VNUnet's Ian Williams looks at a new report from research firm Analysys entitled Picocells and Femtocells: will indoor base stations transform the telecoms industry? which says indoor base stations, or femtocells, will be key to the future of fixed-mobile convergence.

"A number of technologies have been over-hyped in recent years, but femtocells have the potential to transform the telecoms industry," says Analysys' Dr. Alastair Brydon. "The trend towards fixed-mobile substitution is increasing in many countries, and 3G networks are at a relatively early stage in their development. In this context, 3G femtocells could not have arrived at a better time for the mobile industry."

"According to the report, indoor base stations can be applied to a number of wireless technologies, including 2G, 3G, 3G LTE, WiMax and WiBro," Williams writes. "But it is the 3G femtocells that present the greatest opportunity."

More here from Techworld ... and Analysys' press release is here.