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MagicJack 'femtojack' uses mobile phones to make VoIP calls
The people behind MagicJack, a plug-and-play VoIP device, have recognized the trend of consumers cutting their traditional landline voice connections like much of the telecom industry and have updated their offering to reflect that. MagicJack's original offering was a USB device that came with a phone jack--plug your regular landline phone into the MagicJack, plug that into your computer USB port and make cheap VoIP calls. At CES, MagicJack revealed its 'femtojack' device featuring a small femtocell (think personal cell phone tower of sorts) that plugs into a users PC and allows users to make VoIP calls over their computer using their cell phones wirelessly.
The device apparently uses wireless spectrum to connect the phones to the USB device, but because wireless spectrum is not owned inside people's homes, MagicJack can slip through the legal loophole and use the spectrum. I wonder what the legality of using this at the coffee shop or in your hotel room is?
Back in June, MagicJack's CEO Dan Borislow forecasted that the company would release a femtocell-based VoIP product and this CES announcement has made good on that promise. He promised explosive growth for the company with this new product. "If we move enough femtos out, I could mesh together 10 million end points into a WiFi network," Borislow said in an interview when he first mentioned their femtocell product.
For more:
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Comments
Posted by Bob1546513 | January 11, 2010 - 5:48pm
This is not legal. The right to use a frequency does not change within the boundaries of your own home. A licensed frequency is a licensed frequency. There are no concessions such as if the user is in the home, underground etc. The folks at Magicjack need to do some due diligence before doing any R&D on a spectrum owned and operated by someone else. Potentially "high-jacking" a cell phone in the house and intercepting outbound calls is like selling a device to hack into your neighbors cable TV.
Posted by Anonymous | January 11, 2010 - 6:00pm
I want to know if you can receive calls with this device or only make them. The cell phone companies alrealy know that charging for minutes is coming to a end fast! I have Skype on my Iphone and already use that from my home to reduce my cell bill. I do not think AT&T will mind Magicjack cutting down there overloaded network!
Posted by Anonymous | January 11, 2010 - 7:15pm
Most wireless cell phone carriers already want to sell you a device that does the same thing. But do you really want to pay them to use your home broadband connection to make calls from your cell phone? -- Maybe only if you disconnect your landline and don't mind footing the bill for the last mile construction of infrastructure to your home (i.e. paying for broadband to your home, rather than having the phone companies construct the proper number of cell towers necessary to provide adequate service to your home). This would most likely have to be approved to use the licensed spectrum by any carrier whose cell phones they want to be able to service. I just don't understand why anyone would want to pay to provide service to their home when they are already paying the cell phone company to do it.
Posted by Anonymous | January 27, 2010 - 3:26pm
"I just don't understand why anyone would want to pay to provide service to their home when they are already paying the cell phone company to do it."
ANSWER: Because you don't need to pay a carrier to provide cell service. The femtojack will work on any old GSM phone. It doesn't have to be under contract with a carrier.
Posted by Anonymous | March 8, 2010 - 2:52pm
Bob:
"This is not legal. The right to use a frequency does not change within the boundaries of your own home. A licensed frequency is a licensed frequency. There are no concessions such as if the user is in the home, underground etc."
What about the transmitters used in cars to broadcast your ipod through a channel on your radio? Wouldn't this be the same?
Posted by cell phone | March 12, 2010 - 1:50am
I still feel a bit confuse. Do you mean if I own this 'femtojack', there is even no need to own a sim card?
http://www.sourcinggate.com/mobile-phone-c-4.html
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