Cellphone manufacturer Motorola said Monday European adoption of femtocells, a technology which boosts mobile phone reception in buildings, is expected to rise in 2009.

"Whilst the technology is still relatively unheard of amongst consumers, with over three-quarters not being familiar with femtocells, adoption is set to rise," the company said, citing the results of a study.

The Motorola study surveyed 1,800 mobile and Internet users in Poland, Spain, Italy, France, U.K. and Germany.

"When key benefits of femtocells - such as increased mobile coverage in the home, improved call quality and lower voice call charges - were explained, over 40% of respondents said they (would) definitely or probably plan to make a purchase in the next 12 months," Motorola said.

Femtocells are small indoor versions of external phone towers about the size of a paperback novel. They improve both coverage and network capacity, especially indoors.

Source:Dow Jones Newswires