Dumb question .... Are MicroCells necessary given Wi-Fi Integration?
Say you're on a call in your car, then you come home within range of your home wireless network. Couldn't your call "switch seamlessly" over to your Wi-Fi, providing better coverage, signal strength, and potentially better call quality?
This would also take traffic off of the burgeoning AT&T network, which is good for everyone.
In short Microcells are
not a smartphone only solution. They are useful for non Wifi equipped phones ( of which there is a much larger number.)
One, I don't think your calls are "data" traffic on the cell network. If there is no cell signal you're not making calls on some random Wifi network are you?
I read that as can switch from one part of the AT&T's data network (e.g., their 3G to their Wifi or their Wifi to their 3G) without disconnecting. I can see having control enough on their network to re-route packets and still have a steady IP address. Not quite sure how seamlessly jump to some new address ( which could actually *should be* a NAT/private address. Unless you are providing internet access to your neighborhood.) So if running a HTTPS connection you can't really switch TCP/IP identity in the middle.
The microcell is like a home wifi router. Only it is a "mini cell tower" GSM (and 3G?) in a box which VPN-like transmits that data back into the ATT networks. (
http://www.wimax.com/commentary/blog/blog-2008/femtocells-picocells-microcells-what-do-they-all-mean)
In short, not going to take calls off the ATT network with a Microcell. What that pragmatically does is extend the network of cell towers. If anything that will probably
increase traffic on the ATT internal network since folks who were previously in crappy cell coverage probably made fewer calls before. Now that it is good they'll probably talk more; not less.
Similar to the Wifi and NAT/private issue, in locations where folks live densely packet wonder if neighbor's phone isn't going to inflate the bandwidth traffic, if their cell phone starts using your Microcell. Or worse, you get battling Microcells if the radius overlap too much.
Offices I can see since, they could be all professionally installed. Someone can work out channel/frequency problems as part of the install process and no close new cells would pop up unsurprisingly ( neighbor DIY installs a couple months after you get yours. )
