This will be music to the ears of anyone who struggles with mobile phone reception at home!  From the 1st July, Vodafone will be offering Access Gateway, a service where customers will be supplied with a signal boosting box, called a Femtocell, enabling up to four 3G calls to be placed at one time over a broadband connection.

Femtocells, the name given to small cellular base stations designed for home or small business use, have been tested all over the world, with several network providers already offering them to customers in the US.  Vodafone have been testing theirs for six months, so it’s good to see this new and exciting technology finally get an official launch in the UK.

As far as the cost of Access Gateway is concerned, Vodafone will charge either a £160 one time payment, £5 per month or an undisclosed charge as part of a new contract.  You’ll also need a broadband connection at home and you’ll have to register which 3G mobile phones will be using the Femtocell once it’s up and running.  Visit the official Vodafone page on July 1st for more information.