LONDON — Qualcomm Inc. has made a strategic investment in ip.access (Cambridge, England) and joins existing investors  Cisco, Intel Capital, ADC, Motorola Ventures, Scottish Equity Partners, Rothschild Gestion and Amadeus Capital Partners  to provide funding support for ip.access' Oyster 3G femtocell system.

The Oyster 3G uses a residential broadband connection to deliver a high-quality 3G signal in the home, and is currently being trialled by major network operators worldwide.

ip.access is also behind the worlds most deployed picocell system, which is used in more than 35 mobile networks around the world to provide coverage and capacity in offices, shops and other buildings. The company also recently announced a future 3G picocell system.

"3G femtocells will have a very important role in future mobile network architecture," said Frederic Rombaut, head of Qualcomm Ventures Europe, "ip.access has an innovative approach to the 3G femtocell market that will enable our customers to enhance the delivery of 3G services to mobile users."