Industry Leaders Collaborate on GSM-over-Wi-Fi
Bye bye Verizon
"A mobile subscriber with a UMA-enabled, dual-mode handset moves within range of an unlicensed wireless network to which the handset is allowed to connect."
This is simply an alternative way to conect to a GSM network using a short-range WiFi connection, when available. Now you have to
- be near a network that supports this
- Be authententicated to enter this AP
- Have a compatible phone
Now this is of no significance to a person who just uses their phone as a "phone" since it does not matter how a person connects to the network, as long as they do to make the phone call. For people living in well covered areas this will be of no importance. In the corporate world UMA m ...
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not entirely. EV-Do has enabled verizon to score well in regards to corporate contracts. This wifi/gsm is targeted to business users. Business might not use it all that much but it is its a feature they want in case they need it.
so wifi/gsm is basically an advertising expense to sell voice plans.
... In fact if anything it shows that GSM is trying to get better coverage for free by forcing you and me to supply our own coverage, when the responsibility should squarely be theirs ("Ghetto" if you ask me).
In a way, you've hit squarely on the primary application for this, although I disagree on calling it "ghetto".
How often do people complain about coverage at home? (A lot.) Everyone wants their nice quiet little home in the 'burbs or countryside. And like good NIMBYs, they raise hell when someone wants to put up a cell tower in their neighborhood, but then turn around and complain just as mightily when they can't get cell phone coverage in their back yard.
It's not just the NIMBYs, though. Once you get o...
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But for those who are pronouncing the doom of CDMA they should understand that the CDG has been working on a 802.11g subcarrier standard. In fact the next recycle of the AT&T brand in wireless has it as a plan on the Sprint network. I believe they are waiting for EVDV or they may go for EVDO so they can have a high speed data network as well.
I'd agree greatly with being able to have perfect coverage in my house if I could make a one time purchase of an $80 box and then tack on $10 a month to keep it running. That's still cheaper than having landline AND a cell.
My question is this: I live in a tight neighborhood, as do most in city areas. From house to house we're well...
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...as an alternative to a well designed network of towers i think this idea falls short, but as a private way to conserve minutes or fill out those "dead-spots" this hits right on.
And that's the point. I don't think anyone expects this to replace a network in populated areas or make having a bad network an OK thing. But it may ease capacity issues in urban areas and permit "coverage" where there wouldn't be otherwise.
It may lead to slower tower build-out in sparsely-populated areas, but then what we're really talking about is fewer towers that would be underutilized (and thus unprofitable) anyway, so hopefully there's a cost savings that ultimately makes the service cheaper overall.
YOu...
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The CDG (CDMA Development Group) has been working on this for some time and carriers have announced interest in the technology. It will probably be available for both CDMA and GSM at about the same time, except the CDMA version will allow for DSL or even cable speeds on the data side.
Phones will be scarce and very expensive so it will probably initially only affect the techie elite class of users.
SPCSVZWJeff said:
...It will probably be available for both CDMA and GSM at about the same time, except the CDMA version will allow for DSL or even cable speeds on the data side. ...
Actually, the GSM version does that, too.
GSM operates in licensed spectrum, which means someone owns it, and it must be carefully controlled.
GSM technology is designed with that in mind. Towers have to be placed and tuned very carefully to avoid interference. If you there were some kind of micro-tower device like you describe, it would most likely create problems for the network and/or your phone.
Plus I don't think it would be legal. The FCC has given ownership of that spectrum to the carriers like T-Mobile. There are rules about hot it can be used, and I don't think that includes letting customers set up their own base stations.
Even then, the technology just isn't that small. The very smallest "micro" base stations - designed for i...
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I think in most cases it would not. For example, the T-Mobile hotspots at Starbucks are not free. Even many free hotspots are set up where you have to view a special welcome web page in a browser before you can start using them. Campus and corporate wi-fi networks usually require authentication... None of that is going to work with a random wi-fi phone.
The hotspots will have to be specifically set up to authenticate authorized phones. I could see T-Mobile doing that with their hotspot network, (for T-Mobile customers only,) and of course businesses will do it for employees wit...
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Excellent point. GSM over Wifi voip in the home can accelerate mobile replacement of fixed lines and settle capacity and coverage issues in the home.
AT&T mobile will allegedly pursue Wifi over phones to join its general pursuit of VoIP.
Sprint pcs will be the host for AT&T's new network so my guess is that cdma carriers must have something up their sleeve as well.
This forum is closed.