Sprint’s Chairman was recently quoted as saying 4G LTE connectivity in the US is “horrible”, and we’re not sure if it is a coincidence because around the same time, a certain piece of technology called the pCell was announced which will supposedly improve phone reception, connectivity issues, reduce battery strain, and at the same time increase data speeds that are apparently 1,000 faster than 4G, according to a report by Business Insider.
The device is made by a company called Artemis and basically what it does is that it will help to reduce the need for big, power-hungry, and not to mention expensive cell towers with small devices like the pWave, pictured above. What makes this different from cell towers is that they can be placed anywhere, versus cell towers that have to be placed at a certain distance from one another to prevent interference.
What this means is that there are some mobile subscribers who live in more rural regions who might not have access to many cell towers, which could result in poor reception and slow data speeds, will soon be able to enjoy the same speeds and reception that they should rightfully be getting.
Other benefits of the pCell is that because reception is more readily available, it would put less strain on the phone as it would not have to be continuously trying to seek out the closest tower or the best reception. It definitely sounds like a great piece of technology, although we guess it might have to be deployed on a larger scale to see its effectiveness.
The good news is that the technology will be trialled later this year in San Francisco in Q4 2014. Artemis is said to be working with an unnamed partner to help blanket the city with the technology.