KDDI chooses 3G Femtocell from Hitachi and Airvana

February 2, 2018

Airvana, Inc. (NASDAQ: AIRV), today announced that it has been selected to provide KDDI with its 3G CDMA femtocells and Femtocell Service Manager, as part of a comprehensive solution being delivered by Hitachi.

Femtocells are home-based cellular access points that use a subscriber’s existing broadband connection to provide enhanced voice coverage and data performance for mobile phones indoors.

KDDI, Japan’s second largest mobile operator, is known for its dedication to communications innovation and customer satisfaction.

In 2016, Airvana and Hitachi announced a femtocell partnership for the Japanese market.

Airvana’s contribution to the joint solution includes its HubBub™ CDMA femtocell which is unique in the industry for its simultaneous support of both 1x-RTT and 3G EV-DO services; the Femtocell Service Manager (FSM) for massive-scale device management and automated network planning; and the FNG femtocell network gateway.

Hitachi will provide core network equipment to connect the HubBub femtocell system into KDDI’s core network.

Airvana’s femtocell and Hitachi’s call processing server both use SIP control signaling to transparently support existing CDMA 1x calling functions in the network.

Hitachi will also act as the overall system integrator to ensure interoperability between the femtocell network, the macro EV-DO radio access network and the core network infrastructure.

“Femtocells will benefit KDDI’s customers by improving coverage and performance,” explained Randy Battat, President and CEO, Airvana.

“The combination of Airvana’s femtocell products and Hitachi’s core-network equipment and services brings femtocell benefits to existing operator networks and business systems.”

KDDI plans to commence trials of the combined Hitachi-Airvana femtocell solution in March 2018.