T-Mobile CTO Says Femtocells Could Require 500M–1.5B Units
T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer John Saw said matching the company’s outdoor coverage using customer-hosted femtocells could require 500 million to 1.5 billion units nationwide, implying a massive hardware bill at roughly $1,000 each plus other rollout costs. The discussion suggests satellite-to-device links would more likely supplement rural coverage than replace existing networks, potentially creating opportunities for T-Mobile and tower operators.