Ip.access
Encyclopedia
ip.access Limited is a multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets picocell
and femtocell
technologies and infrastructure equipment for GSM, GPRS, EDGE
, and 3G
. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, ip.access also maintains operations and offices in Bellevue, WA, USA, and Gurgaon
and Pune
, India
.
ip.access combines IP
and cellular
technologies together to provide cost-efficient 2G
and 3G coverage and capacity of mobile networks in various settings, such as business offices and retail venues. Using satellite
backhaul
, its solutions also provide coverage to commercial passenger aircraft, ships, and users in remote rural areas.
ip.access is a member of 3GPP
, the Cambridge Network
, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Femto Forum, and an associate member of the Network Vendors Interoperability Testing (NVIOT) Forum.
In October 2000, TTP Group spun off its communications division (TTP Communications, or TTPCom) in a successful IPO on the London Stock Exchange
, and ip.access joined the spin-off as a wholly owned subsidiary of the TTPCom group.
In March 2006, the company secured an £8.5 million round of funding from Intel Capital, Scottish Equity Partners
, and Rothschild & Cie Gestion. As part of its June 2006 acquisition of TTP Communications, Motorola
also gained a stake in ip.access. In 2007, after signing an OEM agreement with ip.access, ADC
(now part of Tyco Electronics
) made a minority interest investment in the company. Following suit, both Cisco
Systems and Qualcomm made strategic financial investments in the company in 2008.
ip.access was named in The Sunday Times
Fast Tech Track 100, which produces rankings of top-performing private companies in the UK, in both 2007 and 2008. The company was also cited as the number one picocell vendor in an independent study performed by global market intelligence company, ABI Research
in 2008. In 2009, it was named in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500
EMEA
, an annual ranking of the fastest growing public and private technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, and green technology companies in 26 EMEA countries. In June 2011, international market research and analysis firm Infonetics named the company, along with its partner Cisco Systems, as the leading supplier of 3G femtocells. In August 2011, ip.access announced it had surpassed the 500,000 mark for installations of its 3G technologies in homes, offices, and hotspots.
In July 2007, ip.access became a founding member of the Femto Forum, an organization promoting worldwide femtocell deployment, with the goal of addressing standards-oriented issues such as radio planning and control, device provisioning, and device-to-network standardization collaboratively with other members. In April 2009, the company announced its Oyster 3G product would support femtocell standards published by 3GPP and the Broadband Forum
. In March 2010, the company took part in the first Plugfest, organized by ETSI as part of its Plugtests™ program, held to demonstrate the effectiveness of the 3GPP femtocell standards in supporting interoperability between femtocell access points and network equipment from different vendors.
, which uses Oyster 3G as the core femtocell technology for its 3G MicroCell product, and Cisco Systems
, which has jointly developed a femtocell solution with ip.access in compliance with the Broadband Forum's TR-069
technical specification.
management system that delivers voice, messaging and data to both 2G and 3G handsets at an indoor range of up to 200m.
, Spain
, the Oyster 3G is ip.access' core 3G femtocell technology used by system integrator
s and OEM
customers to integrate WCDMA femtocells into home gateways, set-top boxes, and other devices.
, Blue Ocean Wireless, Bouygues Telecom
, Monaco Telecom, SFR
, SPIE SA, T-Mobile
, Tele2
, Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, and Telia Sonera.
The company's technology partners include AeroMobile
, Altobridge, Blue Ocean Wireless, Cisco Systems, Private Mobile Networks, Qualcomm
, Quortus, Setcom
, and TriaGnoSys.
Children's Hospices (EACH), which provides care for children and young people with life-threatening illnesses and support for their families.
Picocell
A picocell is a small cellular basestation typically covering a small area, such as in-building , or more recently in-aircraft...
and femtocell
Femtocell
In telecommunications, a femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business. It connects to the service provider’s network via broadband ; current designs typically support 2 to 4 active mobile phones in a residential setting, and 8 to 16 active...
technologies and infrastructure equipment for GSM, GPRS, EDGE
Edge
- Aviation :* Leading edge, a line connecting the forward-most points of a wing's profile* Trailing edge, the rear edge of the wing* Zivko Edge 540, an aerobatic aircraft- Mathematics, science and technology :...
, and 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, ip.access also maintains operations and offices in Bellevue, WA, USA, and Gurgaon
Gurgaon
Gurgaon is the second largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka Sub City and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital...
and Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
ip.access combines IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
and cellular
Cellular network
A cellular network is a radio network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver known as a cell site or base station. When joined together these cells provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area...
technologies together to provide cost-efficient 2G
2G
2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
and 3G coverage and capacity of mobile networks in various settings, such as business offices and retail venues. Using satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
backhaul
Backhaul (telecommunications)
In a hierarchical telecommunications network the backhaul portion of the network comprises the intermediate links between the core network, or backbone, of the network and the small subnetworks at the "edge" of the entire hierarchical network...
, its solutions also provide coverage to commercial passenger aircraft, ships, and users in remote rural areas.
ip.access is a member of 3GPP
3GPP
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations, known as the Organizational Partners...
, the Cambridge Network
Cambridge Network
The Cambridge Network is a commercial business networking organisation for business people and academics working in technology fields in the Cambridge area of the UK...
, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Femto Forum, and an associate member of the Network Vendors Interoperability Testing (NVIOT) Forum.
History
ip.access was founded in December 1999 as a wholly owned subsidiary of TTP Group PLC aimed at developing technologies that would allow multiple radio access technologies to communicate over the Internet. To accommodate its growing staff, in 2006 ip.access relocated to new offices in Cambourne Business Park, Cambridge, where it remains.In October 2000, TTP Group spun off its communications division (TTP Communications, or TTPCom) in a successful IPO on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
, and ip.access joined the spin-off as a wholly owned subsidiary of the TTPCom group.
In March 2006, the company secured an £8.5 million round of funding from Intel Capital, Scottish Equity Partners
Scottish Equity Partners
Scottish Equity Partners is a leading independent owner managed venture capital and growth equity firm. It invests in innovative, high growth companies in the information technology, healthcare and energy technology sectors...
, and Rothschild & Cie Gestion. As part of its June 2006 acquisition of TTP Communications, Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
also gained a stake in ip.access. In 2007, after signing an OEM agreement with ip.access, ADC
ADC Telecommunications
ADC Telecommunications was a communications company located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis. It was acquired by TE Connectivity in December 2010 and now ceases to exist as a separate entity...
(now part of Tyco Electronics
Tyco Electronics
TE Connectivity, Ltd., previously known as Tyco Electronics, Ltd., and formerly a segment of Tyco International, is a leading global provider of engineered electronic components, network solutions, undersea telecommunication systems, and specialty products for customers in more than 150 countries...
) made a minority interest investment in the company. Following suit, both Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
Systems and Qualcomm made strategic financial investments in the company in 2008.
ip.access was named in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
Fast Tech Track 100, which produces rankings of top-performing private companies in the UK, in both 2007 and 2008. The company was also cited as the number one picocell vendor in an independent study performed by global market intelligence company, ABI Research
ABI Research
ABI Research is a marketing research firm based in New York. It was founded in 1990. The organization provides research on the following areas:* Mobile Devices, Networks and Services* Telematics & Navigation* Digital Home* Wireless Connectivity...
in 2008. In 2009, it was named in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500
Deloitte Fast 500
The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Awards are run and moderated by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. They recognize the 500 fastest-growing technology companies in regions around the world...
EMEA
Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Europe, the Middle East and Africa, usually abbreviated to EMEA, is a regional designation used for government, marketing and business purposes...
, an annual ranking of the fastest growing public and private technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, and green technology companies in 26 EMEA countries. In June 2011, international market research and analysis firm Infonetics named the company, along with its partner Cisco Systems, as the leading supplier of 3G femtocells. In August 2011, ip.access announced it had surpassed the 500,000 mark for installations of its 3G technologies in homes, offices, and hotspots.
In July 2007, ip.access became a founding member of the Femto Forum, an organization promoting worldwide femtocell deployment, with the goal of addressing standards-oriented issues such as radio planning and control, device provisioning, and device-to-network standardization collaboratively with other members. In April 2009, the company announced its Oyster 3G product would support femtocell standards published by 3GPP and the Broadband Forum
Broadband Forum
The Broadband Forum is a non-profit industry consortium dedicated to developing broadband network specifications. Members include telecommunications networking and service provider companies, broadband device and equipment vendors, consultants and independent testing labs...
. In March 2010, the company took part in the first Plugfest, organized by ETSI as part of its Plugtests™ program, held to demonstrate the effectiveness of the 3GPP femtocell standards in supporting interoperability between femtocell access points and network equipment from different vendors.
Products
The company's technologies are employed by telecommunications firms such as AT&TAT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, which uses Oyster 3G as the core femtocell technology for its 3G MicroCell product, and Cisco Systems
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
, which has jointly developed a femtocell solution with ip.access in compliance with the Broadband Forum's TR-069
TR-069
TR-069 is a DSL Forum technical specification entitled CPE WAN Management Protocol...
technical specification.
nanoGSM®
In 2002, ip.access introduced the world’s first IP basestation controller for indoor GSM networks. nanoGSM uses 2G picocells that leverage the standard GSM air interface, full IP-based BSC, and an OMC-ROperations and Maintenance Centre
In Mobile Networks, Operations and Maintenance Center is the central location to Operate & Maintain the Network.There are various types of OMCs depending on the functionality:OMC-B OMC-R In Mobile Networks, Operations and Maintenance Center is the central location to Operate & Maintain the...
management system that delivers voice, messaging and data to both 2G and 3G handsets at an indoor range of up to 200m.
nano3G™
nano3G is an end-to-end Femtocell system with access points for Enterprise, E-class [E8, E16 and E24] and Small Medium Business, S-class [S8], access controller and element management system, providing carrier-class coverage to commercial and consumer users.Oyster 3G™ Technology
Launched at the 2007 3GSM World Congress in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Oyster 3G is ip.access' core 3G femtocell technology used by system integrator
System integrator
A systems integrator is a person or company that specializes in bringing together component subsystems into a whole and ensuring that those subsystems function together, a practice known as System Integration...
s and OEM
OEM
OEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981...
customers to integrate WCDMA femtocells into home gateways, set-top boxes, and other devices.
Customers and Partners
Among ip.access' major customers are AT&T, Bharti AirtelBharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
, Blue Ocean Wireless, Bouygues Telecom
Bouygues Telecom
Bouygues Telecom is a French mobile phone and Internet service provider company, part of the Bouygues group. Its headquarters, designed by Arquitectonica, are located at the border of Paris and Issy-les-Moulineaux near the River Seine....
, Monaco Telecom, SFR
SFR
SFR is a French mobile phone company. It has over 20 million customers, and provides over 4.6 million households with high-speed internet access...
, SPIE SA, T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
, Tele2
Tele2
Tele2 AB is a major European telecommunications operator, with about 34 million customers in 11 countries. It serves as a fixed-line telephone operator, cable television provider, mobile phone operator and Internet service provider.- Overview :...
, Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, and Telia Sonera.
The company's technology partners include AeroMobile
AeroMobile
AeroMobile was established as a joint venture between ARINC and Telenor in 2006 and since January 2010, AeroMobile is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telenor...
, Altobridge, Blue Ocean Wireless, Cisco Systems, Private Mobile Networks, Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
, Quortus, Setcom
Setcom
setcom is a privately owned group of companies with offices in Germany, Malta, Hong Kong and North America....
, and TriaGnoSys.
2007
- Light Reading Leading Lights Awards - Best New Product (Private Company)
- Global Mobile Awards - Best Radio Access Product or Service
- The Sunday Times Fast Tech Track 100
- World Communications Award - Best Technology Foresight
2009
- Deloitte Fast 500 EMEA
- Femto Forum Awards - Femtocell or Femtocell Network Element Design and Technology Innovation
- Femto Forum Awards - Femtocell Service (Commercial, Prototype, or Demo)
- Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards - Maritime Voice Services
Community Support
ip.access is a corporate supporter of East Anglia'sEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
Children's Hospices (EACH), which provides care for children and young people with life-threatening illnesses and support for their families.