Development
Building a cell phone.
I am interested in several different types of cell phones but I have never found a phone that meets ALL of my needs.
I was reading an article on some website about people who wanted to build their own cell phones and such. Is that possible?
I don't mean so much as in "can it be done?"... Because I am sure that if one has access to the various parts that they could BUT are there rules about such things? Do they HAVE to be regulated? If anyone has any info please respond.
Larry
I was reading an article on some website about people who wanted to build their own cell phones and such. Is that possible?
I don't mean so much as in "can it be done?"... Because I am sure that if one has access to the various parts that they could BUT are there rules about such things? Do they HAVE to be regulated? If anyone has any info please respond.
Larry
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Each ESN would be regulated to ensure each device has a unique ESN. So you would need some way to be granted an ESN range from the FCC.
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...or, in the case of a GSM phone, an IMEI number.
Neither of which is regulated by the FCC, AFAIK, but yes, certainly there is some group you would need to such a number from in order for the phone to work.
Neither of which is regulated by the FCC, AFAIK, but yes, certainly there is some group you would need to such a number from in order for the phone to work.
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The FCC must approve all radio devices, but I'm not sure how the rules apply to a device you don't plan to sell commercially.
In reality, if it works, no one's going to come arrest you. No one would know. If you built a GSM phone your carrier probably wouldn't even know, depending on how they treat IMEI numbers.
If you were a very skilled electrical engineer, you could probably build a working phone using a reference design kit as a starting point, for as little as a few thousand dollars.
But it would be a massive thing that wouldn't come close to fitting in your pocket. To build something anywhere near as small as a real phone, you can expect to pay around $50,000 to have a company with the right equipment build you a real, working...
(continues)
In reality, if it works, no one's going to come arrest you. No one would know. If you built a GSM phone your carrier probably wouldn't even know, depending on how they treat IMEI numbers.
If you were a very skilled electrical engineer, you could probably build a working phone using a reference design kit as a starting point, for as little as a few thousand dollars.
But it would be a massive thing that wouldn't come close to fitting in your pocket. To build something anywhere near as small as a real phone, you can expect to pay around $50,000 to have a company with the right equipment build you a real, working...
(continues)
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In CDMA, being an exceptionally skilled EE would give you a neat looking box that did nothing. You'd also need an exceptionally gited software engineer to actually make the box do something with the network.
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Not necessarily. What I suggested was starting with a reference design kit, which would include the basic software. All of the major chip makers, including Qualcomm, have reference designs that include hardware and software you can use as a starting point in designing a new phone.
More info:
http://www.cdmatech.com/solutions/products/surf.jsp »
http://www.st.com/cdma/ »
http://cdma-mobile-phone-reference-design.rtx.dk/ »
More info:
http://www.cdmatech.com/solutions/products/surf.jsp »
http://www.st.com/cdma/ »
http://cdma-mobile-phone-reference-design.rtx.dk/ »
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To be honest, first I've ever heard of any platform coming with software. But unless you don't ahve one, you'll still need a custom GUI.
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Not to mention the tweaks that will need to be done in order to optimize the handset given whatever antenna you choose. You'll still need to tweak the cal tables.
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...which is why Windows Mobile and Symbian (including Series 60 and UIQ) are so great. And there are complete, integrated reference designs that include hardware and that software as well.
That's how these no-name Taiwanese and Chinese companies are able to crank out advanced smartphones like crazy. Same with the insanely feature-packed FOMA phones in Japan - most of them use Symbian, which saves them a ton of work, letting them bring more advanced phones to market faster.
That's how these no-name Taiwanese and Chinese companies are able to crank out advanced smartphones like crazy. Same with the insanely feature-packed FOMA phones in Japan - most of them use Symbian, which saves them a ton of work, letting them bring more advanced phones to market faster.
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