What Is GSM?
It would be difficult to imagine the world today without mobile phones and similar communication technology. It would also be difficult to have this technology with GSM, which stands for Global System for Mobile communication. According to nearly all the information available about GSM this is the most-used technology worldwide in the field of mobile-phone transmission.
The GSM standard has been in use for nearly two decades. Its digital design allows multiple audio data/voice to be transmitted simultaneously, a vast improvement over early cell-phone systems that allowed one signal at a time. The GSM technology compresses the signal during transmission and is much more secure than older mobile technology.
GSM technology has given us the Subscriber Identification Module, better known as the SIM card. This is actually a microchip that can be moved from one phone to another to allow the individual to receive calls to one number. The SIM card stores personal information such as calendar appointments and frequent contacts, making it very efficient for the user.
GSM technology is widely used in Asia and Europe, providing a standard that is usable when traveling from one country to another. With the use of the SIM card phone users can continue to use the same number as they travel, a benefit that most phone users don’t have in the United States. U.S. mobile-phone users deal with various communication standards and have difficulty switching use between cell-phone companies.
Another great benefit of GSM technology is the ability to send text messages. This feature is growing in popularity throughout Asia and Europe and may soon rival the popularity of text messaging in the United States. But in the U.S. this means that companies have to use what is known as third-party gateways to move a text message from one carrier/company to another. GSM technology should provide a smoother path for text messaging between companies and mobile networks.
Research into the cell-phone/mobile-phone industry shows about 8 or 9 of every 10 phones follow the GSM standard. Its use in Europe can be attributed to the original source of GSM – the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations. People who have followed the mobile-phone industry for many years will remember that phones and services from Finland were among the first available. In fact, Finland was the first European nation to adopt GSM mobile technology and put that service into wide use.
According to GSM information the system consists of a base station, a network/switching subsystem and a wider network to provide carrier reach. Think of a call on a mobile phone starting at the base station and being transferred to the network-switching system. The call is then moved to the public network and then to the General Packet Radio Service, a core network that is used by mobile phones to transmit Internet Protocol (IP) packets.
GSM is deployed on several frequency bands, as determined by the International Telecommunications Union. In most cases, the frequencies in Europe and Asia are different from those used in the U.S. and Canada.
Category: Technology