Maybe if they called it the Super-Connect-O-Fier

Call it a femtocell, call it an Access Point Base Station -- look, maybe the industry should instead try calling it something that clicks with consumers, because according to a recent study by In-Stat, the niche needs some help.

The femtocell, in case you haven't got one hanging off your own home network, is a cell base station sized down to cover a dwelling or an office. It can bring coverage into areas of a building where coverage is weak (eg., an interior office), and depending on your mobile service provider it may save you money by connecting your mobile phone to your provider's network over whatever broadband you've got at home. They can combine multiple kinds of access (eg., Wi-Fi and cellular).

The name doesn't seem to be making much of an impression, but In-Stat says the tech is doing well. By 2012, their research says, worldwide shipments of cellular femtocells will grow to more than 30 million, and 40% of those will be located in the US.

Your current mobile provider may already offer one -- Verizon announced their Wireless Network Extender (catchy name or vaguely NSFW? you be the judge) in January; they're using some of the same 2G (cellular-only) tech as Sprint's Airave (shown in the illustration above), which has been in soft-launch mode since last year. AT&T expects to debut a version later this year, and T-Mobile... well, T-Mobile's Hotspot@Home uses Wi-Fi rather than cellular technology, but they've had the concept down since 2006.

Just not the name.