Will Femtocells save us from drop-outs?

Although the carriers tell me consumer demand won't exceed wireless capacity, I don't think I'm alone in experiencing regular drop-outs.

So is it an issue? On today's Twisted Wire I ask how long we can expect networks to meet demand.

ACMA figures show that 3G use jumped 162 per cent last year. As we become more accustomed to multimedia (on fixed and mobile networks) the growth is unlikely to slow.

In the UK, Vodafone has started promoting Femtocells — home base stations that can provide local coverage, with the traffic carried back across your fixed-line internet connection. It's a way of a network provider to get you to pay for offloading some traffic off their network. Is this a proposition that's likely to work?

For my money, I reckon it could catch on. Provided the hardware is subsidised I think many of us would like to experience higher speeds and continuity of service that we might not experience on our smartphones when we're at home. And we all like a new gadget.

We'll buy a bit of hardware, we just don't like paying more than we have to for an ongoing service. This is a bit of kit that we will happily spend money on that will help keep our wireless data costs under control.

To discuss the growth in mobile data and the role of Femtocells you'll hear from:

• Nathan Burley, an analyst from Ovum, based in Melbourne
• Mike Wright, Telstra executive director of Wireless
• Simon Saunders, chairman of the Femtocell Forum

Tell us what you think. Would you buy one?