AT&T Switching to GSM

Posted By: Ed Friday, December 1, 2000 7:37:47 AM

In a move that will help simplify the very fractured wireless data landscape in the United States, AT&T is going to switch its wireless networks to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). This is the standard used almost exclusively in Europe and Asia. In the U.S., the use of several competing standards have delayed the commercial acceptance of the wireless Web and left America lagging behind Europe and Japan.

GSM has a much higher potential connection speed than the method AT&T was using. However, they will continue to use the old wireless technology for users who want to keep their old phones or just want voice service. GSM will be targeted towards people who want data services, such as Palm users.

This decision was brought about as part of Japan's largest mobile phone company, NTT DoCoMo, buying $9.8 billion, or 16%, of AT&T Wireless.

AT&T will also begin supporting NTT's i-mode, a competitor of the Wireless Access Protocol, or WAP. i-mode is is supposed to be easier to develop for than WAP and has over 16 million users in Japan. In comparison, Cahners In-Stat estimates that only about 1 million U.S. consumers use mobile phone data services with any significant frequency today.

The two companies will resell each other's services in their home countries and act as preferred roaming partners.

Special thanks to Cnet.

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gsm - why?

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/1/2000 11:37:23 AM #
i think that it doesn't make any sense. so what if the rest of the world uses gsm?
also, it would be gsm 1900mhz or gsm 800mhz and no other countires use the frequency anyway (at least in eruope or asia).

and then using grps for 384 kbps of data sounds good, but a) this is going to take years, and b) it will be outdated by the time it comes online....

i think att should have picked w-cdma or cdma2000 (both 3g) althouhg i hear that they have ....... but anyway, i think its a bad choice

GSM - this is why
ardiri @ 12/1/2000 1:40:46 PM #
have you used GSM? :)

what i like the most about GSM is the fact that i can take my GSM sim card and swap phones and still use my telephone number. if you are worried about the frequencies? thats not a problem. you can get a tri-band or dual-band (USA+europe) phone that will suit your needs. i personally own a Nokia 8850 (dual-band, europe) for my normal "usage", and, when i travel to the USA, i bring my Ericsson World i888 (dual-band, europe+USA). now, to me, my Ericsson is a brick, but, in comparison to many USA based phones that exist, its tiny. Nothing compares to the Nokia 8850 tho :)

GSM already exists in the USA, its great news to see that AT&T are going to make it available in a larger area - now i wont have to stick to the highways :)

// az
aaron@ardiri.com
http://www.ardiri.com/

RE: gsm - why?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/1/2000 2:06:40 PM #
just get the 8890 and you'll have the best of both worlds.....



RE: gsm - why?
ardiri @ 12/1/2000 4:36:50 PM #
just get the 8890 and you'll have the best of both worlds.....

Actually, my Ericsson i888 is dual band, just like the Nokia 8890. i went for a dual band european phone (8850) because the Ericsson i888 and Nokia 8890 only pick up on frequency that i can use, especially when roaming through europe. having two native european bands is much better than having the other wasted on the USA band. :) i only use the i888 for travelling to / from the USA

// az
aaron@ardiri.com
http://www.ardiri.com/

RE: gsm - why? errr
ardiri @ 12/1/2000 4:42:05 PM #
pick up one frequency

where is that 'e' when i needed it? :)

// az
aaron@ardiri.com
http://www.ardiri.com/

RE: gsm - why?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/2/2000 4:47:39 AM #

So what if the rest of the world use GSM?.. *LOL* That is a terribly North American thing to say. I have lived in the US as well as in Europe and while in the US had a PCS phone. The one feature that PCS lacks that is present within the GSM system is SMS, short message service and it is hugely useful. One way I make use of it is when I call for number information, my provider then text mesages the number to me and I can add it to the phone's address book.

With a Visorphone this would be even more of a perk. just cut the details out of the message and paste straight into the address book.

Anyway, I do think the US should adopt the GSM system. Standardisation in this case is a good thing. Look at the mess there is with different television standards? Heck even DVD's are being made regionally exclusive all to the detriment of us the consumer.

Regards

Nick

RE: gsm - why?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/2/2000 6:28:05 PM #
I really agree with Nick in regards to standardization. This will help in improving focused improvements with one superior platform alone. Services and hardware (cellphone etc.) advancement would benefit. I am from the Philippines and i frequently travel to Hong Kong and I was surprised that the almighty U.S. is lagging behind in Cellphone models both Nokia and Ericsson. This is because of their tri-band requirement and the two system (three?) wcdma or GSM market approach. On the other hand, here in asia as well as in Europe, its just GSM. The manufacturers see to it that the new dual band models are almost immediately available to asia because of the demand. In the U.S. it is quite skewed. Do you know that the 8850 model was first launched in europe and asia. Right now its the 6210 and 3310. I doubt if the 6210 (or its triband counterpart) is available already in the U.S.

Regards,

Luis Reyes

RE: gsm - why?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/6/2000 8:31:59 PM #
I use the Motorola TriBand... don't have all fun features but will work wherever I go....

GSM/SIM Card

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/1/2000 6:22:33 PM #
This is a great benefit. I had a IIIc that I was using with GlobalPulse and Voicestream, but the thing kept cracking (the case that is, on the Palm) so I changed it in for a Visor Prism. Now I can take the SIM card from the Nokia 5190, and then place it into the VisorPhone when I get it, keep the same phone number, and use one or the other for voice, and now, data. :)

Omnisky & CDPD

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/2/2000 8:51:11 AM #
Does anyone know if this is going to have an impact on current Omnisky users? As I understand it, Omnisky runs on AT&T cell towers using CDPD. Will current users need an upgraded modem?

JBH

RE: Omnisky & CDPD
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/2/2000 9:48:10 AM #
No (or not for a long while, anyway).

ATT going to GPRS/EDGE/UTMS

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/2/2000 11:16:14 AM #
Actually, it sounds more that att is adding another layer to their cell coverage. They state they are keeping TDMA for current customers and bringing on line the GSM/GPRS network mainly for the faster data rate that GPRS affords.

Also in the multitude of press releases was the fact that beginning 2002 (?) ATT would begin to implement W-CDMA which is one of the standards for 3G, and the one that NTT DoCoMo will use in Japan beginning march 2001.

I would guess that the GSM/GPRS would be used to supplement/replace the current CDPD that the pocketnet service uses.

Ohfish.com

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2000 12:50:14 AM #
Ohfish is offering the GSM Sled for Palm V series. I think it is good to hear that AT&T is offering GSM services.

http://www.ohfish.com



AT&T is going WCDMA

MegaZone @ 12/3/2000 1:35:12 AM #
DoCoMo is moving to WCDMA in Japan. AT&T will move to GSM, then add GPRS. Later will come EDGE. It is all part of the evolution to WCDMA for AT&T.

AT&T is going WCDMA

MegaZone @ 12/3/2000 1:35:56 AM #
DoCoMo is moving to WCDMA in Japan. AT&T will move to GSM, then add GPRS. Later will come EDGE. It is all part of the evolution to WCDMA for AT&T.

agreed

Raishe_werk @ 12/4/2000 1:32:30 PM #
i agree with ardiri, i think that the US would greatly benefit by having another carrier, esp the size of AT&T, using GSM standard. the band that is used here in the US is 1800Mhz. i use a carrier that uses GSM (pacific bell wireless) and its pretty phat, i can switch my SIM card between phones, etc. the downside if i travel outside of california nevada i am hurting for coverage. i know a couple of other carriers are merging with pac bell and hopefully this will expand my coverage. plus we could get all these kewl toys that all the euro's have access like that palm V phone "clip on" that we have been seeing in june, only to find out that it only supports euro dual band (800mhz and 1900mhz). anyway GSM is where its at. should be interesting that NTT DoCoMo invested in AT&T. hopefully we will all be winners in that.

-Raishe
"Moster Pig kills Jesus
More at 11"

GSM...

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/4/2000 9:00:11 PM #
Why won't people just see the truth, CDMA is the best technology...

RE: GSM...
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/6/2000 8:34:51 PM #
yeah with the expense of decent phones (at least here in the US)

RE: GSM...
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/6/2000 8:35:55 PM #
sorry I meant AT the expense of decent phones.....

CDMA phones is the US is ill..... carrying an Audiovox is not happening....

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