4 ms·

The main reason for having GPS in these devices isn't to support a phased rollout in US markets. The main reason is so that I can't install one of these outsid

by shimon 17y ago

The main reason for having GPS in these devices isn't to support a phased rollout in US markets. The main reason is so that I can't install one of these outside the country, and still dial/pay like I'm still in the US. T-mobile offers a number of phones with WiFi that, similarly, connect to the T-mobile network via the internet. I hear they are a great way to get around overseas roaming charges.

spicyj 17y ago
But what's the point? Isn't the rationale for roaming charges that it costs more for them to set up (or rent) infrastructure overseas, so you have to pay to make up for it? Seems to me that the MicroCell doesn't cost them anything more if it's on a different continent.
- shimon 17y ago
  There's no rationale; roaming charges have always been hugely profitable for carriers, and now it's worth putting GPS chips into these femotcells and putting customers through an arduous setup process in order to "protect" that revenue.
  - anthonymc 17y ago
    Thanks for articulating what I couldn't.
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
tesseract 17y ago
I'm guessing the main reason for having GPS in these devices is that, like other GSM base stations, they probably need access to a very accurate clock. Then, once the hardware's there...
- blackguardx 17y ago
  No more accurate than the one in the phone...
keltex 17y ago
Just to confirm. I have a Blackberry 8900 with T-Mobile. Worked just like at home with a wifi connection in Indonesia. They call this service UMA and it's pretty awesome.
Imprecate 17y ago
That may be one factor, but avoiding lawsuits over broken E911 functionality is another: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=77368 http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=77368
- bsgamble 17y ago
  Correct. That is exactly the reason. The revenue protection is a happy coincidence.
mdasen 17y ago
The unit has to know where it is because in different locations AT&T has different wireless licenses. For example, in most parts of North and South Carolina, AT&T owns the PCS B license and so the unit knows its location and knows that it can operate on those frequencies without interfering with another company's spectrum. If the unit was using the wireless spectrum of another company, that company could rightfully sue AT&T for causing interference with their equipment. And wireless spectrum wasn't sold nationally in this country so AT&T (or Verizon or whomever) has different licenses in different locations and the unit needs to know what it can use. Heck, the AT&T device needs to know what spectrum AT&T has offered for 3G usage in an area so as not to interfere with the GSM/EDGE signals. The reason you can't use it in another country isn't some plot to make it so you can't use domestic minutes overseas. It's because it would be illegal for AT&T to allow you to operate a wireless transmitter on another company's wireless spectrum. T-Mobile is a different case because they aren't using micro-cells. They're providing handsets that do WiFi and traditional wireless. As such, they can allow you to set up your WiFi device anywhere because WiFi spectrum isn't licensed. Sprint similarly has a device (the Airave) which is a micro-cell and uses a GPS unit to determine where you are. The trade-off is that you can only install a micro-cell where a company is licensed to operate, but it works with lots of phones -or- you go with WiFi and can put it anywhere, but you need a special WiFi-enabled phone to use it.

by shimon 17y ago

spicyj 17y ago

But what's the point? Isn't the rationale for roaming charges that it costs more for them to set up (or rent) infrastructure overseas, so you have to pay to make up for it? Seems to me that the MicroCell doesn't cost them anything more if it's on a different continent.

shimon 17y ago
There's no rationale; roaming charges have always been hugely profitable for carriers, and now it's worth putting GPS chips into these femotcells and putting customers through an arduous setup process in order to "protect" that revenue.
- anthonymc 17y ago
  Thanks for articulating what I couldn't.
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]

tesseract 17y ago

I'm guessing the main reason for having GPS in these devices is that, like other GSM base stations, they probably need access to a very accurate clock. Then, once the hardware's there...

blackguardx 17y ago
No more accurate than the one in the phone...

keltex 17y ago

Just to confirm. I have a Blackberry 8900 with T-Mobile. Worked just like at home with a wifi connection in Indonesia. They call this service UMA and it's pretty awesome.

Imprecate 17y ago

That may be one factor, but avoiding lawsuits over broken E911 functionality is another: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=77368 http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=77368

bsgamble 17y ago
Correct. That is exactly the reason. The revenue protection is a happy coincidence.

mdasen 17y ago

The unit has to know where it is because in different locations AT&T has different wireless licenses. For example, in most parts of North and South Carolina, AT&T owns the PCS B license and so the unit knows its location and knows that it can operate on those frequencies without interfering with another company's spectrum. If the unit was using the wireless spectrum of another company, that company could rightfully sue AT&T for causing interference with their equipment. And wireless spectrum wasn't sold nationally in this country so AT&T (or Verizon or whomever) has different licenses in different locations and the unit needs to know what it can use. Heck, the AT&T device needs to know what spectrum AT&T has offered for 3G usage in an area so as not to interfere with the GSM/EDGE signals. The reason you can't use it in another country isn't some plot to make it so you can't use domestic minutes overseas. It's because it would be illegal for AT&T to allow you to operate a wireless transmitter on another company's wireless spectrum. T-Mobile is a different case because they aren't using micro-cells. They're providing handsets that do WiFi and traditional wireless. As such, they can allow you to set up your WiFi device anywhere because WiFi spectrum isn't licensed. Sprint similarly has a device (the Airave) which is a micro-cell and uses a GPS unit to determine where you are. The trade-off is that you can only install a micro-cell where a company is licensed to operate, but it works with lots of phones -or- you go with WiFi and can put it anywhere, but you need a special WiFi-enabled phone to use it.