Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Amps
Amps
Amps
AMPS is a first-generation cellular technology that uses separate frequencies, or "channels", for each conversation. It therefore requires considerable bandwidth for a large number of users. In general terms, AMPS is very similar to the older "0G" Improved Mobile Telephone Service, but uses considerably more computing power in order to select frequencies, hand off conversations to PSTN lines, and handle billing and call setup. What really separates AMPS from older systems is the "back end" call setup functionality. In AMPS, the cell centers can flexibly assign channels to handsets based on signal strength, allowing the same frequency to be re-used in various locations without interference. This allowed a larger number of phones to be supported over a geographical area. AMPS pioneers fathered the term "cellular" because of its use of small hexagonal "cells" within a system.[3][4] It suffered from some weaknesses when compared to today's digital technologies. Since it is an analog standard, it is very susceptible to static and noise and has no protection from eavesdropping using a scanner. In the 1990s, "cloning" was an epidemic that cost the industry millions of dollars. An unscrupulous eavesdropper with specialized equipment can intercept a handset's ESN (Electronic Serial Number) and MIN (Mobile Identification Number, aka the telephone number). An Electronic Serial Number is a packet of data which is sent by the handset to the cellular system for billing purposes, effectively identifying that phone on the network. The system then allows or disallows calls and or features based on its customer file. If an ESN/MIN Pair is intercepted, it could then be cloned onto a different phone and used in other areas for making calls without paying. The problem became so large that some carriers required the use of a PIN before making calls. Though cloning is still possible even with digital technologies, the cost of wireless service is so low that the problem has virtually disappeared. AMPS has been replaced by newer digital standards, such as Digital AMPS, GSM, and CDMA2000 which brought improved security as well as increased capacity. Cell phone cloning became trivial in the 90's with the use of three key elements. A radio receiver that could tune into the Reverse Channel (the frequency that the phones transmit data to the tower on), such as the famed Icom PCR-1000, a software program called Banpaia, and an easily clonable phone such as the Oki 900. By tuning the radio to the proper frequency, Banpaia would decrypt the ESN/MIN pair, and display it on the screen. The person could then input that data into the Oki 900, reboot it, and the phone network could not distinguish the Oki from the original. Eventually, the cellular companies initiated a system called RF Fingerprinting, where it could determine subtle differences in the signal of one phone from another and shut down some cloned phones. Some legitimate customers had problems with this though if they made certain modifications to their own phone, such as replacing the battery and/or antenna. The Oki 900 was the ultimate tool of cell phone hackers because it could listen in to AMPS phone calls right out of the box with no hardware modifications.
AMPS was originally standardized by ANSI as EIA/TIA/IS-3. This was later superseded by EIA/TIA-553 and TIA interim standard IS-91.
Frequency bands
AMPS cellular service operates in the 800 MHz Cellular FM band. For each market area, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed two licensee (networks) known as "A" and "B" carriers. Each carrier within a market uses a specified "block" of frequencies consisting of 21 control channels and 395 voice channels. Originally, the B (wireline) side license was usually owned by the local phone company such as a "Baby Bell" (Ameritech), and the A (non-wireline) license was made available to private companies such as Cellular One. At the inception of cellular in 1983, the FCC had granted each carrier within a market 333 channels (666 channels total). By the late 1980s, the cellular industry's subscriber base had grown into the millions across America and it became necessary to add channels for additional capacity. In 1989, the FCC granted carriers an expansion from the current 666 channels to the now 832 (416 per carrier). The additional frequency was available in the upper 800 MHz band which also was home to UHF channels 7083. This meant that these UHF channels could no longer be used for UHF TV transmission as these frequencies were to be used for AMPS transmission. The anatomy of each channel is composed of 2 frequencies. 416 of these are in the 824 849 MHz range for transmissions from mobile stations to the base stations, paired with 416 frequencies in the 869894 MHz range for transmissions from base stations to the mobile stations. Each cell site will use a subset of these channels, and must use a different set than neighboring cells to avoid interference. This significantly reduces the number of channels available at each site in real-world systems. Each AMPS channel is 30 kHz wide.
Verizon Wireless Formerly operating an AMPS network, on February 18, 2008, Verizon has discontinued all AMPS service. Now primarily operates on CDMA2000 technology. Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility operate AMPS networks in Canada, though they have since been overlaid with digital services. Both Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility have announced that they will observe the same shutdown guidelines as in the United States, and will not begin decommissioning their AMPS networks until after February 2008.[2] Alltel In 2005 disclosed that only 15% of their total customer base are still using the existing analog network. The company has posted a three phase turn down schedule, which aims to have the transition to digital complete by the end of 2008. With the recent acquisition of Western Wireless, Alltel now takes the claim
of the "largest network in America." The claim is true, oddly enough because of wide analog coverage in rural areas.
Coastel Offshore Cellular Operated an AMPS network in the Gulf of Mexico that stretched from south of Corpus Christi, TX to south of Gulf Shores, AL. In 2006 Coastel was the only carrier in the US whose entire customer base was still 100% analog based. In 2007 Coastel was merged with Petrocom and SOLA Communications to form Broadpoint Inc. and the network was converted to GSM.
[7]
Moviline (Telefnica Servicios Uno since 1971, Moviline since 1994) was the analogue service provider for the Spanish operator. Moviline has operated an ETACS 900 (mHz) network in Spain. Since 31 December 2003, the system has been closed to new users, at that time, it covered 100% of the Spanish population, but now some antennas have been given to GSM operators. The Moviline brand has been completely replaced by Movistar, the digital brand of Telefnica, since 1992. The network was completely converted to GSM and its in all Spanish territory. Movistar have a 3G network with UMTS technology, and offer services over GSM in places without 3G coverage.[8] AT&T Mobility - In areas where AT&T Mobility previously had D-AMPS operating on 1900 MHz frequencies, no analog AMPS network existed, and the D-AMPS network on the 1900 MHz frequency has been shut down. Service on the remaining 850 MHz AMPS markets was discontinued along with 850 MHz DAMPS service on February 18, 2008, except in areas where service was provided by Dobson Communications. The Dobson AMPS and TDMA networks are expected to be shut down in March of 2008