Category: Autonomous Internet

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OpenBTS GSM Simplified — Freeing Humanity

Advanced Cyber/IO, Autonomous Internet, Civil Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Hacking, Mobile, Real Time, Tools
OpenBTS at BurningMan

OpenBTS is an open-source Unix application that uses the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) to present a GSM air interface (“Um”) to standard GSM handset and uses the Asterisk® software PBX to connect calls. The combination of the ubiquitous GSM air interface with VoIP backhaul could form the basis of a new type of cellular network that could be deployed and operated at substantially lower cost than existing technologies in greenfields in the developing world.

In plain language, we are working on a new kind of cellular network that can be installed and operated at about 1/10 the cost of current technologies, but that will still be compatible with most of the handsets that are already in the market. This technology can also be used in private network applications (wireless PBX, rapid deployment, etc.) at much lower cost and complexity than conventional cellular.

OpenBTS Official Photo

Project News (Last Updated 17 January 2011)

Kestrel Signal Processing OpenBTS Page with Links

OpenBTS YouTube Short Videos (Just Over 30)

Phi Beta Iota: This is as close to “world-changing” as it gets.  Neither Microsoft nor the cellular providers–nor the governments whose people stand to gain the most (but whose corrupt politicians prefer the status quo)–want to surf this wave, they would rather fight it.  If there were ONE social networking initiative that is guaranteed to change the world for the better, this is the one.  In our always humble opinion.

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OpenBTS at Burning Man: Best Full Story

Advanced Cyber/IO, Autonomous Internet, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Historic Contributions, Mobile, Real Time, Tools

Burning Man's open source cell phone system could help save the world

Solar-powered OpenBTS systems costs pennies a day and operates in the farthest outreaches of Earth.

By Julie Bort, Network World
August 30, 2010 02:47 PM ET

Today I bring you a story that has it all: a solar-powered, low-cost, open source cellular network that's revolutionizing coverage in underprivileged and off-grid spots. It uses VoIP yet works with existing cell phones. It has pedigreed founders. Best of all, it is part of the sex, drugs and art collectively known as Burning Man. Where do you want me to begin?

The Open Source Subnet
Cell towers that blend vs. those that offend

“We make GSM look like a wireless access point. We make it that simple,” describes one of the project's three founders, Glenn Edens.

The technology starts with the “they-said-it-couldn't-be-done” open source software, OpenBTS. OpenBTS is built on Linux and distributed via the AGPLv3 license. When used with a software-defined radio such as the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP), it presents a GSM air interface (“Um”) to any standard GSM cell phone, with no modification whatsoever required of the phone. It uses open source Asterisk VoIP software as the PBX to connect calls, though it can be used with other soft switches, too. (More stats in a minute that I promise will blow away your inner network engineer.)

Direct to Source (If Still Up); Full Story Back-Up Copy Below This Line

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OpenMoko, OpenBTS, Free Your Phone & Humanity

11 Society, Advanced Cyber/IO, Autonomous Internet, Collaboration Zones, Communities of Practice, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, IO Technologies, Mobile

Openmoko™ – Open. Mobile. Free.

Openmoko™ is a project dedicated to delivering mobile phones with an open source software stack. Openmoko was earlier more directly associated with Openmoko Inc, but is nowadays a gathering of people with the shared goal of “Free Your Phone”. Distributors are currently selling updated versions of the Openmoko Inc's phone released in 2008, Neo FreeRunner, to advanced users, while the software stack for FreeRunner and future free phones is being developed by the community.

Burning Man's open source cell phone system could help save the world

Solar-powered OpenBTS systems costs pennies a day and operates in the farthest outreaches of Earth.

By Julie Bort, Network World
August 30, 2010 02:47 PM ET

Today I bring you a story that has it all: a solar-powered, low-cost, open source cellular network that's revolutionizing coverage in underprivileged and off-grid spots. It uses VoIP yet works with existing cell phones. It has pedigreed founders. Best of all, it is part of the sex, drugs and art collectively known as Burning Man. Where do you want me to begin?

The Open Source Subnet
Cell towers that blend vs. those that offend

“We make GSM look like a wireless access point. We make it that simple,” describes one of the project's three founders, Glenn Edens.

Read rest of article….

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Internet and Revolution–Three Insights

Advanced Cyber/IO, Autonomous Internet, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Technologies
Click on Image to Enlarge

In Egypt, a Facebook page administrator known only by the handle El Shaheeed, or Martyr, is one of the driving forces behind the historic protests. Mike Giglio tracks down the mysterious figure, who talks about his crucial role in organizing the demonstrations.

Iran’s Green Revolution had a martyr named Neda, a 26-year-old woman gunned down in the streets of Tehran. Tunisia’s was Mohamed Bouazizi, an unemployed university graduate who set himself ablaze outside a government building. Egypt’s is Khaled Said—because someone has been agitating under the dead man’s name.

Read rest of article with interview….

Click on Image to Enlarge

A scientist at the network security company Arbor Networks has used data from 80 Internet service providers around the world to create an image of the Internet block in Egypt.

The graphic, which was compiled using anonymous traffic engineering statistics, shows traffic to and from Egypt dropping sharply around 5:20 p.m. ET. As of about three hours ago, traffic has not picked back up.

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Assisi, Egypt, US Hypocrisy, Global Revolution

About the Idea, Advanced Cyber/IO, Analysis, Autonomous Internet, Collective Intelligence, Collective Intelligence, Communities of Practice, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Ethics, InfoOps (IO), Intelligence (government), International Aid, Journalism/Free-Press/Censorship, Key Players, Methods & Process, microfinancing, Mobile, Officers Call, Open Government, Peace Intelligence, Policies, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Real Time, Reform, Strategy, Threats, Waste (materials, food, etc)

This is the one link to share if you wish to have a consolidated view on these topics.  The Tiny URL for this consolidated posting is http://www.tinyurl.com/Assisi-Egypt-USA.

Phi Beta Iota: Egypt is a lever for the Assisi Peace Summit.

1)  Against dictators and corruption, inter-faith dialog and coordinated action is HAPPENING.

2)  The connected young are the antidote to radical violent Islamic fundamentalism.

3)  Muslim demographics must be understood by all Catholics and Protestants

4)  The Church can be a central force for Open Spectrum, Open Source Software, Open Source Intelligence, and Open Society–imagine, in a revolution, all churches and mosques as sources of wireless solar and wind-powered information that cannot be shut down, that collaborate to avoid inter-faith violence and promote non-violent “presence” in the streets to overturn the 44 dictators and demand the withdrawal of all foreign military forces….

5)  Revolutions are no longer national–the diasphoras matter–the global presence of the Church matters from local to national.

6)  The hypocrisy of the USA is now fully revealed–Barack Obama made 500 promises to the American people he has not fulfilled, and he dares to suggest to anyone that they honor their promises?  It is time for the Church to recognize that the people are the sovereign power, not governments, and that the Church can profit much more from a free people creating wealth than from absolving corruption by governments and corporations and crime families.

7)  Liberation Theology is back–it must be elevated by the Most Holy Father NOW.

2012 is not the year of apocalypse, it is the year of awakening when the meek inherit the earth.  The time between now and Assisi and from Assisi on is strategically priceless, in our collective view.

Below the line:

On Assisi Peace Summit and Inter-Faith Intelligence (7 Links)

On Egypt as Awakening (14 Links)

On Revolution in & Hypocrisy of USA (10 Links)

Direct to the Core Revolution References (8 Links)

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OpenBTS Egypt — Need to Flesh Out OpenBTS USA

Autonomous Internet

OpenBTS Egypt

simplifing the GSM network architecture

Worth a look. Activists and concerned citizens in the USA should be ramping up ham radio as well as OpenBTS and OpenMoney.  Facebook credits might be an intermediate solution.  As we saw in relation to Wikileaks with Amazon, MasterCard, and PayPal, corporations cannot be trusted to honor their contracts in the face of the slightest pressure and without a court order and the US Government is perfectly capable of shutting down the Internet without a court order.  US activists should plan a “dead hand” response to any shutdown, i.e. into the streets, burning tires, non-violence, and general strike until all public systems are restored.

See Also:

Reference: OpenBTS Open Access Cellular Ham Hack

Journal: Unlicensed Spectrum Open for Super Wi-Fi

Continue reading “OpenBTS Egypt — Need to Flesh Out OpenBTS USA”