GSM NETWORKS
At Flying Penguin, we are fully committed to ensuring our customers are able to make
informed choices when buying products from our website. We therefore strive to
provide information covering all aspects of technology so that you can keep up to
date with the newest electronic products on the market.
There has been a massive growth in mobile telephone systems worldwide and mobile
phones are now part of everyday life. Originally, one country's mobile phone system
was incompatible with another's system which caused problems with communication and
costs were therefore high.
To combat these issues, a group formed in Europe in the early 1980s called Groupe
Sp?cial Mobile (GSM). It's aim was to develop a system that could be used throughout
Europe. Eventually other networks joined the standard resulting in a system that
operated worldwide.
GSM has evolved into the Global System for Mobile Communications - an international
digital technology system used for transmitting mobile voice and data services. It
supports voice calls and data transfer speeds of up to 9.6 kilobytes per second and
also SMS (Short Message Service).
GSM architecture enables users to roam in many parts of the world and switch
carriers without switching phones. Therefore users can access the same services when
travelling abroad as at home through GSM roaming. GSM operates in the 900MHz and
1800MHz bands in Europe and the 1900MHz and 850MHz bands in the US. The 850MHz band
is also used for GSM and 3G in Australia, Canada and some South American countries.
To find out if your phone will work on a particular network or in a particular
country, you can check the following link:
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml
This website provides detailed information about network operators worldwide.
The main GSM networks in the UK are:
Cable and Wireless UK - uses GSM 1800 technology
FMS Solutions - uses GSM 1800 technology
Mundio Mobile Limited - uses GSM 1800 technology
Orange PCS Ltd - uses GSM 1800 technology
T-Mobile (UK) Limited - uses GSM 1800 technology
Telef?nica O2 UK Limited - uses GSM 900/1800
TeleWare PLC - uses GSM 1800 technology
Vodafone Ltd - uses GSM 900/1800 technology
As the purpose of GSM phones is to work as broadly as possible, in over 200
countries worldwide, it is used over four different frequencies.
850 MHz (824.2 - 848.8 MHz Tx; 869.2 - 893.8 MHz Rx)
900 MHz (880-2 - 914.8 MHz Tx; 925.2 - 959.8 MHz Rx)
1800 MHz (1710.2 - 1784.8 MHz Tx; 1805.2 - 1879.8 MHz Rx)
1900 MHz (1850.2 - 1909.8 MHz Tx; 1930.2 - 1989.8 MHz Rx)
Mobile phones operate over three frequency bands: Dual Band, Tri-Band and Quad Band.
Dual Band- operates on 900MHz and 1800 MHz
Tri-Band - operates on 900 MHz, 1800MHz and 1900 MHz.
Quad-Band - operates on 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz.
The majority of the global mobile phone market uses the GSM standard and it now
operates in more than 218 countries.
The 3rd Generation or 3G standard enables simultaneous use of speech and data
services and higher data rates. While GSM can deliver voice and data, 3G delivers
multimedia applications using greater bandwiths so users can connect to the internet
at the highest possible speed and in the most secure way. The main 3G networks in
the UK are:
Hutchison 3G UK Ltd - uses 3G 2100 technology
Orange PCS Ltd - uses 3G 2100 technology
T-Mobile (UK) Limited - uses 3G 2100 technology
Telef?nica O2 UK Limited - uses 3G 2100 technology
Vodafone Ltd - uses 3G 2100 technology
Flying Penguin mobiles are not 3G unless specified. However, we will be launching a
3G range in the new year.
ALso, none of the mobile phone watches currently on the Flying Penguin website
operate on 3G networks. The main reason for this is that Watch Phone technology is
relatively new and an affordable 3G mobile phone watch has not yet been developed,
but as soon as an affordable product comes on the market, Flying Penguin will
feature it.
As mobile phones grow in popularity, it is important that customers get value for
money, continuity of service and the freedom to use their mobile phone abroad. Every
mobile phone uses a SIM card which is a Subscriber Identity Module card which allows
the phone to connect to their mobile network. The SIM card identifies the user and
holds data including text messages, phone logs and contact details.
At Flying Penguin, we offer mobile phone products which are unlocked and SIM free. A
SIM Free mobile phone is a phone that is sold without a SIM card. This means that it
is not blocked from using any network provider and you can use your existing SIM
card in the phone to make and receive calls. You will have the flexibility to choose
a tariff that suits your requirements because you are not tied to a particular phone
network.
So there you have it - all you need to know about GSM networks including 2G and 3G
standards. Don't forget to check out the huge variety of SIM free, unlocked mobile
phones at www.flying-penguin.co.uk.
