Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Can You Run an Open GSM Network?

Posted by Cliff on from the be-your-own-cell-phone-carrier dept.

OpenCell asks: "Here in Vancouver, cellphone companies are charging ridiculous amounts for basic cellphone plans. I'm wondering if it's possible to run an open/almost free GSM network on a small college campus. Assuming we could find the hardware and get the rights, is there open source software out there to handle most aspects for something like this?"

1 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. DECT by ceroklis · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The short answer is no.

    GSM is not designed for private networks, so forget it. What you want is DECT. DECT is a standard for cordless phones. It scales from a single cordless phone connected to a fixed line to business systems that cover a whole campus and connect to a PBX, making it easy to integrate to your existing infrastructure.

    You can find dual DECT/GSM phones that seamlessly switch between the two networks. Here is a example of a DECT solutions vendor, which has a full range of offers: http://www.diacom.ie/kirk.htm.