The MIN (Mobile Identification Number) is a number that uniquely identifies a mobile telephone subscriber. MINs are 34-bits in length. The first 10 bits are sometimes known as MIN2, while the last 24 bits are referred to as MIN1. Together they are simply known as the MIN. In the United States, the MIN is derived from the 10 digital decimal telephone number assigned to the handset. For the telephone number (303)866-1010, the area code (“303”) becomes the 10 bit MIN2 and the local portion of the telephone number (“866-1010”) becomes Read More

Forward and reverse channels refer to a number of frequencies that are used by a telecommunications broadcast system in order for a telephone tower and a cellular telephone to communicate with each other. A forward channel refers to the frequencies used by a telephone tower to communicate with all nearby cellular phones. Contrastingly, a reverse channel refers to the frequencies used by cellular telephones to communicate with a telephone tower.   How Forward and Reverse Channels Work While some companies may depend on different telephone systems, most rely on the Read More

GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile telephone system that is widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. GSM uses a variation of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and is the most widely used of the three digital wireless telephone technologies (TDMA, GSM, and CDMA). GSM digitizes and compresses data, then sends it down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot. It operates at either the 900 MHz or 1,800 MHz frequency band. GSM is the Read More

A TIMSI, or Temporary International Mobile Subscriber Identity, number is a random number that is created from a telecommunications subscriber’s IMSI number in order to provide additional security. While an IMSI is unique to each subscriber and is a permanent number that can be used to track a subscriber or interfere with his/her services, a TIMSI is often re-negotiated by the telecommunications company the subscriber is associated with and can only be stolen if an eavesdropper intercepts the initial GSM transmission when the TIMSI is negotiated.   How TIMSI Works Read More

The Blackberry Storm is an affordable touch screen smartphone that has several capabilities. In order to fully use all of the phone’s features, it is recommended that the user connects to a service network that provides a data plan and traditional phone services such as calling and texting. Blackberry Storm users can also customize their phones as it offers different color themes, wallpapers, and many other options for personalizing the phone. The Blackberry Storm has about a 5.5 hour talk life or 360 hours of standby. It gives average users Read More

Blackberry users may come across a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) error that is known as the JVM 102 error. When this is displayed, it means that there is an invalid code in the phone’s file system. This error may also indicate that one or more .cod files have become corrupted or are now incompatible with the mobile phone. Unfortunately, the Blackberry is unusable until the error is corrected. Although the Blackberry Corporation advises its customers to slick the phone and restore the operating system (OS) to fix this error, there Read More

The SIDH (System IDentification for Home System) in your cellular telephone tells the cellular system what cellular carrier your cellular service originates from. This is used in roaming (making cellular calls when in an area not served by your cellular provider). Every geographical region has two SIDH (System IDentification for Home System) codes, one for the wireline carrier and one for the nonwireline carrier. These are the two companies that are legally allowed to provide cellular telephone service in that region. The wireline carrier is usually your local telephone company, Read More

A PIN, or Personal Identification Number, is a number that is used on some SIM cards to prevent unauthorized use of the cell phone it is located in. PINs are not used by all SIM cards and may need to be setup before they can be used. A PIN is generally between 4 and 8 digits long and may consist of a “PIN1” for locking the phone itself as well as a “PIN2” for locking certain features that the phone has access to. However, emergency calls can still be made Read More

Most people understand that using their cell phone in their basement or in an office building can be a futile act because the signal is simply not strong enough. Therefore, it is difficult to make phone calls and, more importantly, to send text messages. All the concrete and walls around you make it difficult for the signal to be received in a strong enough amount to properly allow for information to be transmitted. A femtocell, though, is a new type of technology that acts like a relay station for the Read More

The main mobile telephone systems in the last twenty five years have been: YearMobile Telephone System 1981 Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) 1983 Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) 1985 Total Access Communication Systems (TACS) 1986 Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) 1991 American Digital Cellular (ADC) 1991 Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) 1992 Digital Cellular System (DCS) 1800 1994 Japanese Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) 1995 Personal Communications Service (PCS) 1900 – Canada 1996 Personal Communications Service (PCS) – USA Analog and Digital Mobile Telephone Technologies Mobile telephone systems are either analog or Read More