Femtocells like AT&T's 3G MicroCell and Sprint's Airave are becoming increasingly popular with customers who may have poor coverage at their home, but don't want to switch wireless providers for whatever reason. Sprint recently started shipping out its newest femtocell, the EVDO capable Airave, to some qualifying customers free of charge. The carrier's previous Airave model was only capable of 1x (aka 2G) service, so this new model is definitely a step up. Sprint says that it is offering its new 3G Airave to "customers who have specific in-building coverage issues," which means Sprint will review your case and, if they decide that you are suffering from reception issues, they'll give you an Airave for no charge.
Sprint's new 3G Airave definitely sounds like a great deal if you qualify, especially considering that you don't have to pay any sort of monthly fee to use the device. While some complain that carriers should be improving their networks rather than peddling these femtocells, it can be tough for them to cover every square inch of the country. I know that at my parents' house, there is absolutely no service from any carrier, even though they're in the middle of the city, because they live in a valley surrounded by trees that no cell signal can penetrate. Have any of you had any experience with any femtocell?
Via IntoMobile, Engadget, FierceWireless
