Keallhauled's coverage about femtocells has caused a storm of reader reaction, especially from those who see any cell site as a health hazard.

A typical comment: “I have no interest in adding to the radiation circulating around my house.”

Alcatel Lucent’ Dr Malek Shahid, a senior manager in his company’s femtocell group, said a wi-fi router has a peak transmit power of around 100 milliwatts, while a 3G cellphone can output 200 milliwatts - well within the electromagnetic emission safety guidelines set by New Zealand’s National Radiation Laboratory and other bodies.

A femtocell, by contrast, has a transmit power of around 20 milliwatts, and often outputs just 1 milliwatt. The proximity of the home environment means relatively little signal power is required, said Dr Shahid.

More on femocells:
Telecom joins Vodafone in testing 'cell site for your living room'
Femtocells today and tomorrow