Cambridge-based ip.access is rapidly gaining recognition as a rising star in the mobile communication world as it prepares for the commercial launch of its new Oyster 3G™ product which extends 3G coverage in the home.

The company, which specialises in innovative wireless solutions to solve poor signal penetration problems for mobile operators, is already recognised as a leader in ‘2G picocell’ solutions which extend coverage in small and medium size buildings. It now has live picocell deployments with more than 20 networks worldwide.

The company demonstrated its credentials with the successful development of the world’s first and smallest 2G picocell but its first step into the residential market potentially marks an even bigger breakthrough for the ambitious company which is headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Mallinson.

The market for femtocells is predicted to be worth at least $2bn by 2011, according to ABI Research, driven by improving phone coverage and the attraction of lower cost calls and Internet access at home. Stuart Carlaw, research director for wireless at ABI Research said $2 billion could prove a conservative estimate.

The company’s pre-eminence in the 3G field has been recognised by the GSM Association which named Oyster 3G™ as the Best Radio Access Product at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. The company took the honours in a category hotly contested by industry giants Nokia and Cisco.

CEO Mallinson said: “The fact that the Oyster 3G™ has been recognised through this award gives us great momentum and is testament to the huge amount of work that we have put into making ip.access the market leader for in-building picocell and femtocell technology.”

The Oyster routes 3G calls over a customer’s broadband Internet connection, dramatically increasing 3G cell capacity and quality of coverage at a significantly reduced cost.

SEP led an £8.5 million funding round for ip.access in March 2006 and the company recently raised further funding from existing investors including SEP, to help it to capitalise on future growth opportunities.

Andrew Davison, a director in SEP’s Information Technology team said: “ip.access is rapidly cementing its position as a pioneer in picocell and femtocell technology. It has developed cost-effective solutions which are coming to market just as the 3G sector really begins to take off. We expect them to carve a significant share of the global market.”

The company is in talks with operators worldwide about integrating Oyster 3G™ into their networks. The attraction to operators deploying the product is that it enables them to offer consumers a powerful converged product in the home, capturing revenues which would normally go to fixed-line service providers.

ip.access is accelerating global growth through partnerships with the likes of Siemens (now Nokia Siemens Networks), ADC and Alcatel-Lucent. It has also forged relationships with distributors in Latin America and the CIS, and signed a major manufacturing deal with Taiwanese company USI.

It is pushing into the Indian market following a deal with Himachal Exicom Communications Ltd (HECL), a leading provider of telecom solutions. It also has several commercial deployments in the Asia-Pacific region, including deals with Shin Satellite, a leading Asian satellite operator, and SMART Communications of the Philippines.

The company is led by an experienced top team headed by Mallinson who began his career in BT’s laboratories and progressed to Fujitsu Telecom, DSC Communications and Airspan Networks Inc. Recent key appointments include Chief Financial Officer Anthony Jones; Senior Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Worldwide Chris Rees; and Vice President of Marketing Andy Tiller. Non-Executive Chairman Andy Roberts, who joined the board in 2006, brings 20 years international experience at board level in the industry and has chaired a number of venture-backed companies.