The post Fairwaves is partnering with SES Networks appeared first on Fairwaves.

https://www.vodafone.com/content/index/what/technology-blog/telecoms-industry-first-openran-rfi.html

The post Vodafone and Telefonica select Fairwaves for OpenRAN RFI appeared first on Fairwaves.

We are proud to announce that UmSITE-TM3 — a rugged 2x3W GSM base station, designed for rural and remote regions and extreme climate conditions — Open Source Edition is now available to order.

UmSITE-TM3 is based on the same highly flexible architecture as UmDESK, built with industrial-grade components and packaged in a rugged enclosure. Two independent TRX channels, each with 3W TX power (6W total), make it ideal for outdoor installations covering areas of up to 5 km.

Thanks to the modular open source software that comes pre-installed, this base station can be used for all manner of experiments and test installations. Built upon the proven UmTRX SDR transceiver, UmSITE-TM3 OSE is the perfect platform for Osmocom and OpenBTS GSM applications.

We would like to take this opportunity to give our thanks to Rhizomatica for their early feedback, BJT Partners for their role in its development and to everyone else for their support!

UmSITE-TM3 OSE Key features

• rugged IP65/IP67 design that can operate in ambient temperatures of up to +50C and in direct sunlight;

• all-in-one solution which integrates dual-channel transceiver, single board computer (SBC), amplifiers, duplexers and all required RF components;

• 6W total RF output power (3W per channel);

• pre-installed Osmocom software stack that can be configured to operate in Network-in-The-Box (NITB) and pure BTS/BSC modes;

• fully compatible with the OpenBTS software stack.

How to order?

1. first make sure that you have the permission required to operate a GSM base station

2. place an order and please indicate which GSM band you plan to use

3. your order will be shipped within several weeks (units presently assembled upon order)

FAQ

Is there a commercial version?

We are currently developing a commercial version of the UmSITE-TM3, which will be integrated with the Fairwaves core network, for use by companies who would like to use them to operate commercial GSM networks. Stay tuned for more details!

Will it work with UMTS/LTE?

While the UmTRX SDR transceiver hardware is perfectly capable of handling UMTS and LTE waveforms, the SBC used by the UmSITE-TM3 has an Intel Atom processor, which doesn’t have quite enough processing power to handle UMTS or LTE. So, unfortunately the answer is “no”.

The post UmSITE-TM3 Open Source Edition announcement appeared first on Fairwaves.

The demo will take place at the Canonical booth in Hall 8.1 at App Planet Stand CC8.20. As part of this visitors will be able to use a  handset with a Truphone SIM to place a call via a Fairwaves UmSITE base station, to a UK phone number on the Truphone network. The call will be routed via the Metaswitch Project Clearwater IMS platform and an IVR system running on TeleStax’s RestComm. It promises to be a pretty compelling demonstration of the power and flexibility of open source and open standards in mobile communications.

If you’re attending MWC be sure to drop by the booth, and if you’d like to arrange a meeting please get in touch.

The post Mobile World Congress 2015 Demo appeared first on Fairwaves.

Speaking of comments, a question that came up — and which we frequently get asked! — is, why not just use VoIP over WiFi? After all, most handsets tend to have WiFi, are capable of running a SIP client and this would seem like an obvious solution.  Well, there are numerous reasons why such an approach is far from optimal:

• WiFi is typically short range. Sure, you can achieve longer distances with high gain antennas and powerful equipment at both ends of a link, but this is impractical for mobile. However, Fairwaves GSM solutions can cover a range of 2-4km now, and 10km will soon be possible.
• Commodity WiFi equipment simply isn’t designed for applications such as this and — due to using weak CPUs which can only sustain low packet per second rates — will only be able to support a relatively low number of calls reliably. GSM on the other hand is designed from the outset for voice, scaling and reliability.
• GSM consumes far less power. Remember how a handset without a touchscreen, apps and data would last for a week on a single charge? Well, it’s possible to achieve multiple days on a modern handset if you put it into GSM-only mode and disable data. Turn on WiFi and it’s a whole other story!
• Finally, in many countries you need a spectrum licence in order to operate outdoor WiFi networks.

So, as you can see, GSM certainly makes more sense than VoIP+WiFi for mobile voice, and even more so in rural areas where power supply may be a relatively scarce/premium resource and the greater distances that can be covered by a single site the better. In fact, for the very same reasons, in such applications GSM is typically preferable to more modern, albeit more power hungry and shorter range, 3G and 4G systems.

In closing it should be noted that there are applications where VoIP+ WiFi is the right solution. Such as rural fixed telecoms, as championed by the good folks at Village Telco. A mention should also go to the Serval Project, whose WiFi mesh network-based approach is well suited to use in support of disaster relief efforts.

The post Wired article and the VoIP over WiFi question appeared first on Fairwaves.

“For the first time specific bands have been assigned for social use in the telecommunications sector. As part of this, various portions that are available within the segment known as the cellular band, between 824-849 and between 869-894 MHz, are now available for concessioning.

It is proposed that these portions of the spectrum are to be concessioned for the provision of rural connectivity, which could meet the immediate needs of basic telephone service in regions not served by existing licensees.”

Further details of the plan can be found in a Spanish news article.

What this means is that the entire country, with the exception of Mexico City and surrounding states, can now benefit from community networks such as those operated by Rhizomatica, to whom due credit must go for all their efforts and pioneering work under an experimental concessioning scheme, which will have played no small part in bringing about this groundbreaking policy change.

This truly is fantastic news and to the best of our knowledge the first time that community GSM networks have been legislated in a country where they are actually — desperately — needed. We have previously seen similar legislation in the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden, but compare the coverage in those countries to Mexico, where some 50,000 villages, or about 20 million people, are presently without service.

Fairwaves cellular solutions are optimised for rural community networks and are used by Rhizomatica in their deployments.

The post Mexican regulator assigns GSM spectrum for community use appeared first on Fairwaves.

Offer duration: Dec 24, 2014 – Feb 19, 2015

Availability for shipment: 40 pcs starting January, 2015

We hugely appreciate all the effort that goes into making open source telecoms a reality, and in recognition of this we want to do all we can to support the community and to enable more to work in this exciting area and, hopefully one day, become contributors.

With this in mind we are pleased to announce that for a limited time we have significantly dropped the price of our dual-channel, wideband — and open hardware! — SDR transceiver, UmTRX. As a special for developers we are making the recently updated v2.2 hardware available at the more affordable price of $850, instead of the regular pricing of $1,500. This comes supplied complete with a power supply and coax pigtails.

If you place an order now it will be received in January!

This offer is limited to a maximum of 2 lab kits per individual and 10 per university.

What is UmTRX?

For those not familiar with UmTRX, it is a dual-channel wide-band SDR platform with gigabit Ethernet connectivity, developed by Fairwaves and designed to be used as a transceiver (TRX) with OpenBTS and Osmocom GSM base stations.

Given its SDR architecture, UmTRX can easily be used with many other RF applications. Combining FPGA and FPRF (Field-Programmable RF) technology, it has the ability to process data on a CPU or a DSP, which makes it an extraordinarily flexible platform.

Why UmTRX?

In our opinion there are a number of particularly interesting solutions for use with  OpenBTS and Osmocom.

Nuand‘s BladeRF is an affordable solution for hackers who want configure it all by themselves. Host connection is via USB 3.0 and use is supported with Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. It has a single transceiver channel.

The Ettus Research devices provide a flexible solution that is well suited to universities. Their USRP™ platform supports RF applications from DC to 6 GHz, there are a wide range of devices and options, with a product line that spans from affordable hobbyist SDRs to high-end high-bandwidth radios.

Fairwaves UmTRX has been developed with GSM specifically in mind and provides two transceiver channels, host connection is via gigabit Ethernet and it is well suited to use in industrial applications. It includes a TCXO and GPS for frequency stability, and while it is designed to be built into mobile base stations, it can also easily be used with many other applications. Furthermore, an alternate firmware, 4xDDC, can be loaded to provide double the number of receive signal paths (4) for receive-only applications. Expansion is possible via mezzanine cards and the UmSEL daughter board can be used for improved GSM performance.

So, if you need an affordable dual-channel solution for GSM — with GPS-locked frequency stability — UmTRX is a great choice.

The post UmTRX development kit seasonal sale! appeared first on Fairwaves.

Given that the UmSITE-TM3 BTS is designed for mounting outdoors on top of masts and towers, it clearly needs to be able weather the elements and not fail during a heavy downpour. So, in addition to the UmTRX transceiver being tested across a range of operating temperatures, the assembled UmSITE-TM3 is also subjected to an air under water test to check for leaks.

In this video we can see that the UmSITE-TM3 sample received back from the fab failed in the first of these such tests.

The foam gasket material used was suspected to be the culprit. After the initial disappointment and subsequently much testing with alternative materials of different hardness, a silicon gasket material was finally settled upon.

As can be seen below, the UmSITE-TM3 now passed this basic bubble test.

Testing such as this is something that is done as a matter of course and repeatedly, to ensure that there will no preventable failures in production, and the above two videos just go to show how vitally important testing is!

The post First UmSITE-TM3 Sample Passes Leak Test appeared first on Fairwaves.

A recent article in Popular Mechanics explains how “the device fuses a dial-up modem with a motor from a cell phone and a souped-up version of a common blood glucose meter.” Going on to say that in use, “A drop of blood is applied onto a chemically active test strip, and the more glucose is in the blood, the stronger the electrical signal is from the strip. The idea with uMED is that a person equipped with the right test strips and a device that can analyze them, a person could rapidly carry out an extraordinary variety of electrochemical tests with just one detector.”

As if that wasn’t enough, the uMED is seemingly also Arduino-compatible and as such can easily be reprogrammed for use with new tests, by someone with minimal training. Furthermore, the device doesn’t even require a network data service, since it incorporates a modem and uses a voice channel as a bearer, thereby ensuring compatibility with every generation of mobile network technology.

The growing case for universal network coverage

Mobile communications has always been about so much more than simply convenience and the benefits it brings in an emergency, whether that be at a personal, community or national level, is clear. However, innovations such as uMED go on to even further underline how mobile communications infrastructure has a vital part to play in not only transforming, but saving lives.

Unfortunately, there still remain a great many areas of the world that are without network coverage. And in fact if we look at Mexico alone this amounts to a staggering 50,000 or so rural localities.

This is where open source network infrastructure — which lends itself to agile deployment, with drastically reduced costs and supporting far more flexible business models — can help. Making it possible to connect communities such as the Mexican village of Yaviche, improving the quality of life and in some cases perhaps even saving lives.

Image source: Alex Nemiroski

The post The $25 cell phone connected device saves lives appeared first on Fairwaves.

ClueCon, August 2014, Chicago, USA

FreeSWITCH and Fairwaves teams strike a partnership during ClueCon, the annual, open-source convention hosted by FreeSWITCH

FreeSWITCH and Fairwaves teams are combining efforts with the goal of creating the most powerful, feature-rich and easy to use mobile network in a box. Fairwaves provides UmSITE and UmDESK GSM base station hardware, which can provide voice, SMS, and GPRS service to any GSM handset. With 80% of mobile phones in the world supporting GSM, there is tremendous potential. FreeSWITCH is the Swiss army knife of VoIP communication, letting users interconnect with any VoIP provider and implement any service you want. The whole system is entirely hackable, thanks to its open-source components, including FreeSWITCH and Osmocom software as well as UmTRX SDR hardware.

The combination of the FreeSWITCH and Fairwaves technology binds worlds of mobile and VoIP telephony together. It’s now possible to:

• install this system anywhere
• maintain it with no headache
• implement services using familiar FreeSWITCH tools
• benefit from a completely open-source solution

Alexander Chemeris, CEO of Fairwaves, Inc. says: “I’m happy to build this relationship with the FreeSWITCH team. We evaluated various VoIP software and found FreeSWITCH best suits our needs. Cooperation with the core FreeSWITCH team gives us an opportunity to tightly integrate with FreeSWITCH and make the Fairwaves solution easier to use, maintain, and extend. FreeSWITCH has a strong and dedicated team who prefers action to shallow words and we thoroughly enjoy working with them!”

Brian West, Head of QA/Development of FreeSWITCH, says: “Our partnership with Fairwaves is about developing additional capabilities in FreeSWITCH that would make integration with Osmocom faster, easier and more flexible, giving integrators more power without sacrificing features.”

About Fairwaves

Fairwaves is a new kind of full-stack telecom vendor, one tailored to serve mobile operators in low-income areas. Fairwaves provides everything to build a mobile network that is profitable, even at $2 per month revenue per user. It scales from a single site to a country-wide network, offers free calls and roaming inside the global Fairwaves network.

About FreeSWITCH

FreeSWITCH is a scalable, open-source, cross-platform telephony platform designed to route and interconnect popular communication protocols using audio, video, text or any other form of media. It was created in 2006 to fill the void left by proprietary commercial solutions. FreeSWITCH also provides a stable telephony platform on which many telephony applications can be developed using a wide range of free tools. http://www.FreeSWITCH.org

The post Fairwaves and FreeSWITCH Partnership appeared first on Fairwaves.