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20 Years of GSM and SMS
udas writes "Two thirds of the world's population, 4 billion people, use cell phones today, and all of them have access to SMS. Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSM), set up in 1982, created the GSM standard, leading to a unified, open, standard-based mobile network. SMS, up to 160 7-bit character messages sent over control channels (when they aren't busy), was part of the original GSM specification itself. The first GSM handsts were approved for sale in May 1992. But it was not until 1996, when pay-as-you-go SIM cards showed up, and the kids got their hands on it, that SMS gained popularity."
ugly, overpriced abomination that should die, die, die.
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
And they still charge over $1000/MB for SMS.
What does the typical person pay per month?
GSM is far better than that crappy American CDMA trash!
Worst mobile standard ever.
Hmm. The "two yogurts and a string" standard is pretty weak too.
"Two thirds of the world's population, 4 billion people, use cell phones today, and all of them have access to SMS" Are they really all using the GSM standard, which provides SMS? I thought that in some developing countries, there were still analogue (i.e. pre-GSM) networks in use?
I mean, with probably a few exceptions?
I've always liked GSM because it is easy to swap out simcards, while CDMA seems to flash the information into the phone making it much harder to reuse...
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
Testing if post as AC appears
I get the impression that sending a text is way more expensive in the US than elsewhere so hasn't really taken off the way it has elsewhere? I get 1,000 a month 'free' in my monthly payment. Most people I know are on unlimited. It's certainly not uncommon for people to get through 5,000+ a month. I really don't see the problem. It's cheap, simple and works. Sure you can use WhatsApp etc (free for how long?) but most people I know don't have it and won't installit because, well, they like SMS for reasons given.
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
That is all.
Am I the only person who used to prefer when you could slot the entire credit card sized card into the phone without taking the battery out? It was so much friggin easier - I used to have 3 cards which I could swap around as and when needed and it literally took seconds to change. Ok , some smartphones have gone back to that and now have a SIM slot on the outside but most STILL require you to disassemble the phones first. Why??
I hate it how gsm handsets interfere with computer speakers, you can always tell when someone carries a gsm instead of, say, cdma or its later incarnations. Its also silly to learn by the speakers noise you are going to get a call before the actual phone rings... And, have found gsm despite in theory being more rebust, struggles more in bad situation such as inside buildings.
A single operator in my country happens to service both cdma and gsm phones, with the latter being more heavily pushed. Perhaps it can simply accomodate more lines per cell?
I mentioned computer speakers but the noise made by gsm handsets actually affects most recording equipment, such as studio or even live tv broadcasts (ie, a guest in a show forgets to turn off the phone...), and you get to hear the familiar beep beep beep, beep beep beep; twaaaaaaaa twaaaaaa twaaaaa thing.
Artix
Your Linux, your init.
Which must be why when GSM went 3G and beyond, they pretty much dumped everything from GSM (Like that craptacular TDMA scheme) and copied the many things that CDMA got right, huh?
About the only thing that GSM got right was that SIMs are manditory, rather than optional like in CDMA.
The people in Kashmir (India) do not have access to SMS.
It has something to do with terrorists I was told last autumn...
Just saying...
(and maybe there are others as well who are shut off)
rm -rf --no-preserve-root /
Everyone's kind of missing the real problem here: monopolized industry. This is how they get away with gouging the customer with these dead paradigm technologies. SMS, long distance charges, roaming, and per MB billing all should be a thing of the past. The only reason they aren't is that, in an industry with little competition, the telecom cartel can pretty much do whatever they want.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I'd say GSM has a number of features that are far useful for a clued customer than CDMA. Of course, in theory the differences will go away when companies move to LTE and one stream for communications (as opposed to separated voice/data.) A couple points:
Yes, I can keep my Internet connection going while using my BT headpiece and talking with a friend. Very simple, but CDMA, you talk, or use the packet radio; not both.
If the device is unlocked, I can used whatever the heck I feel like on a GSM network. Switching between my iPhone and Android phone is just a SIM card swap away. With CDMA companies, I have to call them and plead for them to switch the number to that phone, and IIRC, unless you bought the device from that provider, they will laugh in your face.
The US CDMA standard is a crippled implementation. Everywhere else in the world, the CDMA standard uses R/UIM cards. This allows people to use whatever cell phone they want, just like with GSM (provided the phone is unlocked.) This also prevents phones from other countries being used in the US.
I like GSM for the ability to use an unlocked phone I bought anywhere in the world in the US. The phone may crawl along at EDGE speed, but at least it can be used, unlike CDMA phones which have to be tossed, if one wants to change providers.
It's not true that all cell phone users have access to SMS in Japan.
In fact, only recently SMS became an alternative to e-mail.
I'd say GSM has a number of features that are far useful for a clued customer than CDMA. Of course, in theory the differences will go away when companies move to LTE and one stream for communications (as opposed to separated voice/data.) A couple points:
Yes, I can keep my Internet connection going while using my BT headpiece and talking with a friend. Very simple, but CDMA, you talk, or use the packet radio; not both.
If the device is unlocked, I can used whatever the heck I feel like on a GSM network. Switching between my iPhone and Android phone is just a SIM card swap away. With CDMA companies, I have to call them and plead for them to switch the number to that phone, and IIRC, unless you bought the device from that provider, they will laugh in your face.
The US CDMA standard is a crippled implementation. Everywhere else in the world, the CDMA standard uses R/UIM cards. This allows people to use whatever cell phone they want, just like with GSM (provided the phone is unlocked.) This also prevents phones from other countries being used in the US.
I like GSM for the ability to use an unlocked phone I bought anywhere in the world in the US. The phone may crawl along at EDGE speed, but at least it can be used, unlike CDMA phones which have to be tossed, if one wants to change providers.
You're aware that three of the four advantages you list are "The SIM is manditory" which your parent poster said was GSM's main advantage, right?
And the fourth is the byproduct of an ugly hack which now afflicts CDMA/LTE phones as well: a second radio stack.
Fine. I guess you've never had $50 in also carte text charges in a single month and a carrier who refused to sell you a text plan.
I, on the other hand, have.
Well, this certainly wasn't this year -- or so I hope. If you're in the United States, you can likely choose AT&T's gophone which will sell you as many text messages per month pre-paid as you'd like. You can buy a 200 messages plan for $.024 per message or a 1000 messages plan for $.01 per message. You can buy 2 200 messages plan or three 1000 message plans. Or you can buy an unlimited plan.
You can even choose to only text if you'd like to avoid costly voice service. Bottom line -- SMS is not as expensive as it may have been 10 years ago when you got a $50 text charge.
No, the only reason GSM was so successful was quite simple. Once in our lifetime, we saw a case where european engineers went for the simple, cheap and easy to implement solution, while US engineers went for the expensive and overengineered way. Normally it's the other way round.
$1.50 for a liter? That's over $5.67 a gallon. That is only cheap compared to countries with punitive taxes on gasoline that are several multiples of the cost of the gasoline itself.
... Did you try eating the yogurt 1st?
Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
Actually not. It had sense when GSM phones were cheaper. Technologically it's much more complicated than CDMA and very crappy.
"It feels like I'm at the Zoo when reading this thread - I'm frightened, but it's interesting" (c)
There is no 3G GSM. 3G is actually CDMA. Technologically there is nothing from classic GSM in there.
"It feels like I'm at the Zoo when reading this thread - I'm frightened, but it's interesting" (c)
What about quality, spectral efficiency, bandwidth?
I don't care about SIM card, if I'm switching from mobile operator to mobile operator - I still need to buy a card.
"It feels like I'm at the Zoo when reading this thread - I'm frightened, but it's interesting" (c)
There is no 3G GSM. 3G is actually CDMA. Technologically there is nothing from classic GSM in there.
You are confusing CDMA as signal encoding and the CDMA data specification' (aka Qualcomm CDMA). GSM always been an umbrella standard covering what features are needed for communication. Originally GSM went with TDMA as the encoding, but in recent years have switched to CDMA. 3G GSM refers to the third generation of the GSM standard, which also includes the CDMA signal encoding. It does not use the Qualcomm CDMA data specification.
GSM was as a standard was formed by multiple entities to avoid the incompatiblities encountered during the analogue days. The GSM standard includes many technologies and evolves over time. As long as the licensees follow the standard, then everyone communicates.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
You do realise that this means there are now people of voting age who have *never* been without text-messaging ?
Damn, but that makes me feel old.
I say we take off and nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...
Half your problems should be solved by moving to Europe. But then you'll probably be unemployed..
It's not about needs, it's about possibilities and how it works. GSM network requires hard planning in coverage, it's radio part is crappy, has delays.
CDMA/TDMA is not encoding, it's way data is delivered to required phone.
GSM has not switched to CDMA method, GSM has timeslots. UMTS is not GSM. UMTS is based on CDMA entirely and has derived nothing from GSM.
GSM has not evolved at all, all it has done is PSK8 modulation.
"It feels like I'm at the Zoo when reading this thread - I'm frightened, but it's interesting" (c)