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76-569: GSM networks use the IMEI number to identify valid devices, and can stop a stolen phone from accessing the network. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can have their network provider use the IMEI number to blacklist the phone. This renders the phone useless on that network and sometimes other networks, even if the thief changes the phone's SIM card. Devices without a SIM card slot or eSIM capability usually do not have an IMEI code, except for certain early Sprint LTE devices such as

152-402: A telecommunications service provider 's network via a broadband-internet connection. Umbrella cells are used to cover shadowed regions of smaller cells and to fill in gaps in coverage between those cells. Cell horizontal radius varies – depending on antenna height, antenna gain , and propagation conditions – from a couple of hundred meters to several tens of kilometers. The longest distance

228-658: A blocked IMEI lookup service for Australian customers. In the UK, a voluntary charter operated by the mobile networks ensures that any operator's blocklisting of a handset is communicated to the CEIR and subsequently to all other networks. This ensures that the handset is quickly unusable for calls, at most within 48 hours. Some UK Police forces, including the Metropolitan Police Service , actively check IMEI numbers of phones found involved in crime. In New Zealand,

304-524: A blocklist, depending on local arrangements. This would typically include quoting a password chosen at the time of blocklisting. Law enforcement and intelligence services can use an IMEI number as input for tracking devices that are able to locate a cell phone with an accuracy of a few meters. Saudi Arabian government agencies have reportedly used IMEI numbers retrieved from cell phone packaging to locate and detain women who fled Saudi Arabia's patriarchal society in other countries. An IMEI number retrieved from

380-645: A database that is updated by all major mobile network operators in Latvia. In some countries, such blocklisting is not customary. In 2012, major network companies in the United States, under government pressure, committed to introducing a blocklisting service, but it's not clear whether it will interoperate with the CEIR. GSM carriers AT&T and T-Mobile began blocking newly reported IMEIs in November 2012. Thefts reported prior to November 2012 were not added to

456-441: A digital, circuit-switched network optimized for full duplex voice telephony . This expanded over time to include data communications, first by circuit-switched transport , then by packet data transport via General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE). Subsequently, the 3GPP developed third-generation ( 3G ) UMTS standards, followed by the fourth-generation ( 4G ) LTE Advanced and

532-527: A formally allocated IMEI number range for a GSM terminal does not mean that the terminal is approved or complies with regulatory requirements. The linkage between regulatory approval and IMEI allocation was removed in April 2000, with the introduction of the European R&;TTE Directive. Since that date, IMEIs have been allocated by BABT (or one of several other regional administrators acting on behalf of

608-561: A former Nokia engineer Pekka Lonka revealed to Helsingin Sanomat making a test call just a couple of hours earlier. "World's first GSM call was actually made by me. I called Marjo Jousinen, in Salo.", Lonka informed. The following year saw the sending of the first short messaging service (SMS or "text message") message, and Vodafone UK and Telecom Finland signed the first international roaming agreement. Work began in 1991 to expand

684-574: A joint development agreement in 1984 and were joined by Italy and the UK in 1986. In 1986, the European Commission proposed reserving the 900 MHz spectrum band for GSM. It was long believed that the former Finnish prime minister Harri Holkeri made the world's first GSM call on 1 July 1991, calling Kaarina Suonio (deputy mayor of the city of Tampere ) using a network built by Nokia and Siemens and operated by Radiolinja . In 2021

760-532: A mandatory standard. The decision to develop a continental standard eventually resulted in a unified, open, standard-based network which was larger than that in the United States. In February 1987 Europe produced the first agreed GSM Technical Specification. Ministers from the four big EU countries cemented their political support for GSM with the Bonn Declaration on Global Information Networks in May and

836-456: A problem for any open-source GSM implementation, because it is not possible for GNU or any other free software distributor to guarantee immunity from all lawsuits by the patent holders against the users. Furthermore, new features are being added to the standard all the time which means they have patent protection for a number of years. The original GSM implementations from 1991 may now be entirely free of patent encumbrances, however patent freedom

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912-530: A relationship between two parts of the algorithm. The researchers found that this relationship was very unlikely to have happened if it was not intentional. This may have been done in order to satisfy European controls on export of cryptographic programs. The GSM systems and services are described in a set of standards governed by ETSI , where a full list is maintained. Several open-source software projects exist that provide certain GSM features: Patents remain

988-481: A stronger one. Since 2000, different efforts have been made in order to crack the A5 encryption algorithms. Both A5/1 and A5/2 algorithms have been broken, and their cryptanalysis has been revealed in the literature. As an example, Karsten Nohl developed a number of rainbow tables (static values which reduce the time needed to carry out an attack) and have found new sources for known plaintext attacks . He said that it

1064-443: A term referring to inexperienced individuals utilizing readily available hardware and software. The vulnerability arises from the accessibility of tools such as a DVB-T TV tuner, posing a threat to both mobile and network users. Despite the term "script kiddies" implying a lack of sophisticated skills, the consequences of their attacks on GSM can be severe, impacting the functionality of cellular networks . Given that GSM continues to be

1140-640: A two-digit Final Assembly Code (FAC), which was a manufacturer-specific code indicating the location of the device's construction. From January 1, 2003 until April 1, 2004, the FAC for all phones was 00. After April 1, 2004, the Final Assembly Code ceased to exist and the Type Allocation Code increased to eight digits in length. In any of the above cases, the first two digits of the TAC are

1216-447: Is 4.615 ms. TDMA noise is interference that can be heard on speakers near a GSM phone using TDMA, audible as a buzzing sound. The transmission power in the handset is limited to a maximum of 2 watts in GSM 850/900 and 1 watt in GSM 1800/1900 . GSM has used a variety of voice codecs to squeeze 3.1 kHz audio into between 7 and 13 kbit/s. Originally, two codecs, named after

1292-511: Is a function of all other digits in the IMEI. The Software Version Number (SVN) of a mobile is not included in the calculation. The purpose of the Check Digit is to help guard against the possibility of incorrect entries to the CEIR and EIR equipment. The presentation of the Check Digit both electronically and in printed form on the label and packaging is very important. Logistics (using bar-code reader) and EIR/CEIR administration cannot use

1368-529: Is a proprietary network and the device is incompatible with terrestrial GSM networks. GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications ( GSM ) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G ) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets. GSM is also a trade mark owned by

1444-502: Is an un-authenticated mobile identifier (as opposed to IMSI, which is routinely authenticated by home and serving mobile networks.) Using a spoofed IMEI can thwart some efforts to track handsets, or target handsets for lawful intercept. Australia was the first nation to implement IMEI blocking across all GSM networks, in 2003. In Australia the Electronic Information Exchange (EIE) Administration Node provides

1520-426: Is called SIM locking and is implemented by a software feature of the phone. A subscriber may usually contact the provider to remove the lock for a fee, utilize private services to remove the lock, or use software and websites to unlock the handset themselves. It is possible to hack past a phone locked by a network operator. In some countries and regions (e.g. Brazil and Germany ) all phones are sold unlocked due to

1596-443: Is not certain due to the United States' "first to invent" system that was in place until 2012. The "first to invent" system, coupled with "patent term adjustment" can extend the life of a U.S. patent far beyond 20 years from its priority date. It is unclear at this time whether OpenBTS will be able to implement features of that initial specification without limit. As patents subsequently expire, however, those features can be added into

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1672-486: Is possible to build "a full GSM interceptor   ... from open-source components" but that they had not done so because of legal concerns. Nohl claimed that he was able to intercept voice and text conversations by impersonating another user to listen to voicemail , make calls, or send text messages using a seven-year-old Motorola cellphone and decryption software available for free online. GSM uses General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) for data transmissions like browsing

1748-571: Is ready to invest billions of dollars to fund spectrum and new infrastructure. She suggested the "spectrum pipeline should become a national priority" because "100 MHz of spectrum is equal to $ 30 billion to the economy and 1 million jobs." In 2016, CTIA released reports outlining the importance of U.S. leadership in the 5G and high band spectrum. CTIA praised the FCC's unanimous vote in July 2016 to allow wireless operations above 24 GHz. CTIA supported

1824-511: Is said to be in use on some more modern networks. If used with USIM to prevent connections to fake base stations and downgrade attacks , users will be protected in the medium term, though migration to 128-bit GEA/4 is still recommended. The first public cryptanalysis of GEA/1 and GEA/2 (also written GEA-1 and GEA-2) was done in 2021. It concluded that although using a 64-bit key, the GEA-1 algorithm actually provides only 40 bits of security, due to

1900-693: The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) set up the Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSM) committee and later provided a permanent technical-support group based in Paris . Five years later, in 1987, 15 representatives from 13 European countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Copenhagen to develop and deploy a common cellular telephone system across Europe, and EU rules were passed to make GSM

1976-495: The GSM Association ) to legitimate GSM terminal manufacturers without the need to provide evidence of approval. When someone has their mobile equipment stolen or lost, they can ask their service provider to block the phone from their network, and the operator may do so, especially if required by law. If the local operator maintains an Equipment Identity Register (EIR), it adds the device IMEI to it. Optionally, it also adds

2052-550: The GSM Association . " GSM " may also refer to the voice codec initially used in GSM. It was first implemented in Finland in December 1991. By the mid-2010s, it became a global standard for mobile communications achieving over 90% market share, and operating in over 193 countries and territories. 2G networks developed as a replacement for first generation ( 1G ) analog cellular networks. The GSM standard originally described

2128-501: The Northern Territory had earlier in the year been shut down in April 2017. Singapore shut down 2G services entirely in April 2017. The network is structured into several discrete sections: GSM utilizes a cellular network , meaning that cell phones connect to it by searching for cells in the immediate vicinity. There are five different cell sizes in a GSM network: The coverage area of each cell varies according to

2204-645: The Reporting Body Identifier , which identifies the GSMA-approved group that allocated the TAC. The RBI numbers are allocated by the Global Decimal Administrator. IMEI numbers being decimal helps distinguish them from an MEID , which is hexadecimal and always has 0xA0 or larger as the first two hexadecimal digits. For example, the old style IMEI code 35-209900-176148-1 or IMEISV code 35-209900-176148-23 tells us

2280-590: The Samsung Galaxy Nexus and S III which emulated a SIM-free CDMA activation experience and lacked roaming capabilities in 3GPP -only countries. However, the IMEI only identifies the device and has no particular relationship to the subscriber. The phone identifies the subscriber by transmitting the International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number, which is stored on a SIM card that can, in theory, be transferred to any handset. However,

2356-719: The United Kingdom , under the Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act, changing the IMEI of a phone, or possessing equipment that can change it, is considered an offence under some circumstances. A bill was introduced in the United States by Senator Chuck Schumer in 2012 that would have made the changing of an IMEI illegal, but the bill was not enacted. IMEI blocking is not the only way to fight phone theft. Instead, mobile operators are encouraged to take measures such as immediate suspension of service and replacement of SIM cards in case of loss or theft. The existence of

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2432-529: The United States Senate in November 2013. Steve Largent became president and CEO in November 2003, serving until 2014. Meredith Attwell Baker became CTIA's president and CEO in June 2014. When Baker was named president and CEO, she identified spectrum as a policy priority. She has testified before United States Congress on the issue. In a March 2016 media call, Baker said the industry

2508-502: The "Text2HELP" program to help aid victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , Hurricane Katrina , and the 2010 Haiti earthquake . The program enabled wireless customers to send text messages to make donations to American Red Cross ' relief efforts. The foundation is a significant sponsor of PulsePoint, a no-cost app that alerts users of nearby cardiac arrest emergencies so they can offer first aid before first responders arrive. The foundation also supports "text4baby",

2584-591: The 3G Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), code-division multiple access (CDMA) technology, nor the 4G LTE orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) technology standards issued by the 3GPP. GSM, for the first time, set a common standard for Europe for wireless networks. It was also adopted by many countries outside Europe. This allowed subscribers to use other GSM networks that have roaming agreements with each other. The common standard reduced research and development costs, since hardware and software could be sold with only minor adaptations for

2660-697: The 900 MHz or 1800 MHz bands. Where these bands were already allocated, the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands were used instead (for example in Canada and the United States). In rare cases the 400 and 450 MHz frequency bands are assigned in some countries because they were previously used for first-generation systems. For comparison, most 3G networks in Europe operate in the 2100 MHz frequency band. For more information on worldwide GSM frequency usage, see GSM frequency bands . Regardless of

2736-573: The Check Digit unless it is printed outside of the packaging, and on the ME IMEI/Type Accreditation label. The check digit is not transmitted over the radio interface, nor is it stored in the EIR database at any point. Therefore, all references to the last three or six digits of an IMEI refer to the actual IMEI number, to which the check digit does not belong. The check digit is validated in three steps: Conversely, one can calculate

2812-563: The FCC retaining "the 2010 open Internet order's 'mobile specific' approach to [regulations] given the 'unique engineering, competitive and legal conditions' of 4G LTE, rather than a one-size-fits both wired and wireless approach" in a letter from Baker to Rep. Greg Walden ( R - Ore .), chairman of the House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology , in September 2014. In January 2015, Baker testified on

2888-478: The FCC's net neutrality order reclassifying broadband under Title II. CTIA has helped lead efforts to remove regulatory barriers, at all levels of government to the deployment of wireless infrastructure, particularly small cells and distributed antenna systems (DAS). CTIA has organized trade shows for the wireless industry, including the CTIA Wireless Show and MobileCON. In January 2013, it

2964-564: The GSM MoU was tabled for signature in September. The MoU drew in mobile operators from across Europe to pledge to invest in new GSM networks to an ambitious common date. In this short 38-week period the whole of Europe (countries and industries) had been brought behind GSM in a rare unity and speed guided by four public officials: Armin Silberhorn (Germany), Stephen Temple (UK), Philippe Dupuis (France), and Renzo Failli (Italy). In 1989

3040-470: The GSM specification supports in practical use is 35 kilometres (22 mi). There are also several implementations of the concept of an extended cell, where the cell radius could be double or even more, depending on the antenna system, the type of terrain, and the timing advance . GSM supports indoor coverage – achievable by using an indoor picocell base station, or an indoor repeater with distributed indoor antennas fed through power splitters – to deliver

3116-534: The GSM standard served 80% of the mobile market, encompassing more than 5 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories, making GSM the most ubiquitous of the many standards for cellular networks. GSM is a second-generation (2G) standard employing time-division multiple-access (TDMA) spectrum-sharing, issued by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). The GSM standard does not include

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3192-499: The GSM standard to the 1800 MHz frequency band and the first 1800 MHz network became operational in the UK by 1993, called the DCS 1800. Also that year, Telstra became the first network operator to deploy a GSM network outside Europe and the first practical hand-held GSM mobile phone became available. In 1995 fax, data and SMS messaging services were launched commercially, the first 1900 MHz GSM network became operational in

3268-561: The Groupe Spécial Mobile committee was transferred from CEPT to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). The IEEE/RSE awarded to Thomas Haug and Philippe Dupuis the 2018 James Clerk Maxwell medal for their "leadership in the development of the first international mobile communications standard with subsequent evolution into worldwide smartphone data communication". The GSM (2G) has evolved into 3G, 4G and 5G. In parallel France and Germany signed

3344-533: The IMEI by choosing the check digit that would give a sum divisible by 10. For the example IMEI 49015420323751 ? , To make the sum divisible by 10, we set x = 8, so the complete IMEI becomes 49015420323751 8 . The Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN), Iridium and Thuraya satellite phone networks all use IMEI numbers on their transceiver units as well as SIM cards in much the same way as GSM phones do. The Iridium 9601 modem relies solely on its IMEI number for identification and uses no SIM card; however, Iridium

3420-564: The IMEI to shared registries, such as the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), which blocklists the device with other operators that use the CEIR. This blocklisting makes the device unusable on any operator that uses the CEIR, which makes mobile equipment theft pointless, except for parts. To make blocklisting effective, the IMEI number is supposed to be difficult to change. However, a phone's IMEI may be easy to change with special tools. In addition, IMEI

3496-554: The NZ Telecommunications Forum Inc provides a blocked IMEI lookup service for New Zealand consumers. The service allows up to three lookups per day and checks against a database that is updated daily by the three major mobile network operators. A blocked IMEI cannot be connected to any of these three operators. In Latvia the SIA "Datorikas institūts DIVI" provides a blocked IMEI lookup service for checks against

3572-419: The United States and GSM subscribers worldwide exceeded 10 million. In the same year, the GSM Association formed. Pre-paid GSM SIM cards were launched in 1996 and worldwide GSM subscribers passed 100 million in 1998. In 2000 the first commercial General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) services were launched and the first GPRS-compatible handsets became available for sale. In 2001, the first UMTS (W-CDMA) network

3648-750: The United States used an allowlist of devices where a user had to register their IMEI and SIM card before a device can be used, despite no US law mandating it. If a user changed their device, they had to register their new IMEI and SIM card. This isn't the case with other CDMA carriers like Verizon which only used allowlists for 3G and T-Mobile does not use an allowlist but instead a blocklist, including for former Sprint customers. AT&T and Telus also use an allowlist for VoLTE access, but do not require IMEI registration by customers. Instead, phone manufacturers are required to register their devices into AT&T's or Telus' databases, and customers are able to freely swap SIM cards into any allowlisted device. This has

3724-542: The United States; A5/2 is weaker and used in other countries. Serious weaknesses have been found in both algorithms: it is possible to break A5/2 in real-time with a ciphertext-only attack , and in January 2007, The Hacker's Choice started the A5/1 cracking project with plans to use FPGAs that allow A5/1 to be broken with a rainbow table attack. The system supports multiple algorithms so operators may replace that cipher with

3800-427: The abundance of dual-SIM handsets and operators. GSM was intended to be a secure wireless system. It has considered the user authentication using a pre-shared key and challenge–response , and over-the-air encryption. However, GSM is vulnerable to different types of attack, each of them aimed at a different part of the network. Research findings indicate that GSM faces susceptibility to hacking by script kiddies ,

3876-526: The database. The CTIA refers users to websites at www.stolenphonechecker.org and the GSMA where consumers can check whether a smartphone has been reported as lost or stolen to its member carriers. The relationship between the former and any national or international IMEI blocklists is unclear. It is unclear whether local barring of IMEI has any positive effect, as it may result in international smuggling of stolen phones. IMEIs can sometimes be removed from

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3952-522: The fifth-generation 5G standards, which do not form part of the ETSI GSM standard. Beginning in the late 2010s, various carriers worldwide started to shut down their GSM networks . Nevertheless, as a result of the network's widespread use, the acronym "GSM" is still used as a generic term for the plethora of G mobile phone technologies evolved from it. In 1983, work began to develop a European standard for digital cellular voice telecommunications when

4028-453: The following: TAC : 35-2099 - issued by the BABT (code 35) with the allocation number 2099 FAC : 00 - indicating the phone was made during the transition period when FACs were being removed. SNR : 176148 - uniquely identifying a unit of this model CD : 1 so it is a GSM Phase 2 or higher SVN : 23 - The "software version number" identifying the revision of the software installed on

4104-416: The frequency selected by an operator, it is divided into timeslots for individual phones. This allows eight full-rate or sixteen half-rate speech channels per radio frequency . These eight radio timeslots (or burst periods) are grouped into a TDMA frame. Half-rate channels use alternate frames in the same timeslot. The channel data rate for all 8 channels is 270.833 kbit/s, and the frame duration

4180-492: The implementation environment. Macro cells can be regarded as cells where the base-station antenna is installed on a mast or a building above average rooftop level. Micro cells are cells whose antenna height is under average rooftop level; they are typically deployed in urban areas. Picocells are small cells whose coverage diameter is a few dozen meters; they are mainly used indoors. Femtocells are cells designed for use in residential or small-business environments and connect to

4256-592: The importance of an open Internet but against the reclassification of mobile broadband as a Title II ( common carrier ) service under the Communications Act of 1934 at a hearing held by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Two months later, CTIA, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and USTelecom, filed legal challenges against

4332-628: The key features of GSM is the Subscriber Identity Module , commonly known as a SIM card . The SIM is a detachable smart card containing a user's subscription information and phone book. This allows users to retain their information after switching handsets. Alternatively, users can change networks or network identities without switching handsets - simply by changing the SIM. Sometimes mobile network operators restrict handsets that they sell for exclusive use in their own network. This

4408-613: The local market. Telstra in Australia shut down its 2G GSM network on 1 December 2016, the first mobile network operator to decommission a GSM network. The second mobile provider to shut down its GSM network (on 1 January 2017) was AT&T Mobility from the United States . Optus in Australia completed the shut down of its 2G GSM network on 1 August 2017, part of the Optus GSM network covering Western Australia and

4484-414: The main source of cellular technology in numerous countries, its susceptibility to potential threats from malicious attacks is one that needs to be addressed. The development of UMTS introduced an optional Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), that uses a longer authentication key to give greater security, as well as mutually authenticating the network and the user, whereas GSM only authenticates

4560-548: The network as zero. This guideline seems to have disappeared for the format valid from 2003 onwards. As of 2004, the format of the IMEI is AA-BBBBBB-CCCCCC-D , although it may not always be displayed this way. The IMEISV does not have the Luhn check digit but instead has two digits for the Software Version Number (SVN), making the format AA-BBBBBB-CCCCCC-EE Prior to 2002, the TAC was six digits and followed by

4636-481: The network's ability to know a subscriber's current, individual device enables many network and security features. Dual SIM enabled phones will normally have two IMEI numbers, except for devices such as the Pixel 3 (which has an eSIM and one physical SIM) which only allow one SIM card to be active at once. Many countries have acknowledged the use of the IMEI in reducing the effect of mobile phone thefts. For example, in

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4712-606: The open-source version. As of 2011 , there have been no lawsuits against users of OpenBTS over GSM use. CTIA (organization) CTIA is a trade association representing the wireless communications industry in the United States . The association was established in 1984 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership organization, and represents wireless carriers and suppliers, and manufacturers and providers of wireless products and services. CTIA operates certification programs for

4788-551: The origin, model, and serial number of the device. The structure of the IMEI/SV is specified in 3GPP TS 23.003 . The model and origin comprise the initial 8-digit portion of the IMEI/SV, known as the Type Allocation Code (TAC). The remainder of the IMEI is manufacturer-defined, with a Luhn check digit at the end. For the IMEI format prior to 2003, the GSMA guideline was to have this Check Digit always transmitted to

4864-602: The phone. 99 is reserved. By contrast, the new style IMEI code 49-015420-323751-8 has an 8-digit TAC of 49-015420. The new CDMA Mobile Equipment Identifier ( MEID ) uses the same basic format as the IMEI. The last number of the IMEI is a check digit , calculated using the Luhn algorithm , as defined in the IMEI Allocation and Approval Guidelines : The Check Digit shall be calculated according to Luhn formula (ISO/IEC 7812). (See GSM 02.16 / 3GPP 22.016). The Check Digit

4940-474: The problem that imported phones and some non-imported phones such as older OnePlus or CDMA carrier-variant devices will not work for voice calls even if they have the LTE/5G bands for AT&T and Telus and support VoLTE on competitors or via VoLTE roaming. The IMEI (15 decimal digits: 14 digits plus a check digit) or IMEISV (16 decimal digits: 14 digits plus two software version digits) includes information on

5016-552: The radio signals from an antenna outdoors to the separate indoor distributed antenna system. Picocells are typically deployed when significant call capacity is needed indoors, as in shopping centers or airports. However, this is not a prerequisite, since indoor coverage is also provided by in-building penetration of radio signals from any nearby cell. GSM networks operate in a number of different carrier frequency ranges (separated into GSM frequency ranges for 2G and UMTS frequency bands for 3G), with most 2G GSM networks operating in

5092-702: The remnants of a Nokia 5110 was used to trace and identify the perpetrators behind the 2002 Bali bombings . Some countries use allowlists instead of blocklists for IMEI numbers, so that any mobile phone needs to be legally registered in the country in order to be able to access mobile networks of the country, with possible exceptions for international roaming and a grace period for registering. These include Chile, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Colombia, and Nepal. Other countries that have adopted some form of mandatory IMEI registration include India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Iran, Nigeria, Ecuador, Ukraine, Lebanon, and Kenya. Prior to their merger with T-Mobile , Sprint in

5168-458: The signal. GSM was further enhanced in 1997 with the enhanced full rate (EFR) codec, a 12.2 kbit/s codec that uses a full-rate channel. Finally, with the development of UMTS , EFR was refactored into a variable-rate codec called AMR-Narrowband , which is high quality and robust against interference when used on full-rate channels, or less robust but still relatively high quality when used in good radio conditions on half-rate channel. One of

5244-400: The types of data channel they were allocated, were used, called Half Rate (6.5 kbit/s) and Full Rate (13 kbit/s). These used a system based on linear predictive coding (LPC). In addition to being efficient with bitrates , these codecs also made it easier to identify more important parts of the audio, allowing the air interface layer to prioritize and better protect these parts of

5320-415: The user to the network (and not vice versa). The security model therefore offers confidentiality and authentication, but limited authorization capabilities, and no non-repudiation . GSM uses several cryptographic algorithms for security. The A5/1 , A5/2 , and A5/3 stream ciphers are used for ensuring over-the-air voice privacy. A5/1 was developed first and is a stronger algorithm used within Europe and

5396-535: The web. The most commonly deployed GPRS ciphers were publicly broken in 2011. The researchers revealed flaws in the commonly used GEA/1 and GEA/2 (standing for GPRS Encryption Algorithms 1 and 2) ciphers and published the open-source "gprsdecode" software for sniffing GPRS networks. They also noted that some carriers do not encrypt the data (i.e., using GEA/0) in order to detect the use of traffic or protocols they do not like (e.g., Skype ), leaving customers unprotected. GEA/3 seems to remain relatively hard to break and

5472-627: The wireless industry and publishes wireless industry surveys. It has also sponsored various public service initiatives related to wireless. It was initially known as the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association until 2004, and later the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association . The organization has since operated under its initialism only, subtitled as CTIA – The Wireless Association until 2015. CTIA

5548-424: The worldwide cellular network market, serving 1.5 billion subscribers. In 2005, the first HSDPA -capable network also became operational. The first HSUPA network launched in 2007. ( High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and its uplink and downlink versions are 3G technologies, not part of GSM.) Worldwide GSM subscribers exceeded three billion in 2008. The GSM Association estimated in 2011 that technologies defined in

5624-589: Was announced that both events would be replaced by a new event known as CTIA Super Mobility, first held in September 2014. The following year's conference featured 1,000 exhibitors and attracted 30,000 visitors. In June 2016, CTIA announced a partnership with the GSM Association , under which Super Mobility Week would be re-launched as Mobile World Congress Americas beginning in 2017. CTIA's nonprofit organization, CTIA Wireless Foundation, supports initiatives that use wireless technology to assist communities. The foundation partnered with American Red Cross to create

5700-838: Was established in May 1984 as the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. In 2000, the organization merged with the Wireless Data Forum and became the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. Its name was changed to CTIA—The Wireless Association in 2004. Tom Wheeler served as chief executive officer (CEO) of CTIA from 1992 to 2004. He was appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by President Barack Obama and confirmed by

5776-484: Was launched, a 3G technology that is not part of GSM. Worldwide GSM subscribers exceeded 500 million. In 2002, the first Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) was introduced and the first GSM network in the 800 MHz frequency band became operational. Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) services first became operational in a network in 2003, and the number of worldwide GSM subscribers exceeded 1 billion in 2004. By 2005 GSM networks accounted for more than 75% of

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