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Interesting Cost-Saving Technology News<br>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/21/raspberry-pi-used-to-replace-a-30-foot-gsm-base-station-and-create-a-working-mobile-network/">http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/21/raspberry-pi-used-to-replace-a-30-foot-gsm-base-station-and-create-a-working-mobile-network/</a>
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Raspberry Pi Used To Replace A 30-Foot GSM Base Station And Create A
Working Mobile Network<br>
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<div class="post-time">Friday, December 21st, 2012</div>
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A Cambridge, U.K.-based consulting firm has managed to use the
open source Raspberry Pi computer to replicate the functions
normally performed by a 30-foot GSM cellular basestation to
create a fully functional mobile network. Using two open source
software programs, and a bit of off-the-shelf hardware kit DIY
enthusiasts can get their hands on fairly easily, <a
target="_blank"
href="http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/basestation-created-on-raspberry-pi/46960/">PA
Consulting rolled their own mobile phone service</a>.</div>
</div>
<p>The system works by routing calls similar to the way they’d be
handled by Skype, thanks to an open source program called
FreeSWITCH, which also enables SMS communication and phones on the
network to connect to the Internet. All of it had to be built in a
radio sealed room, to avoid stepping on any spectrum toes and
thereby breaking laws. The whole point of the project was just to
prove that it could be done: a 30-foot, extremely expensive piece
of vital mobile network infrastructure could be more or less
replaced with a 3-inch Raspberry Pi, at least in terms of
providing an actual, functioning mobile phone network. That bodes
extremely well for the future of low-cost infrastructure, and is
in keeping with the Raspberry Pi foundation’s goals of delivering
affordable, accessible solutions to previously expensive problems.<br>
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<p>Ken<br>
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