Viability of open GSM stacks and equipment [LWN.net]

Viability of open GSM stacks and equipment

Posted Sep 30, 2010 7:13 UTC (Thu) by Cato (subscriber, #7643)
In reply to: Viability of open GSM stacks and equipment by Cyberax
Parent article: GSM security testing: where the action is

I doubt GSM is going to go away on the handset for at least 10 years, simply because there is so much GSM deployed world-wide and it will be convenient to be able to make voice calls even when visiting the most rural parts of the developing world. Given software radio and DSP technologies, there is very little extra cost to supporting GSM alongside UMTS and LTE.

GSM also has good coverage for rural areas, as a GSM cell can reach up to 35 km (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM#Cellular_radio_network ) vs. "over 10km" in theory for UMTS (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7m-MnwW_o7AC&lpg=P... ). Even today in a Western European country, the only way I can get UMTS 3G coverage at home is via femtocell, and I'm only 5 km from the nearest 3G base station. The economics of deploying a UMTS or LTE base station closer to me will only stack up if there's a very cheap wireless backhaul technology that can handle the required throughput for multiple 3G/4G subscribers.

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Viability of open GSM stacks and equipment

Posted Sep 30, 2010 12:54 UTC (Thu) by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523) [Link]

Range of coverage can actually be better in 4G technologies. First, they are going to use more robust and efficient radio modulation technologies. I know that it's being specifically worked on.

For GSM maximum distance is limited to about 40km (by lightspeed so you can't do anything about it). It's quite feasible that 4G technologies will allow 50-70km maximum distance to tower.

UMTS is quite far from ideal here. We've learned a lot since it was first designed.

Viability of open GSM stacks and equipment

Posted Sep 30, 2010 19:42 UTC (Thu) by Jan_Zerebecki (guest, #70319) [Link]

> For GSM maximum distance is limited to about 40km (by lightspeed so you can't do anything about it).

Usually the range is limited to the distance the signal can travel in one timeslot, but it seems you can do something about it if your BTS is modified to allow the signal to arrive in the next timeslot.

Viability of open GSM stacks and equipment

Posted Sep 30, 2010 19:50 UTC (Thu) by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523) [Link]

Yes, it's sometimes used. But not all devices will work in this case, and GSM you can get issues with interference.

Viability of open GSM stacks and equipment

Posted Oct 4, 2010 2:24 UTC (Mon) by showell (subscriber, #2929) [Link]

We have had our GSM cells working out to 121 kms using an Ericsson feature called extended range.

GSM will be with us for along time because the GSM chipsets are still 1/2 the price of the 3G / 4G ones (due mainly to IP payments). GSM handsets sell in poorer markets in massive quantities over 3G.