Since the evolution of mobile phones, there have been many mobile phone standards. However, the most common one that is still existing world over is the Global System for Mobile communications or the GSM. The significance of this mobile standard is its allowance for international roaming. Also GSM has survived the other standards over the years, due to its quality in the signaling and speech channels. The GSM is referred to as the second generation mobile phone standard.
GSM as a mobile phone standard offers the advantage of other cost effective features such as SMS. Also the operators benefit a great deal through GSM over the fact that the equipments required to set up a network are easy to procure. Roaming is one great feature, such that subscribers can use their phones in world over GSM networks.
HOW GSM CAME INTO BEING:
Once the mobile phones came into being in the early 1980s, there was always a requirement of technological standardization. Many associations began with the development of mobile standards, which could be used for mobiles within Europe. The developmental responsibilities were transferred to many institutes and finally, by the year 1991, the first GSM network was launched.
HOW GSM WORKS:
GSM can be considered as a cellular network, which works on a particular basis. The mobile phones connected to the network, search for cells in the nearby area. There are four frequency ranges for GSM. The common ones are the 900MHz and the 1800MHz. These bandwidths are further divided into several channels, each having a timeslot. The cell sizes of GSM network are divided as
· Micro
· Macro
· Pico
· Umbrella
The coverage of these cells depends upon the environment in which they have been set up. Macro cells, involve the presence of a base station antenna on the roof of a building. Micro cells involve antennae which are present below the roof top level and they are basically used in urban areas. Pico cells are mainly used indoors, as they have cells, whose coverage is only within diameter of few meters. Umbrella cells are used to fill in the gap between the other coverage cells.
NETWORK STRUCTURE OF GSM:
· The base station or the system, which stores and maintains the information.
· The Network and Switching Subsystem, which allows the transmission of the information and manages communication between networks.
· The GPRS, which allows the internet connections in the form of packets.
THE OTHER FEATURES OF GSM:
SUBSCRIBER IDENTITY MODULE:
This is one of the most important features of GSM. This is also referred to as SIM card, which is a smart card, the stores the information of the subscriber. The SIM, provides the subscriber, the number for his connection. The card allows the user to retain his information even when he changes his handset
mobile phone contract
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone please help me, when I shake my phone ...
By: brad_sa_03 | 14-10-2007
Can someone please help me, when I shake my phone, it won't go to the next song, it worked once and never again I don't know what to do
What is the software used for u600 ? what type of ...
By: sruthi | 13-10-2007
what is the software used for u600 ? what type of themes are supported for u600?
VoIP over HSDPA/EVDO
By: giladn | 10-10-2007
I'm looking for information on carriers which are trialing or already offering VoIP over cellular (HSDPA/EVDO). Is this technology good enough? how about QOS?Thanks.
For the future
By: therock | 10-10-2007
can you send me a code of sending sms via email using visual basic 6 or 5,, because it will very useful for my project,,, just email me at ronniebagalanon@yahoo.com
View moves with camera. When I put the camera up ...
By: Alec | 08-10-2007
View moves with camera. When I put the camera up side down the picture moves the same. Couldnt firnd it in the setup.(( Does anyone knows???? HELP!!!! Please...
3 handsets, 3 different numbers: How can I have a ...
By: Ron Sho | 08-10-2007
3 handsets, 3 different numbers: How can I have a single handset of mine to hold my 3 different cellular numbers (without call forwarding) ? (the reason is simple, I don't want to carry with me all day long 3 handsets).
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Communication Articles
Telecoms in Pakistan
By: Caroline Telford | 11/10/2008
One of the best ways to measure the growth of a particular country is by the sophistication of the facilities offered by the major telecoms. In an ever-changing industry in terms of technology, it is a must to keep up with the latest that technology has to offer - and this is best done with the help of telecoms.
Telecoms in Brazil
By: Caroline Telford | 11/10/2008
Wireless, landline, mobile, cable, satellite, Internet and Voice Over Internet Protocol or VoIP. These are just some of the types of services offered by telecom providers. No matter which part of the world it is that you are in, the modernity of the telecommunication facilities offered by the major telecom providers in your area will have an impact with the way that you communicate with the rest of the world.
Telecoms in Spain
By: Caroline Telford | 11/10/2008
The impact of not having the means to use modern telecommunication facilities can be illustrated in a few examples. First, if a business owner has two stores which are in separate locations. Without a means for instant communication - the business owner would need to travel from one store to another in order to coordinate the daily aspects of running a business.
Telecoms in China
By: Caroline Telford | 11/10/2008
China is not just the world's most populous country, it is also the third largest country by area. With over a billion people residing in the China, how do you think the country will fare economically and socially if it does not have modern telecommunications facilities?
Telecoms in Canada
By: Caroline Telford | 11/10/2008
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, who would have ever thought that the way people communicate would reach the heights that it has today? Far from a typical landline call, there is now video calling, teleconferencing, e-mail, fax, instant messaging, text messaging, mobile phone calls, Internet telephone calls - and all the other forms of communication which made the world a virtually smaller place.
Cordless Phones
By: Pooja Lapasia | 10/10/2008
The cordless phone has become a very essential component in most of the families. In comparison to cell phones, the cordless telephone are said to be much more reliable.
Reverse Phone Lookup - How to Trace Nuisance Prank Calls and Have the Last Laugh!
By: Daniel Jenkins | 09/10/2008
Are you looking for the best way to perform a reverse phone lookup? Read more here.
0870 Number Alternatives
By: Mark Guy | 09/10/2008
An article on the options available to organisations once communications watchdog, Ofcom, implements its planned 0870 changes at the end of 2008.
More from Ian Ball
Your Old Worthless Cell Phone
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
What is your old worthless cell phone worth? To you, nothing. Maybe you haven’t noticed that they have been giving away cell phones for any reason at all for several years now. If you want a new cell phone, just wait until your contract runs out with your current provider, and then ask for a new FREE cell phone with the features you want.
Voice Dialing With Cell Phones
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
Of all the unique features to come with handy mobile phone, voice calling is the best and the latest. This exciting feature enables mobile phone users to make phone calls by just calling out a person’s name to their cell. The mobile phone will automatically dial the person’s number and make the call.
The World's Largest Mobile Phone Company Vodafone Acquired Hutch
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
The world's largest mobile phone company Vodafone on Friday officially announced that its was looking to acquire a controlling stake in India's Hutchison-Essar, ending a week long speculation about its intentions. It announced announced its readiness to buy 'in cash' Hutch-Essar, India's fourth largest mobile operator being valued up to $17 billion. It becomes the first player to throw the hat in the ring.
Understanding Cdma in Mobile Phones
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
CDMA is a short terms that refers to ‘Code Division Multiple Access’. It is used in the second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) mobile phone tethnology. So, what does CDMA do for your mobile phone?
Trends in Mobile Communications
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
Communication is one of the important areas of Electronics and has always been a focus point for exchanging information among parties at locations physically apart. There are different modes of communication like written messages ,speaking to the other party, giving Fax etc.
Tips for Buying a Good Cell Phone
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
Buying a cell phone is not an easy task, particularly with myriad cell phone varieties arriving in the market these days. Each one offers its own unique features, yet it is different in some way from the other, through style, design and quality. With the plethora of cell phone varieties, coming out these days it’s easy to get confused. Here are a couple of tips you can use when buying cell phones:
Tips for Battery Use in Cell Phones
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
Mobile phones get charged through batteries or through a phone charger. Now if you feel that using batteries is a better option for you because you don’t want the hassle of charging you mobile every time, you should keep in mind how much you are going to use the mobile before going in for buying the battery. Here is a look at the typical mobile phone batteries.
The Gsm Service
By: Ian Ball | 17/12/2007 | Cell Phones
In GSM mobile phone system the region to be covered by the service is divided into hexagonal cells which are typically 5 km in diameter. The size depends on the density of traffic and would be larger in sparsely populated areas. At the centre of each hexagonal cell there is a base transceiver station (BS) which sends and receives calls to /from mobile phones within its range.
Technology 
