CAMBRIDGE, England—Mini-base station developer Ip.access Ltd. picked up $8.5 million in funds to develop in-building third-generation access points for homes and small businesses. Scottish Equity Partners led the round, joined by Intel Capital and Rothschild Gestion.
The company said it has successfully produced and sold its second-generation nanoGSM base stations for in-building use with operator’s standard broadband Internet Protocol links. The company’s clients include: T-Mobile USA Inc., Telfort of the Netherlands, Spring Mobil of Sweden, Smart of the Philippines and Eurotel in the Czech Republic. In 2004, Ip.access signed a global original equipment manufacturer agreement to allow Siemens AG to distribute nanoGSM as part of its enterprise portfolio.
“The new investment will enable us to accelerate the development of our 3G Access Point to allow operators to cover homes and small businesses and provide converged fixed-mobile services at prices competitive with fixed-line services where people live and work,” stated Stephen Mallinson, chief executive of Ip.access. “It also helps us to expand our GSM market, addressing new opportunities such as those opened up by the forthcoming auction of 1800 MHz spectrum in the U.K.”
Quoting a recent survey, Ip.access noted that 70 percent of wireless subscribers experience cellular coverage problems at work, which has prompted 34 percent of subscribers to change carriers. The company expects in-building cellular coverage to drive network investment as carriers migrate to 3G networks and as call minutes move from fixed-line phones to mobile phones.
