Samsung, ZTE to develop 3G gear for the home

Chinese telecommunication equipment maker ZTE has signed a deal with Samsung Electronics to jointly develop 3G (third-generation) mobile base stations for use in subscriber homes or offices.

ZTE and Samsung will cooperate on the research and development of WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) femtocells, small base stations that connect to the operator's network over a DSL (digital subscriber line) connection, the Chinese equipment maker said.

Putting these base stations inside a home or office can improve service quality for cellular subscribers. In addition to WCDMA access, the base stations will be equipped with Wi-Fi, allowing users to wirelessly access the Internet. They will also offer the ability to provide fixed-line VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services, the company said.

When users leave their home, their WCDMA phone will be handed off from the in-home base station to the operator's cellular network.

ZTE did not offer a timeframe for when base stations incorporating technology jointly developed with Samsung would be available.

Last week, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson introduced a base station that offers the same general capabilities as described by ZTE. Ericsson's access point is slated to hit the market during the middle of this year.