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Can You Run an Open GSM Network?
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?"
To run the GSM network, you need frequencies in the right range, you'd have to get phones tuned to that frequency and a license from the FCC (Vancouver, WA) or the Canadian equivalent (Vancouver, BC).
You might be able to use 900Mhz or 2.4.Ghz, but you still need specially made phones and cells, and coverage would be poor.
I don't think amateur cell phones are possible.
WiFi phones may be possible, but coverage would be bad.
Aside from the red tape, and all such crap there are a few solutions that will allow you to have a MSC+HLR+BSC+BTS but will not scale well, and since , OpenSS7 is barely usable, if at all, there is no way to scale.
oh, and forget about roaming to your local provider when not in coverage if you do not sign a roaming agreement (highly unlikely).
Grab a phone from nokia or others that dose the wi-fi to gsm trick, use voice over IP to lower costs, deploy a comprehensive wi-fi network in your campus, and you will be better served...
Oh, and by the way, six years of experience in the second (734-02) GSM operator in Venezuela (in the telecomms area, just in case someone was wandering)
http://www.digitel.com.ve/
*** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
The idea of an open gsm network would make for an interesting real world pilot project. Unfortunately, just about every nation considers the radio bands you'd normally want to work in to be big buck$. The parent Canadian poster can do a quick Google search regarding frequency assignments in her/his nation, and it's the same situation just about everywhere. You'd be charged a huge sum to license the bands, and/or an additional sum to be licensed as one of a limited number of com providers on those bands.
Theoretically, you could try this on - say - the ISM bands, but they aren't going to give you the same performance as the cell bands. In addition, purpose-built cell equipment isn't designed nor licensed to operate outside of the cell bands, so you'd have a lot of DIY on the hardware side. Not so bad on the provider side so much as on the user side... where're you gonna get the handsets? Yes, there are ISM YoIP handsets, but they aren't really set up for portable use. While ISM ain't what you asked for, it's really all you have available.
Luke, help me take this mask off
The GSM spec allows for a type of cell called a pico-cell. Pico-cells are very low power and allow your cell phone to act like a cordless phone, and route calls throught your landline. Never seen one in north america, but I think Nokia offers it in Europe. Problem is different frequencies and I think it needs an ISDN connection.
This I think, would not be possible.
You might be able to dig up, slap togeather and in some way get into an operating state, the needed basic components for a GSM network (MSC, HLR/VLR, SMSC etc) but you will most probably not be allowed to transmit on any frequency that normal handsets can use, and even if your country doesnt regulate or give you permission to do it you will still be faced with the issues of getting an IMSI range, a number series, implementning number portability (it applicable), producing SIM-cards etc. And as pointed out already, you will probably not be able to get a roaming agreement with any operator, thus your users would have to change SIM to use your network (or have a second handset).
All in all I think its best to leave this project be. GSM networks are not cheap or open. Period.
When in danger, whewn in doubt! Run in circles, scream and shout!
I sure wish the major cell phone companies would Shut the Fuck Up, or at least that some of their customers would...
VoIP is popular in Australia, with companies (cf MyNetFone.com.au) offering service with NO monthly fees (& about 10 cents/2 hr call, to landlines in Oz)... and the COOL thing is: Free SIP to SIP fone
Why not skip the phone numbers & go SIP to SIP - on Community Mesh
Networks? Or, if you must dial those outside the SIP circle, use a
VoIP carrier (like MNF) & pay 10 cents per call, instead of 30c/min
Fido http://www.fido.ca/portal/en/packages/monthly.shtm l
h tmli ndex.shtml
/ plans_and_options.asp
Unlimited incoming: $25
Any time: $20
Fido to Fido: $25
Telus http://www.telusmobility.com/bc/plans/pcs/index.s
Talk a lot 20: $20
Urban Talk 30: $30
Or there's their prepaid plans which can be cheaper if you don't call much: http://www.telusmobility.com/bc/plans/payandtalk/
Rogers/Cantel http://www.shoprogers.com/store/wireless/services
MegaTime from $20
I'm not sure how much you expect cellphone service to cost; but $20-30/month (note each plan has a system access fee of about $8) is pretty reasonable, and many offer free or cheap phones.
Live simply, that others may simply live. -Gandhi
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.
Best bet would be a campus wide 802.11 network and use some wireless VOIP phones. Asterisk could connect it to the PSTN.
I think you can use Asterisk paired with Celliax, with the right hardware. It comes as a channel module: http://www.celliax.org/
The question remains: if $30 a month is too much, just how much do you want to spend?
I have, or have had, relationships with the various providers. Not necessarily for cellphones.
Telus do my home phone and ADSL. I have no complaints. If I wanted a cellphone I'd give them first right of refusal.
Bell Mobility are OK if you're a consumer wanting a cellphone, but need to get their act together for anything else. I'm doing some Brew CDMA development at work and they are somewhat less than cooperative. So I drive down to the border and test things with Sprint.
Fido can go fuck themselves.
I've never gotten anything other than cable TV from Rogers.
...laura
I'm not sure about the US, but in Europe there are cell companies that give a special price plan when you are in the office.
The idea is to make businesses give up on the landline entirely. That could be an alternative to the DECT/GSM combo - if you can get such a deal.
Yes, I am a biological organism. All rumors to the contrary are just that, rumors.
I began working on some software about this about 18 months ago. I worked on it for about 2 months (in spare time) and found that it was possible but would require trust and 'goodwill'. Something that I dropped because of this.
.....
Anyhow, it worked in this way. Phones with bluetooth have about a ten metre range. A phone will maintain a list of those phones within its range (running the listening software). Then, just as 'router man' developed the router to route packets of data, the phone could route sms (or text) messages. Those people with bluetooth constantly turned on and with the right software installed could sms people where a direct line could be established from source to destination. Each phone could act as both a client and router. Battery time was vastly decreased.
The big problems I ran into was having to write new reversible walk algorithm for unstructured, deformable meshes. I know this is possible but, damn it, just am not that smart.
I'd love to get coding on this again. In a large city this could work very well, well enough for voice communication. I know that people do love to do stuff for the greater good, but whenever I get on the torrent network, I see at most 5 million people worldwide. You need more than this in each nation. You could also hijack other bluetooth networks, but
.
There are 5 major nationwide networks. (Sprint Nextel still maintains the Nextel iDEN network along with the CDMA2000 network).
You can purchase service directly from the companies themselves or from virtual operators.
Plans can be found for $30 if you prefer postpaid service -- see Sprint Employee Referral Offer, and T-Mobile's cheapest.
Prepaid service is available per-minute on nearly all providers and there is an abundance of prepaid VNOs. T-Mobile is reasonable and doesn't have Virgin Mobile-style "hip" branding". Cingular provides prepaid plans starting at $30 per month/refill that also allow you to get additional services in packages (text messaging, unlimited data). Alltel provides prepaid at $0.75/day that allows unlimited calls to a "favorite" number, which could be a VoIP line that allows you to make calls through it and forwards calls to your phone.
There are also many regional/local networks. Alltel covers a lot of the South and Midwest and will roam on Verizon/Sprint for free on national plans.
Many cities have local networks that provide unlimited calling, but their phones only work within that city or a few cities.
FRS for small-campus-wide wireless communications? Are you high? The only criteria for small-campus general wireless communications needs that are met by FRS are 1) wireless and 2) roughly the right range (but probably still underpowered). A few of the criteria FRS fails are: private; node-to-node; station ID; multi-user; legal for general communications purposes... basically, non-digital technologies are a failure for modern communications needs.
If you want something for general wireless communications these days, your options are GSM, CDMA, and VOIP over 802.11a/b/g/n. Even 802.11 is dicey because of its more limited range. Will they work in a Dawn-of-the-Dead scenario? No. Does that mean using a FRS or HAM radio to communicate with your friends and classmates is a good idea _now_? No.
FRS, GMRS, CB, and HAM all have their places, but this is not one of them.
You can run it using ClusterKnoppix. I don't know if you have to download the package, but I do know that I saw it in the package list.