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Regulatory Aspects
of Femtocells
Second Edition
contents
1. Introduction
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9. Contact Information
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www.femtoforum.org
telephone +44 (0)845 644 5823 fax +44 (0)845 644 5824 email info@femtoforum.org PO Box 23 GL11 5WA UK
1. Introduction
This white paper has been produced by the Femto Forum on behalf of its members to assist regulators who wish
to understand the benefits and potential regulatory issues associated with femtocells.
Major operators, accounting for over 1.7 billion mobile subscribers 33% of the global total.
To promote adoption of femtocells by making available information to the industry and the general public
To promote the rapid creation of appropriate open standards and interoperability for femtocells
To encourage the development of an active ecosystem of femtocell providers to deliver ongoing innovation of
commercially and technically efficient solutions.
The Femto Forum is technology agnostic and independent. It is not a standards-setting body, but works with
standards organisations1 and regulators worldwide to provide an aggregated view of the femtocell market.
A full current list of Femto Forum members and further information is available at www.femtoforum.org
Typical Femtocell
Deployment Scenario
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The Femto Forum believes there are key attributes of femtocells, which distinguish femtocells from other technology:
A femtocell is a low-power wireless access point, incorporating all of the following attributes:
Femtocells use fully standard wireless protocols over the air to communicate with
standard mobile devices, including mobile phones and a wide range of other mobile-enabled devices. Qualifying
standard protocols include GSM, W-CDMA, LTE, Mobile WiMAX, CDMA and other current and future
protocols standardised by 3GPP, 3GPP2 and the IEEE, which collectively comprise the technologies included in
the ITU-R definition of IMT. The use of such protocols allows femtocells to provide services to several billion
existing mobile devices worldwide and to provide services which users can access from almost any location as
part of a wide-area network.
The large volumes envisaged for femtocells will allow substantial economies of scale, driving
efficiencies in manufacturing and distribution in a manner similar to the consumer electronics industry and likely
with costs comparable with access points for other wireless technologies.
l Cost Effective:
l Control maintained by licensed operators: Femtocells only operate within parameters set by the licensed operator.
While they have a high degree of intelligence to automatically ensure that they operate at power levels and
frequencies which are unlikely to create interference, the limits on these parameters are always set by operators,
not the end user. The operator is always able to create or deny service to individual femtocells or users. This
control is maintained whether the femtocell itself is owned by the operator or the end user.
Femtocells started as a means of delivering services to residential environments. This remains a core application for
femtocells and it enables femtocell technology to be produced in large volumes and low costs. However, femtocells
are not limited to this application and Individual femtocells come in various hardware types, depending on their
transmit power and capacity to allow their use in a wide range of applications. Current applications include:
l Residential
Femtocells are installed indoors within the home by the end user and may be stand-alone devices or integrated
with other technology such as residential gateways, delivering fixed-mobile convergence. Access to the residential
femtocell will often be closed - restricted to a specified group of users but may also be open to all registered
users in some cases.
l Enterprise
Enterprise femtocell deployments are in small office-home office situations, in branch offices or in large
enterprise buildings. Femtocells for this purpose typically support additional functionality than residential devices
such as handover between femtocells, integration with PBX and local call routing. They are primarily be used
indoors, but can also be used to serve a corporate campus. Installation is typically managed by the carrier, but can
be achieved by the enterprise itself or its IT subcontractors. Access may be closed or open.
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l Operator
A wide variety of applications where operators use femtocells to solve specific coverage, capacity or service issues
in both indoor and outdoor environments. These are usually open access. They are installed by the operator or
by third parties under the operators direction.
l Others
These application classes are not exclusive and it is expected that other innovative ideas for the application of
femtocells, which are already emerging, will become increasingly widely deployed; for example on aircraft or on
passenger ferries. In all cases the essential attributes of femtocells described earlier will be observed, enabling full
compliance with relevant local customer, operator and regulatory requirements.
Femtocell Market
Status
Commercial Launches
In February 2011, nineteen operators had launched commercial services a 100% increase in commitments relative
to just three months earlier. Thirty-four operators in total had committed to femtocell launches. Further launches are
expected in the coming months. Informa Telecoms & Media expects the femtocell market to experience significant
growth over the next few years, reaching just under 49 million femtocell access points (FAP) in the market by 2014
and 114 million mobile users accessing mobile networks through femtocells during that year. Healthy growth is
reported throughout the forecast period with femtocell unit sales reaching 25 million in 2014.
Femto Forum publishes a regularly-updated market commentary, listing all operator commitments, compiled by
Informa Telecoms and Media, available from the Femto Forum website.
Commercial Launches
Femtocell Commercial
Services and
Commitments in
February 2011
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Operator
Country
Operator
Country
Sprint
US
Vodafone
Spain
StarHub
Singapore
SoftBank
Japan
Verizon Wireless
US
Vodafone
Qatar
Vodafone
UK
KDDI
Japan
AT&T
US
Vodafone
Greece
SFR
France
Movistar
Spain
NTT DoCoMo
Japan
T-Mobile
UK
China Unicom
China
MoldTelecom
Molodova
Optimus
Portugal
Vodafone
New Zealand
SingTel
Singapore
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Standardization
Femto Forum does not publish standards itself. However it acts as market representation partners to 3GPP, 3GPP2
and WiMAX Forum, all of which are standardising various forms of femtocells. We also have a cooperation
agreement with Broadband Forum which is standardising management protocols for femtocells, starting with
WCDMA2.
A summary of status is provided below. It is notable that all of the major mobile standards organisations have
foreseen the need for femtocells to support future mobile services and have worked actively to progress standards
in a short time period.
3GPP has standardized WCDMA femtocells (known as Home NodeB as a logical network node and HomeBS
for its RF specifications) in its Release 8 specification and has included initial support for LTE femtocells
(known as Home eNodeB). This was functionally frozen in December 2008 and some remaining elements of
the specification were finalized in March 2009 and June 2009.
3GPP Release 9 was functionally frozen during December 2009 and extends significantly by fully supporting
LTE femtocells for the first time thereby allowing upcoming rollouts to incorporate the technology from the
outset. It also supports a greater number of simultaneous users, emergency warning systems and both private
and public usage models.
Release 9 provides end-to-end support for LTE femtocells, including all radio and OAM aspects, enabling the
development of the first standardised devices. It also supports hybrid access so femtocells can be used in retail
environments to provide open access to customers yet also provide prioritised usage for a closed group such as
staff. WCDMA uplink bandwidth requirements have been revised allowing a major increase in the amount of
calls that can be simultaneously supported. Finally, the standard also supports public warning services so that
areas without macro coverage can receive emergency messages such as Tsunami warnings.
3GPP Release 10 is targeted to be frozen in June 2011 and will introduce support for mobility enhancements for
Home eNodeBs. The Stage 2 architecture for the enhancements was ratified in the RAN Plenary in December
2010, which introduces a new Iurh interface between the femtocell access points and supports soft and hard
handover between femtocells. Other important additions to Release 10 include Self Optimizing Networks
(SON), Selective IP Traffic Offload (SIPTO) and Local IP Access (LIPA).
Broadband Forum TR-196 Femto Access Point Service Data Model was published in April 2009.
A new update to TR-196 to include enhancements for LTE and CDMA2000 networks is expected during Q1
2011.
SIP/IMS is used in the core network to integrate femtocell services, allowing a variety of components from
different vendors to interoperate.
Broadband Forum TR-196 Femto Access Point Service Data Model. This document specifies the data model for Femto
Access Point remote management purposes.
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Enhanced System Selection is supported for improved handset battery life, faster femtocell and macrocell system
acquisition, improved handoff between femtocell and macrocell and femtozone awareness.
Local and Remote IP Access is supported, allowing allowing packet data traffic to be directly offloaded from
femtocells to customers home networks, corporate intranets, or to the public Internet. When mobile devices are
operating outside of the femtocell subsystem, the 3GPP2 specifications also include a remote access capability to
allow mobile devices to connect to the users IP network at home and exchange IP data with their home network
via a secure remote tunnel
The 3GPP2 specifications provide a complete security architecture that allows CDMA2000 femtocell networks to
support large numbers of femtocells via standard commercial IPsec/IKEv2-based security gateways. The 3GPP2
security architecture and protocols are compatible with the security architecture for 3GPP radio technology-based
femtocell devices. This architecture not only protects system operators core networks, but also provides for highly
secure authentication of FAP devices using secure certificate-based mechanisms and protocols that are widely
deployed and validated for security, robustness, manageability, and scalability.
Products
Over 75 vendors are members of Femto Forum, with products including femtocell access points, access gateways,
security gateways, dedicated integrated circuits and software. A full showcase of femtocell products is available on
the Femto Forum website (www.femtoforum.org).
l Improved Access:
Femtocells can reuse existing mobile operator spectrum for operation, including both
currently unused frequencies and frequencies already used by outdoor sites. They also open up the use of higher
frequencies whose range might be excessively limited for wide-area operation, increasing the overall available
spectrum. They can also operate happily in lower frequency bands, reducing their transmit power accordingly to
avoid harmful interference.
l Spectrum efficiency:
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To encourage a consistent regulatory environment in a wide range of administrations, giving operators and
vendors access to wider markets and thereby generating economies for providers and consumers alike.
To assist regulators in understanding the regulatory issues associated with femtocells and where necessary to
clarify regulations to enable their citizens to gain full access to femtocell services.
To ensure that any necessary clarification is identified and dealt with ahead of the time at which operators wish
to provide services, permitting the benefits to be achieved in a timely fashion.
To provide Femto Forum members with knowledge of the status of the regulatory environment for femtocells
across the world.
Femtocells operate as part of the operators existing network. The operator remains in control of the femtocell
at all times and is therefore able to continue to comply with their existing technical licence conditions.
l What about public health concerns?
Femto Forum members are designing their products to fully comply with the guidelines for human exposure
to electromagnetic emissions issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection
(ICNIRP) and other relevant regulatory authorities. A brochure has been created to explain these issues, which
is available from our web site at www.femtoforum.org
l What power levels do femtocells transmit?
Femtocells operate at very low transmit powers, radiating less than 0.1 watts (i.e. less than standard wireless
LAN access points) and more usually operating at powers well below 0.02 watts. They also typically allow mobile
phones to work at very low powers, increasing their battery life and reducing interference.
l How do operators stop users transmitting with femtocells on unauthorised frequencies or locations?
Femtocells are highly intelligent devices, quite different from the illegal boosters which are installed without an
operators permission. They remain bound to the operator network, operating only after mutual authentication
has taken place between the network and the femtocell itself. Femtocells sense their location using a variety of
technical means. GPS can be one of these, but they can also sense the surrounding network cells, and use data
regarding the hardware and IP addresses of the DSL or cable network they are interconnected with, in order to
confidently provide their location details back to the operator. This ensures that the femtocell only operates on
frequencies and power levels which are both legal and which provide the right level of service to the customers
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A key advantage of femtocells is that the customer does not need to configure the device - they simply plug
it into their broadband connection and allow it to configure itself. In order for this to work, the femtocell and
the network authenticate mutually and securely, so that the femtocell becomes a trusted part of the operators
network and is fully controlled by the operator alone. The femtocell resists tampering by a variety of physical
and electronic techniques so that the user cannot change the femtocell configuration and cause harmful or illegal
interference - or indeed degrade the service which the user is paying to access via the femtocell.
l Do femtocells comply with existing standards?
Femtocells are designed to be compliant with the standards supporting the operators mobile technology of
choice. Femtocells standards are part of the existing plans and roadmap for all the major families of mobile
technology, including 3GPP, 3GPP2 and WiMAX Forum, supported by other groups such as the Broadband
Forum.
l How about the need to register base station locations?
In some cases, existing licenses require operators to supply records of base station locations. While operators will
often wish to know the location of their base stations for their own service and network management purposes,
the need to supply records of every femtocell creates an excessive burden on operators and regulators alike. Such
a requirement would also be disproportionate and inconsistent given that such records are not required for low
power systems such as cordless phones and wireless LAN access points.
l What other regulatory issues should be considered?
In some administrations, there is a requirement for qualified personnel to install base stations, or for substantial
sums to be charged for operation of each base station. While this may be acceptable for high powered
conventional base stations, such requirements are excessive and unnecessary for low powered femtocells and will
thoroughly undermine the benefits of femtocells for consumers. We suggest that such regulations not be applied
to femtocells.
l Are femtocells open or closed devices?
Femtocells can support a variety of operating approaches with respect to user access. In many cases femtocells
used in home will have a closed user group, with the femtocell customer controlling which mobile users can
access the device. In other cases, often in the enterprise or outdoors, femtocells will be open or semi-open access.
The choice of approach depends on the service being offered by the operator to the femtocell users. In all cases,
however, only registered users of the relevant mobile network are permitted access, and the full authentication
and security mechanisms typically used in mobile networks are applied.
l Who owns the femtocells?
Femtocells can enable a more flexible approach to provision of mobile networks, where the infrastructure may
be owned by the end-user, the operator or another intermediary. The choice amongst these depends on the
complete service package being offered and regulators are encouraged not to preclude any of these approaches.
l Do femtocells always backhaul traffic to an operators core network?
In some applications of femtocells, the majority of the traffic is likely to stay within the home or office network
containing the femtocell, or the traffic may be directed via the internet, avoiding backhaul to the mobile core
network. This can improve the quality of the service for the customer and reduces the cost of providing
it. However, in some cases responsibility for some regulatory requirements such as the provision of lawful
intercept capabilities may be unclear. Regulators are encouraged to provide clear guidance on such issues and are
requested, in particular, to respond to the Femto Forums request for information on the regulatory requirements
relating to Local IP Access for Femtocell Access Points, which can be found on the Femto Forum website at:
www.femtoforum.org/femto/aboutfemtocells.php?id=162
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www.femtoforum.org
In Europe, the body responsible for developing measures to implement common radio spectrum policy initiatives
across the 27 member states of the European Union is the Radio Spectrum Committee (RSC). In 2008 RSC
considered spectrum issues for femtocells. It decided that, in view of the control which operators can exert
over femtocells as part of their existing network, femtocells could operate under the existing spectrum licensing
regimes of member states and there was no current need for RSC to take action. They also noted that the
increased spectrum efficiency available from femtocells was a positive development3 (108):
Noting that femtocells operate as part of the operators existing network (using
the same frequencies) and that the operator remains in control of the femtocell
at all times, it is reasonable therefore to assume that femtocells will comply with
the existing technical licensing conditions in each specific case.
l
In Japan, noting that there were several aspects of the existing regulations which were not entirely aligned to
femtocells, the Japanese regulators conducted a series of consultations during 2008, and announced the outcome
in December 2008. The result was an amendment of relevant regulations which allows end users to operate
recovery and facility transfers of femtocell base stations.
In June 2009 the UK communications regulator Ofcom provided clarity on its approach to femtocell regulation4.
It clarified that regulations on provision of emergency call location and national roaming access to emergency
calls applied equally to femtocell users as to macrocell users. It also proposed to vary the existing operator 3G
licences to remove the requirement to keep records of the location and technical details of femtocell equipment,
recognising that this may be impractical for a wide deployment of femtocells. This clarity followed previous
statements from Ofcom recognising the potential significance of femtocells, such as5:
In July 2009 the International Telecommunications Union6 provided a common description of Femto Access
Nodes, reflecting the current state of the industry and not constraining future developments. This included a
similar set of characteristics to that described in Section 3
In October 2009, in a speech at CTIA, Julius Genachowski, Chairman of FCC stated7: Spectrum is the oxygen
of our mobile networks. While the short-term outlook for 4G spectrum availability is adequate, the longer-term
picture is very different. I believe that that the biggest threat to the future of mobile in America is the looming
spectrum crisis.
He proposed that the FCC will look at secondary markets to add more spectrum and will look to make its
spectrum policies more flexible to encourage the use of unlicensed spectrum. He also said the FCC will encourage
the use of smart antennas and femtocells.
l
In September 2009 at the China Femtocell Symposium, Xie Feibo, Director of State Radio Regulatory Committee,
MIIT stated : Femtocell is an excellent technology that integrates the technical advantages of both wireless and
fix-line. From my point of view, Femtocell is worth to be adopted, and worth to be promoted greatly., while
Hou Ziqiang, Commission Member of Telecom and Science Division, MIIT said Currently we are facing a very
serious challenge regarding to the dead zone of wireless telecommunications in cities, especially of 3G network
Radio Spectrum Committee, Regulatory Aspects of Femtocells. RSCOM(08)40, European Commission, 2008.
Ofcom and Femtocells: Regulation Principles, Ofcom, Femtocells World Summit, June 2009.
5
Ofcom, Mobile citizens, mobile - Adapting regulation for a mobile, wireless world, August 2008.
6
ITU-R Working Party 5D, Liaison statement to external organizations on femtocells, Femto Access Nodes, Document
5D\TEMP\195(Rev.1), July 2009.
7
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10369871-10356022.html
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indoor service. We noticed that Femtocell is very helpful and effective in resolving the weakness of network
signal in cities. From my point of view, Femtocell, as a solution of family-based station, will have a very bright
future.
l
In February 2010, the State Commission for Radio Frequencies (SCRF) was reported to have simplified the
procedures for registration of femtocells (up to 25 mW in Moscow and 100 mW elsewhere) to permit their massmarket introduction8.
In November 2010, the Taiwanese National Communications Committee (their highest level communications
regulatory body) announced that they had approved the islands telecoms carriers to supply femtocell units to
enable them to extend mobile broadband connections to users houses9.
In January 2011, the FCC announced that adding new spectrum is not sufficient to meet traffic demand and that
technologies including femtocells should be used, while a 35x increase in mobile traffic is expected in the next 5
years10:
femtocells?
3. Which are the relevant regulators and standards development organisations in your region?
4. Do you see a need to provide additional clarity on femtocell issues to operators in your region?
5. Has this white paper provided the information you require, or are there other issues you would like further
information on?
9. Contact Information
The regulatory working group of the Femto Forum would be pleased to respond to further queries on regulatory
aspects and to receive information relating to the regulatory status of femtocells within particular administrations.
Contact details:
Email: regulation@femtoforum.org
Web: www.femtoforum.org
Postal: The Femto Forum
PO Box 23
GL11 5WA
UK
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.comnews.ru/index.
cfm%3Fid%3D51059&prev=_m
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http://news.cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_34275.html
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http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0120/DOC-304191A1.txt
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