2G GSM Shutdown

**kevink1** · 12-25-2016, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by veriztd

But how would CSD (Circuit Switched Data) fit in that timeline ? 1G or 1.5G ??

It appears that CSD is more of a 2G technology. Before that, you had to have a modem with your cell phone.

The old ATT TDMA technology appears to have been a 2G technology. GSM is also TDMA. They were just incompatible implementations.

**i0wnj00** · 12-25-2016, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by veriztd

But how would CSD (Circuit Switched Data) fit in that timeline ? 1G or 1.5G ??

CSD came before GPRS.
I remember there was a assigned phone number you had to dial in.
I knew phones like the Motorola V600/V635 which were able to dial in as a modem and use the internet (well, just wap pages).
These phones were only capable of up to 9600 baud (an unrealistic speed to start with) so it kind of sucked when you could have waited to get home and used a cable modem to get stuff faster and get better content. And, you used your minutes for that...

**jakeuten** · 12-25-2016, 02:14 PM

PCS GSM is gone as far as I can tell. Notice that I'm connecting to 310-260 and not 310-410.

Exciting stuff! Now I just want PCS HSPA gone so I can have 10 MHz PCS LTE. 😃

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using HoFo mobile app

**Wide_opeN** · 12-25-2016, 02:33 PM

This is truly indeed an exciting thing for AT&T subscribers, BUT it will only matter as fast as they can transition the sites to either UMTS/HSPA or LTE.

Can anyone speak to the other side of this sunset!? Are they actively lighting up UMTS/HSPA or LTE as the spectrum goes dormant!?

**Joeybutts** · 12-25-2016, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by jakeuten

PCS GSM is gone as far as I can tell. Notice that I'm connecting to 310-260 and not 310-410.

Exciting stuff! Now I just want PCS HSPA gone so I can have 10 MHz PCS LTE. 😃

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using HoFo mobile app

Is GSM850 still available, or was it ever available?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using HoFo mobile app

**jakeuten** · 12-25-2016, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by Joeybutts

Is GSM850 still available, or was it ever available?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using HoFo mobile app

GSM 850 is still available. Not sure how much of it is active though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using HoFo mobile app

**WishIWasHer** · 12-25-2016, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by veriztd

But how would CSD (Circuit Switched Data) fit in that timeline ? 1G or 1.5G ??

CSD was rarely used, and was before they started referring to cell phone technology in G's. This G stuff really started with 3G coverage and its because the 2nd iPhone was called the iPhone 3G. That's where cell phone tech got the G's from. The G stands for Gigs and the number is the number of Gigs the signal is.

**albert1735** · 12-25-2016, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by WishIWasHer

CSD was rarely used, and was before they started referring to cell phone technology in G's. This G stuff really started with 3G coverage and its because the 2nd iPhone was called the iPhone 3G. That's where cell phone tech got the G's from. The G stands for Gigs and the number is the number of Gigs the signal is.

What? It started way before iPhone, like 1993 for world's first 2G GSM network. And no, 3G stands for 3rd Generation, defined under 3GPP. And it has nothing to do with signal bars.

**veriztd** · 12-25-2016, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by WishIWasHer

That's where cell phone tech got the G's from. The G stands for Gigs and the number is the number of Gigs the signal is.

The "G" is an abbreviation for Generation for data and not how many bars of signal. Cell phone data was originally measured in Kilobytes, then Megabytes and now in Gigabytes.

**Wide_opeN** · 12-25-2016, 05:30 PM

Yeah, the iPhone 3G was "late" to the game as many felt the original iPhone should have had it.

But yes, we generally didn't refer to GSM (2G), EDGE (2.5G), 1X(2.5G) as those things as prolifically, as we did 3G technologies.

Again, this shutdown will only be as useful as AT&T can repurpose the spectrum. Just saying...

**@TheRealDanny** · 12-25-2016, 05:59 PM

We were up in the snow this AM. Parts of HWY 173, 2, 18 and 138 are still EDGE on AT&T. It'll be interesting to see if they flip these over to LTE by Jan. 1st or whether these will simply become service holes.

**Volaris** · 12-25-2016, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by @TheRealDanny

We were up in the snow this AM. Parts of HWY 173, 2, 18 and 138 are still EDGE on AT&T. It'll be interesting to see if they flip these over to LTE by Jan. 1st or whether these will simply become service holes.

Just service holes, if they really shut down 2G. 700MHz LTE is already a lower band spectrum than 850/1900MHz 2G spectrum, so using that spectrum wouldn't improve coverage.

**ggore** · 12-26-2016, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by 10mm

Were RRU's installed or are they TMA's? If there are RRU's installed behind the panels then LTE shouldn't be too far behind UMTS.

One of these units is behind each of the 3 new antenna panels, I don't know what they are.

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**ggore** · 12-26-2016, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by Wide_opeN

This is truly indeed an exciting thing for AT&T subscribers, BUT it will only matter as fast as they can transition the sites to either UMTS/HSPA or LTE.

Can anyone speak to the other side of this sunset!? Are they actively lighting up UMTS/HSPA or LTE as the spectrum goes dormant!?

In the case of the GSM/2G/EDGE-only site here, yes, they are going to light up UMTS/HSPA before LTE. If LTE comes at all, it will be at some later time. AT&T must have UMTS/HSPA in place before adding LTE, that seems to be their standard operating procedure.

**DRNewcomb** · 12-26-2016, 08:20 AM

Since an 850 MHz cellular license is 12.5x12.5 MHz, I'm still a bit perplexed as to the advantages of a total shutdown of GSM. What do they plan to do with that 2.5x2.5 MHz bit left over? It's too small to run a 3x3 LTE carrier and two 1.2 MHz LTE carriers would just be painful.