31 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
Previous Issue (Only one)
Add this Digest to your personal
or 
The Telecom Digest for August 12, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 193 : "text" Format
====== 31 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
|
Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Bill Horne and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are
included in the fair use quote. By using any name or email address
included herein for any reason other than responding to an article
herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to that person, or email address
owner.
Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without the explicit written consent of the owner of
that address. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk
are definitely unwelcome.
We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. - Geoffrey Welsh
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
|
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2012 13:34:23 -0600
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: AT&T sets deadline for 2G sunset in 4 years
Message-ID: <k013bv$om4$1@dont-email.me>
On 8/8/2012 12:22 PM, PV wrote:
> Bill Horne<bill@horne.VALID-IF-THIS-IS-ELIDED.net> writes:
>> BTW, does this mean that AMPS is finally going away, that AT&T will
>> phase out TDMA, or that some other branch of the "voice" cellular tree
>> is to be pruned at the same time?
>
> Eh? Those are both retired technologies and have been for quite some time.
> I don't think anyone even owns the spectrum to run AMPS/TDMA on analog
> anymore. Dead like the dodo. *
I thought AT&T was using GSM, and that GSM used TDMA. Are we talking
apples and oranges?
Bill
--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my address to write to me directly)
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 16:15:03 +0000 (UTC)
From: David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: AT&T sets deadline for 2G sunset in 4 years
Message-ID: <k060e7$o0p$1@reader1.panix.com>
Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> writes:
>I thought AT&T was using GSM, and that GSM used TDMA. Are we talking
>apples and oranges?
For some reason, GSM folks seem to downplay their TDMA roots.
I think it's a branding thing.
--
A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz@nrk.com
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:54:22 -0700
From: Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: AT&T sets deadline for 2G sunset in 4 years
Message-ID: <5023265E.2060207@thadlabs.com>
On 8/7/2012 12:17 AM, tlvp wrote:
> On Sun, 5 Aug 2012 13:19:57 -0400, Monty Solomon wrote:
>
>> AT&T sets deadline for 2G sunset in 4 years
>>
>>
>> http://www.komonews.com/news/tech/ATT-sets-deadline-for-2G-sunset-in-4-years-165022406.html
>>
>
> So: what service(s) exactly is at&t classifying as "2G" here?
>
> GSM voice?
> CSD data?
> GPRS data?
> EDGE data?
> UMTA data?
> HSDPA data?
> HSDPA+ data?
> other?
>
> "2G" is such a marketing term (like "3G" and "4G" as well) that it tells me
> nothing, and the komonews article isn't much more help, either :-) .
Something is still not clear here, and I need to provide some
contextual background.
Several years ago my best friend, the Senior R&D Testbed Manager,
Office of the CTO of Nokia (Palo Alto CA), was at my home for a
meeting and he immediately identified the noise emanating from my
computer speakers as "GSM interference" [from my RAZR V3] and that
led me to begin a long thread here in comp.dcom.telecom.
I still have and use my RAZR V3 solely for telephony which is all I need
since I have more computers in my home office than do most small offices
and businesses. In other words, I have no need for a smartphone or any
texting or mapping or app capabilities at.
The GSM interference was so annoying (and my friend commented it's also
a big problem in all the conference rooms at Nokia in Palo Alto) that I
was forced to leave my RAZR in the kitchen about 40 feet away.
Oddly, approximately a year and a half ago, a new icon appeared on my
RAZR's display and I had to look it up in the manual. The icon is that
for GPRS. At the exact same time, all GSM interference ceased and I now
can sit my RAZR down on the table along the computers without any problems
at all.
There's no information in the RAZR manual about GPRS except identifying
its icon (e.g., no documentation how to enable or disable GPRS and/or
whether it augments, complements, supplements and/or replaces GSM) and the
only more-or-less useful info I found is this Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Packet_Radio_Service
which states:
"General packet radio service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data
service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global
system for mobile communications (GSM). GPRS was originally
tandardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
in response to the earlier CDPD and i-mode packet-switched cellular
technologies. It is now maintained by the 3rd Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP)."
Given AT&T's EOL announcement for 2G service doesn't mention GPRS and that
GPRS is also functional under 3G (which I presume AT&T will retain for the
foreseeable future), can I presume I will be able to continue to use my
RAZR V3 via GPRS beyond the 2G EOL? The phone is in excellent condition
and has served me well since 2004, and given I'm now retired I need to be
very aware of how I spend money nowadays.
I would appreciate any insight regarding GPRS continuation on the AT&T
network.
Thad
Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:04:01 -0400
From: Pete Cresswell <PeteCress@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Fastest texters in America face off in New York
Message-ID: <1iv528t6nqmpqg7nh7rs348p3f7cl14lhn@4ax.com>
Per Monty Solomon:
>
>
>http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/08/08/fastest_texters_in_america_face_off_in_new_york/
>
I found it amazing that the author managed to write an entire
article without saying anything specific about how fast the
winners could text.
--
Pete Cresswell
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:58:19 -0600
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.VALID-IF-THIS-IS-ELIDED.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Fastest texters in America face off in New York
Message-ID: <k06dgq$e4k$1@dont-email.me>
On 8/8/2012 6:04 PM, Pete Cresswell wrote:
> Per Monty Solomon:
>>
>>
>> http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/08/08/fastest_texters_in_america_face_off_in_new_york/
>>
>
> I found it amazing that the author managed to write an entire
> article without saying anything specific about how fast the
> winners could text.
... or how much faster it would be to use Morse Code!
Bill
--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my address to write to me directly)
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2012 21:23:35 -0400
From: tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: AT&T sets deadline for 2G sunset in 4 years
Message-ID: <15ynx7km4oft3$.lolhipq21m62$.dlg@40tude.net>
On Wed, 8 Aug 2012 06:17:02 -0700 (PDT), John C. Fowler wrote:
> Replying to Message-ID: <157w78ewmxp86$.v01dqpy3u5c8.dlg@40tude.net>, which was a reply to <p06240838cc445b9565fd@[10.0.1.4]>.
>
> tlvp wrote:
>> So: what service(s) exactly is at&t classifying as "2G" here?
>
> The information came from AT&T's 10-Q filing with the SEC, which states:
>
> ... will transition
> customers ... from our Global System for Mobile
> Communications (GSM) and Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)
> networks (referred to as 2G networks) to ...
> ...
> They additionally define 4G as HSPA+ or LTE. I guess everything in the
> middle is 3G.
>
> John C. Fowler, johnfpublic@yahoo.com
Thanks, John.
So: "2G" is just GSM voice and EDGE data, by your lights? OK, good to know.
I guess my old Nokia 6610 is all either 2G or even more primitive, as are
all my Motorola TimePorts (P7389, P280, T250, et al.).
But where would my RAZR V3 (original), SLVR L2, and LG cu-400 fit in? To be
deprecated and rendered redundant? Or still OK for the 3G/4G-only era?
TIA. And cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2012 21:35:05 -0400
From: tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: AT&T sets deadline for 2G sunset in 4 years
Message-ID: <g5pz6uwzpq2u.1rm41gg35iz16$.dlg@40tude.net>
On Wed, 8 Aug 2012 13:36:48 -0400, Michael D. Sullivan wrote:
> ... I have no idea what CSD is ...
CSD stands for Circuit-Switched Data -- it's how T-Mobile (US), at least,
handled WAP browsing back before there was GPRS for data transport, and was
offered on such handsets as the Motorola Timeport P-7389, P280, and others.
Once GPRS became entrenched, T-Mobile (US), at least, shut of CSD services,
and those handsets (and their kin) became useless for WAP browsing in the
US (though Polish GSM providers like Orange (PL) still offered CSD data
service as recently as a-year-and-a-half ago -- and charged extortionate
air-time rates for the privilege of using it :-) ).
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:08:20 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: 2 telecom satellites destroyed in botched Russian launch
Message-ID: <p06240832cc4b6eddd95c@[10.0.1.6]>
2 telecom satellites destroyed in botched Russian launch
Loss estimated at $100 million to $150 million; future of program put in
doubt
Reuters
updated 8/7/2012
MOSCOW - Russia failed to launch two multimillion-dollar satellites
that were to have provided Indonesia and Russia with telecom
services, casting new doubt on a once-pioneering space industry.
Russia's space agency said the failure of the upper stage of the
launch atop its workhorse Proton rocket led to the loss of
Indonesia's Telkom-3 and Russia's Express MD2 satellites.
The error happened after takeoff from the Russian-leased Baikonur
launch pad in Kazakhstan late on Monday. The total loss of the two
satellites was estimated at $100 million to $150 million, a space
industry source told Interfax news agency.
...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48552104/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:19:10 +0000
From: "Quinn, Michael J." <mquinn@mitre.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: SIT Tones and Robo-calls
Message-ID: <5E50D6DF9C4E074CA597625E527A054015AEF84E@IMCMBX02.MITRE.ORG>
[ Moderator note: The Digest does not allow/support 'attachments' of any ]
[ sort -- the referent in Mike's 2nd para was stripped before it reached ]
[ the moderator for approval. ]
> From: Pete Cresswell <PeteCress@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
> Subject: Re: Robocall claims to be from MCI
>
> Per Ron:
> >Over the last week or so, we've gotten several calls on our landline in
> >which a recording tells us to call MCI immediately to verify information
> >about our line or account or something. The number to call is
> >1-888-221-3190. Did a reverse lookup on the #; appears to be a
> >telemarketer. Anyone know about this? How to get it to stop?
>
> Over the past year robocalls to our landline have become so
> numerous that we have resorted to prefixing our answering
> machine's message with the SAT tones and not picking up the phone
> until we hear the voice of somebody we know.
Has it been firmly established that SIT tones on answering machine will
in fact disrupt/disconnect robo-calls?
Can one simply record a downloaded audio version played aloud on a laptop,
such as the attached? I suppose it's worth a try.
Regards,
Mike
Stafford VA
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:47:57 -0500
From: Jim Haynes <jhaynes@cavern.uark.edu>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Arkansas AG takes on the credit card telemarketers
Message-ID: <slrnk2a7ot.t0h.jhaynes@Frances.localdomain>
I see by the morning paper that the Arkansas Attorney General has filed
suit against some individuals and companies in Florida for violating the
state and federal do-not-call lists, and also for misrepresenting the
credit cards they are peddling. Says they offer a low rate to start but
then it jumps to a high rate after a few months. And that with no
authorization from you they transfer your credit card balance from your
other card to theirs.
--
jhhaynes at earthlink dot net
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
munications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in
addition to Usenet, where it appears as the moderated newsgroup
'comp.dcom.telecom'.
TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational
service offered to the Internet by Bill Horne. All the contents
of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in
some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work
and that of the original author.
The Telecom Digest is moderated by Bill Horne.
This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm-
unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and
published continuously since then. Our archives are available for
your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list
on the internet in any category!
URL information: http://telecom-digest.org
Copyright (C) 2013 TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved.
Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA.
Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as
yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars
per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.
Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing
your name to the mailing list.
All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the
author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only
and messages should not be considered any official expression by the
organization.
End of The Telecom Digest (10 messages)
Return to Archives ** Older Issues