusing to return the femtocells and demanding an ongoing commercial service.