Steve Perlman, founder & CEO at Rearden, and John Sculley, former CEO at Apple, discuss the development of pCell technology that ends cell phone dead zones and opens up high-speed wireless communication to all on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg Surveillance.” (Video: Bloomberg)
A San Francisco-based start-up has announced plans to commercialize a new wireless transmission technology that could eliminate network congestion and provide faster, more reliable data connections by redistributing wireless bandwidth more effectively.
Known as pCell—short for “personal cell”—the technology is designed to overcome a common problem with existing methods of cellular connections, in which all wireless devices within a certain area compete for access to a large cell transmitted from a single tower, says Artemis Networks founder Steve Perlman. This competition often results in slower services for all users, especially in crowded urban areas, as each device takes turns to avoid interference. The situation will only worsen as carriers run out of additional wireless spectrum to allocate to new devices and applications.
The new pCell technology “turns the entire problem inside out,” says Perlman. “Instead of dodging interference, pCell exploits interference, combining transmitted radio signals from multiple pCell base stations” to create one-centimeter areas of coverage dedicated to individual devices on the network.
Each one of the pCells, says Perlman, is designed to deliver the full amount of available bandwidth to a device regardless of how many other devices are in use, effectively providing users with the type of unrestricted service they would receive as if each of them was the only wireless subscriber in the immediate area.
No additional hardware or software is required in LTE cell phones and other wireless devices to utilize pCell, and these devices can easily switch between it and LTE as required.
“pCell technology is a complete reinvention of wireless,” Perlman said. “pCell delivers on the long-sought dream of ubiquitous, fast Internet, with the reliability and consistency previously only achievable through a wired connection. pCell is effectively mobile fiber.”
pCell is currently in trials with partners in San Francisco and will be ready for limited commercial deployment by the end of 2014. It is expected to expand to major markets in the US, Asia and Europe starting in 2015; the exact deployment schedule in each market will be determined by the carrier and ISP partners.
