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Cellular Phone Forum / General / GSM / January 2007Enabling of BTSs for cell broadcast
I have been told that most operators' PLMNs don't support Cell Broadcast. I know that a Cell Broadcast Centre is needed, but I have been told that a control hardware device is needed in each BTS as well. Can anyone tell me the correct name of that device so I can look it up? Best regards Peter Simonsen Sorry, I think this is the wrong group. I have moved the post to alt.cellular. http://groups.google.com/group/alt.cellular/browse_thread/thread/e7e786b38d9e1b6e /Peter >I have been told that most operators' PLMNs don't support Cell > Broadcast. I know that a Cell Broadcast Centre is needed, but I have [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Peter Simonsen Cell broadcast has been widely in use but marginally in the form it was originally intended. The main purpose has been to indicate customers the area where they get lower cost calls like at their home area. Often referred as Cell info. Down at the BSS (BTS + BSC) all that is needed is the standard HW. Not all operators have acquired the licence for the CBS SW, this may be something you need to look for. Why don't you call the company who provides the BSS for the network you're interested on? Any background info for the query? Could motivate experts chime up. I think I have got a little bit closer to what I'm looking for. I guess I should still ask the equipment manufacturers but I just want to give at shot here... In a report by the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (www.ficora.fi) I made an interesting finding. It says that CBS requires one radio channel to be reserved/converted for CBS usage. CB messages are broadcasted via control channels - but maybe this channel isn't enabled in a standard BSC setup? FICORA estimates the costs for implementing CBS to be > ?1 million for "implementation of facility in all BS Cs" (for each operator) and > ?10,000 for "modifications in BSS" (for each operator). Does this make sense for you? Happy New Year! :-) /Peter > I have been told that most operators' PLMNs don't support Cell > Broadcast. I know that a Cell Broadcast Centre is needed, but > I have been told that a control hardware device is needed in > each BTS as well. Can anyone tell me the correct name of that > device so I can look it up? Hardware details are left to the equipment manufacturer. But have a look at GSM 03.41, "Technical realization of Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)", for the specifications to be met. You can download copy from www.etsi.org or www.3gpp.org John > Hardware details are left to the equipment manufacturer. But > have a look at GSM 03.41, "Technical realization of Cell > Broadcast Service (CBS)", for the specifications to be met. > You can download copy from www.etsi.org or www.3gpp.org I'm writing my master's thesis about public emergency alert systems - comparing SMS and CB with regard to the authorities' and users' requirements for such a system. For doing that I have to know exactly how CB (and SMS) works. My professor told me about the control hardware device (he just couldn't remember the name of it...). It surprised me because I hadn't read about that anywhere in the specifications. My impression was that a Cell Broadcast Centre is all what is needed for broadcasting. I have already looked at GSM 03.41 (and a bunch of other specs). I can read which nodes do what. But can I be sure that the manufacturers have implemented the full standard in their BSC/BTSs? > I'm writing my master's thesis about public emergency alert > systems - comparing SMS and CB with regard to the authorities' > and users' requirements for such a system. For doing that I > have to know exactly how CB (and SMS) works. In this day and age, I think that security would be a major issue in implementing such a CB system (serious potential for simultaneous triggering of devices, whether by direct control or opportunistically). > My professor told me about the control hardware device (he > just couldn't remember the name of it...). It surprised me [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > the manufacturers have implemented the full standard in their > BSC/BTSs? Other than contacting individual BTS manufacturers, a search for "cell broadcast centre" (and "cell broadcast center") in conjunction with "ericsson", "nokia", "nortel", etc might prove fruitful. John > In this day and age, I think that security would be a major > issue in implementing such a CB system (serious potential for > simultaneous triggering of devices, whether by direct control > or opportunistically). Will you please elaborate on that? I don't think I agree... > Other than contacting individual BTS manufacturers, a search for > "cell broadcast centre" (and "cell broadcast center") in > conjunction with "ericsson", "nokia", "nortel", etc might prove > fruitful. Thanks for tip. I did find some new information that might turn out to be useful. /Peter > Will you please elaborate on that? I don't think I agree... I'm sorry, but I don't want to give instructions on how to do it. Others have raised the possibility on this NG previously, otherwise I wouldn't have even mentioned it in such a public forum. John >> Will you please elaborate on that? I don't think I agree... > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > John Security needs to be taken seriously but also relatively to the pros and cons. If in the far east tsunami case one out of ten people would have gotten an early warning to their cell phones, how many would have survived? How many false alarms would you accept against saving those people? Assuming that cell phone operators take security seriously, you cannot tap to a BTS and start broadcasting CBS messages of your own. You would need to work with a false base station and then your coverage would be pretty limited. Don't want to put words on anybody's master thesis but as a hint, think how long it would have taken to send a point-to-point SMS to all the people that were in the area affected by The tsunami. CBS is not affected by the network load or number of active users. Almost all existing GSM phones can receive CBS, one could almost start the service tomorrow and would immediately reach 2 billion people. SMS has important benefits too, leaves a good deal of work for the thesis. > If in the far east tsunami case one out of ten people would > have gotten an early warning to their cell phones, how many > would have survived? How many false alarms would you accept > against saving those people? How many people regularly check their phones to see whether a new CB message has arrived? In my experience, it's a rare phone which implements the possibility of an audible alert for a new CB message. I suppose there's the possibility of embedding EMS pre-defined sounds within CB broadcasts (as per SMS and GSM 03.40), but I strongly suspect that this falls outside current standards. I certainly see no reference to such a capability where I'd expect it, in GSM 03.41 or even 3GPP 23.041. How many phones have CB reception turned on? How many phones with CB reception turned on are going to have the correct CB channel number(s) configured? I'm not sure that this is something a carrier can configure remotely via the GSM 03.40 SMS port-addressing mechanism, or via SIMs through GSM 11.14. > Assuming that cell phone operators take security seriously, > you cannot tap to a BTS and start broadcasting CBS messages of > your own. You would need to work with a false base station and > then your coverage would be pretty limited. No, staff have access. And situations leading to predictable CB information broadcasts could conceivably be created in the scenario being discussed. > Don't want to put words on anybody's master thesis but as a > hint, think how long it would have taken to send a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > important benefits too, leaves a good deal of work for the > thesis. Personally, I would like CB to be freely used for its intended purpose of passing information to the public. I'm just aware of the potential for misuse, and that's something that should be taken seriously in a cost-benefit analysis. John <SNIP> > How many phones have CB reception turned on? <SNIP> I personally have mine turned on for channel 050, which displays the location of the current cell and I also have channel 000 Topic Index active. If I /hot mark/ a channel on my phone will sound an alert when on new broadcast, I have the Topic Index hot listed but have never had anything come up on it. No point hot listing 050 as it would sound every time the phone sees another cell. The /hot mark/ feature is available on all the new Nokia's as far as I am aware. Just a shame Cell Broadcast isn't used to it's full potential. -- The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may belong to. 73 de Simon, VK3XEM. <http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/client_search.client_lookup?pCLIENT_NO=157452> <https://www.police.vic.gov.au/lars/lars.asp?File=/Components/screens/PSINFP04/PS INFP04.asp?Key=PSAILT&Page=11&Row=23> > I personally have mine turned on for channel 050, which > displays the location of the current cell and I also have > channel 000 Topic Index active. I use channel 50 ("area info") also. But here (Australia), I've not seen any carrier broadcast a topic index (I've looked for the channel zero broadcasts and there are none). > If I /hot mark/ a channel on my phone will sound an alert when > on new broadcast, I have the Topic Index hot listed but have > never had anything come up on it. No point hot listing 050 as > it would sound every time the phone sees another cell. My old Siemens S25 can do this, and I sometimes use it to beep the cell changes to me. > The /hot mark/ feature is available on all the new Nokia's as > far as I am aware. Just a shame Cell Broadcast isn't used to > it's full potential. If emergency information could carry an embedded sound, then channel 50 is one very logical place to broadcast it. John > > I personally have mine turned on for channel 050, which > > displays the location of the current cell and I also have [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > My old Siemens S25 can do this, and I sometimes use it to beep > the cell changes to me. > > The /hot mark/ feature is available on all the new Nokia's as > > far as I am aware. Just a shame Cell Broadcast isn't used to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > John I'm working for a Company called Celltick. We have a product call LiveScreen base on Cell Broadcast that enable effective use of this channel including beeping when needed always receive mode and interaction channel as well - the product is used for dynamic content delivery to users for fun, promotions and emergency. 2 years ago when the tsunami happend in the Far East - our system was used in Sri-lanka to provide information about the second wave (www.celltick.com). Avi Primo > I'm working for a Company called Celltick. We have a product call > LiveScreen base on Cell Broadcast that enable effective use of this [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Avi Primo Hi, I've already read about your products on your website. Can you provide me with some price examples (e.g. by e-mail)? I would like to know how much your CBC costs. /Peter |
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