US cable service provider Comcast – part of the new Clearwire WiMAX consortium – has revealed its intention to pursue WiMAX femtocells as part of its new wireless strategy, according to a Cable Digital News report. The report cites Dave Williams, senior VP for wireless and technology at Comcast, as stating that part of the new Clearwire deal calls for 5MHz of spectrum across the US to be set aside solely for WiMAX femtocells. Comcast, along with Google, Intel and cable operators Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable, have invested US$3.2 billion in the new Clearwire WiMAX consortium, and together will own 22 percent of the venture. The report notes that the dedicated femtocell spectrum will be available for any of the new Clearwire partners to use, but the cable operators have more of an incentive to use it because it will offer them a more cost-effective way to deliver wireless services in the home. Comcast expects to build its own femtocell network and will start work on getting a specification developed for WiMAX femtocells and recruiting support from suppliers.

Earlier this month the 3GPP adopted an official architecture for 3G-based femtocells and started work on a new standard for the home basestation technology. The sector has already experienced a wave of operator interest – including the likes of Sprint Nextel, Verizon, Vodafone and Telefonica O2 Europe – as well as investment from Cisco, Google and T-Mobile. A survey from femtocell vendor Motorola, released this week, claims that over 40 percent of European consumer respondents said they definitely or probably plan to make a purchase of femtocells in the next 12 months. Femtocells are small indoor versions of external phone towers about the size of a paperback novel. They improve both coverage and network capacity, especially indoors.