|
|
Subscribe / Log in / New account

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

From:  Harvind Samra <hssamra-AT-kestrelsp.com>
To:  discuss-gnuradio-AT-gnu.org
Subject:  The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM basestation using the USRP and VoIP
Date:  Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:42:56 -0700
Message-ID:  <1220496176.3263.37.camel@localhost.localdomain>
Archive‑link:  Article

Hi all,

I wanted to introduce a new open-source project we've created, the
openBTS project.  

The Open BTS Project is an effort to construct an open-source Unix
application that uses the USRP to present a GSM air interface ("Um") to
a standard GSM handset and uses the Asterisk software PBX to connect
calls. The combination of the ubiquitous GSM air interface with VoIP
backhaul could form the basis of a new type of cellular network that
could be deployed and operated at substantially lower cost than existing
technologies in greenfields in the developing world.

Please take a look at 

http://openbts.sourceforge.net/

We recently took our existing code to Burning Man 2008, and we were able
to successfully operate as a GSM basestation.

We'll be releasing portions of the code and architecture in the next
several weeks, and we're looking to recruit contributors to the project.
Hopefully, with a community effort, we'll have a more robust, elegant
system.  Any questions or comments can be sent todburgess@kestrelsp.com
or hssamra@kestrelsp.com

Thanks to the USRP and gnuradio projects and communities for helping us
make this possible!

--- Harvind Samra



to post comments

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 18:29 UTC (Thu) by daney (guest, #24551) [Link]

What a cool project. IMHO truly impressive.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 18:44 UTC (Thu) by pcampe (guest, #28223) [Link] (8 responses)

Are you sure that this is completely legal?

I vaguely remember that, if you could impersonate a BTS, you can crack a GSM SIM and clone it in no more than 6 hours.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 18:54 UTC (Thu) by oak (guest, #2786) [Link] (2 responses)

> Are you sure that this is completely legal?

In which part of the world? US? The news item mentioned "developing
world"...

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 19:05 UTC (Thu) by pcampe (guest, #28223) [Link] (1 responses)

>In which part of the world? US? The news item mentioned "developing
>world"...

I don't see any problem in access the OpenBTS web site (that sooner or later will contain schematics, source code, ecc..) for people living in the first world.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 5, 2008 0:06 UTC (Fri) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]

You'd need a license to turn the thing on, since GSM operates on regulated frequency bands.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 19:06 UTC (Thu) by drag (guest, #31333) [Link] (2 responses)

Well if you have a hacksaw you can spend a couple minutes and steal any bike or break into any warehouse that you please. You'd be amaze how fast a 15 year old boy can hack through a thick steel cable.

--------------

I would think it would be completely legal if you have a radio operators license of some sort. I mean it's not like the government can make it illegal for people start their own cellular phone companies.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 20:56 UTC (Thu) by pcampe (guest, #28223) [Link] (1 responses)

At least in Europe, companies have paid governments a lot of money for licenses to use the GSM band and governments protect their investments (and network health and security) not allowing anyone else to use the GSM band.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted May 21, 2009 14:52 UTC (Thu) by 071203 (guest, #58711) [Link]

If you get a amateur radio licence, you are allowed to use some spectrum
near the GSM band, mabe that is a solution?

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 21:47 UTC (Thu) by dburgess00 (guest, #53751) [Link] (1 responses)

Hi, pcampe.

As the guy who filed the FCC application for the Burning Man GSM test, I can tell you that what we
did was completely legal. Our license was WD9XKN, STA file #0353-EX-ST-2008, good for one
week in an area 10 miles NE of Gerlach, NV. We also coordinated spectrum use with a licensed
cellular carrier in the area. All of this is presented in the project web page.

What you describe is an IMSI-catcher. That's not what we were doing.

-- David A. Burgess

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 22:03 UTC (Thu) by pcampe (guest, #28223) [Link]

Thanks for your quick explanation and good luck with your project.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 19:28 UTC (Thu) by bferrell (subscriber, #624) [Link]

If you read the linked articles, you'll find they had temporary operating permission from the FCC and the local GSM carrier(s)

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 19:42 UTC (Thu) by robert_s (subscriber, #42402) [Link] (2 responses)

The GNURadio/USRP project I'm really waiting to see is a GPS receiver. That would be very interesting.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 4, 2008 21:14 UTC (Thu) by yootis (subscriber, #4762) [Link] (1 responses)

It already exists -- see http://gps-sdr.com

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Sep 5, 2008 0:13 UTC (Fri) by robert_s (subscriber, #42402) [Link]

Excellent - I've been searching for this for ages.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Oct 8, 2009 13:46 UTC (Thu) by degan (guest, #61248) [Link] (1 responses)

bjr, je suis une etudiante en telecom info et j'aimerai concevoir tout le projet d'openBTS du debut a la fin mai je manque beaucoup information sur la realisation, la configuration et aussi pour le deploiement de ce reseau.
si vous pouvez m'aider j'ai besoin des informations detaillés.
merci d'avance.

The OpenBTS project - an open-source GSM base station

Posted Oct 9, 2009 15:21 UTC (Fri) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link]

You don't mentioned where you've looked. There's lots of great reading behind just about every link on http://www.google.com/search?q=openbts

Remember that OpenBTS is hard and requires custom hardware. You won't be able to just set up your own mobile phone network in a weekend.


Copyright © 2008, Eklektix, Inc.
Comments and public postings are copyrighted by their creators.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds