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World's First Voice Call From a Free GSM Stack

Posted by timothy on from the but-it-takes-more-than-a-pdf-exploit dept.

zycx writes "As Dieter Spaar has pointed out in a mailing list post on the OsmocomBB developer list, he has managed to get a first alpha version of TCH (Traffic Channel) code released, supporting the FR and EFR GSM codecs. What this means, in human readable language: He can actually make voice calls from a mobile phone that runs the Free Software OsmocomBB GSM stack on its baseband processor. This is a major milestone in the history of the project."

10 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. GSM Full Rate patent by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    I thought the GSM voice codecs were patented by Philips, as described in this page about an otherwise Free implementation of GSM FR.

    1. Re:GSM Full Rate patent by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 3, Informative

      It is in fact the main codec used in most of my Asterisk systems. The implementation is 100% Free Software. Is it patent-free? No. But nobody has sued anybody so far, mainly because the big guys don't see its use in VoIP as a threat to their big-ass systems used in GSM networks. Now, this might be a different situation.

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  2. Pardon me, but.... by WED+Fan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Pardon me, but what does this really mean? Does this mean that we could develop our out cell phones, a kind of born unlocked? Would this allow us to create our own devices that include GSM without relying upon the industry providing us feature sets we don't want or need?

    Is this really historic, or just a really nerdy, geeky milestone?

    In other words: What will this do for me?

    --
    Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    1. Re:Pardon me, but.... by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What this means is that it is now theoretically possible to have a phone with zero closed source code. So far all phones have had at least proprietary radio module code.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Pardon me, but.... by Gruturo · · Score: 3, Informative

      You must have GSM confused with CDMA2000. In GSM, as I understand it, carriers don't allow handsets on their network; they allow SIMs on their network.

      Not quite. The phone has to be allowed as well, its maker and model are sort of embedded in its IMEI and there are blacklist (not just for stolen handsets, but also for models with critical radio flaws which would not work or even disrupt the network in their vicinity while operating).

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      Vacuum cleaners suck. Kings rule.
  3. Got more links about GSM patents? by ciaran_o_riordan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If you've any other links, I'd like to add them here:

    http://en.swpat.org/wiki/GSM

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    Expert in software patents or patent law? Contribute to the ESP wiki!
  4. First Call by Nerdfest · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Mr Stallman, come here, I want to see you!".

  5. Re:IMEI blacklisting practices by Gruturo · · Score: 4, Informative

    The white/black/grey lists are held in the EIR (Equipment Identity Register), which may or may not exist at all (it's optional, some providers don't have one) and is sometimes integrated within the HLR

    This is an explanation (a bit dated, but still) of how to decode manufacturer code, country code, approval code etc from the IMEI: http://www.cellular.co.za/ieminumbers.htm

    More info (just relevant stuff which came up googling "imei hlr eir"):
    http://www.linkedin.com/answers/technology/wireless/TCH_WIR/612218-35166861
    http://www.linkedin.com/answers/technology/wireless/TCH_WIR/608687-35166861
    http://www.wordiq.com/definition/HLR#EIR

    Brief description of the (global?) IMEI DB at the gsmworld site: http://www.gsmworld.com/our-work/programmes-and-initiatives/fraud-and-security/imei_database.htm

    --

    Vacuum cleaners suck. Kings rule.
  6. Well by ledow · · Score: 3, Insightful

    According to the all-knowing Wiki: "phase I of the GSM specifications were published in 1990"

    So, depending on your point of view:

    - it's taken 20 years to implement something that had a published standard and worldwide, cheap hardware examples used by millions of people every day.

    - the standards took 20 years for an outsider to be able to implement them independently.

    And we're still only talking alpha code with specialised hardware.

    1. Re:Well by blair1q · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Actually, it's been done dozens of times before.

      By people who had proprietary knowledge enabling them to use the hardware properly, and hardware to do it on.

      The software is not that special, and the system isn't either.

      It's constructing the electronics that are capable of doing all the things needed to get the job done that slows you down.

      Big companies have $billions to invest in making complex micro-gadgets that they can sell for a $thousand each other big companies who can find millions of little people to rent them for a $hundred a month to send sexts and tweets. You expect things to get done in that business model.

      People with the word "free" in their corporate charter, not so much.

      Besides, there were other things we wanted to get done.