Hello,
Searching the web I found the following BTS: http://www.haysystems.com/mobile-networks/hsl-picocell/
The System seams to be very similar to the ip.access nanoBTS. POE and Abis over IP.
Can someone roughly estimate the time needed to integrate this BTS into openBSC? The developer I have in mind already has some experience in OpenBSC.
What exactly is needed to complete this task?
The company also has a different BTS called Femtocell. The interesting thing is that they offer a "Femtocell Trial Package" for USD 7200. The trail Package include BSC Software and two BTS. I also has a Network Interface but I found nothing about the protocol used between BSC and BTS.
Regards Konrad
Hi Konrad,
On Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 04:29:36PM +0200, Konrad Meier wrote:
Searching the web I found the following BTS: http://www.haysystems.com/mobile-networks/hsl-picocell/
The System seams to be very similar to the ip.access nanoBTS. POE and Abis over IP.
Yes, on a high level it seems like it. Several of my customers have tried to buy the femtocell starter kit of the HSL femtocell throughout the last 12 months, but last time they checked (August 2010) it was still not shipping to customers.
The picocell is an even later product, so I would be surprised if that has started shipping before the femtocell.
Can someone roughly estimate the time needed to integrate this BTS into openBSC? The developer I have in mind already has some experience in OpenBSC.
It's hard to make an estimate without knowing the details. Adding basic signalling and voice call support for the nanoBTS to OpenBSC (at a time it only supported the BS-11) was done in < 1 week full time, using only a sample nanoBTS unit and packet traces between a proprietary BSC and the nanoBTS.
Factors that relate to the amount of time are largely dependent on * is there any documentation that can be used to write Open Source (NDA, ...)? * how close do they follow A-bis OML and RSL? * how is the adaption between A-bis RSL/OML and IP done? * how are the actual TCH data (voice streams) transported over IP? * do you only need GSM signalling + voice or also GPRS/EDGE data?
I would guess somewhere between 2-4 weeks, to be on the safe side.
What exactly is needed to complete this task?
Ideally there would be written documentation from the vendor on the exact protocol they use on their Abis/IP backhaul. Specifically, it is interesting to understand the questions I'm raising above.
If no documentation is available, doing packet captures between the BSC and BTS, followed by reverse engineering the protocol will be needed. My personal approach would be to simply look at the packets, try to find data that looks like TS 12.21 or TS 08.58, and then write a wireshark dissector plugin to hand-off the 12.21/08.58 data to the existing OML or RSL dissectors.
From that point on, you can write OpenBSC code to bring up the BTS by simply playing back the same messages that you have seen from the proprietary BSC.
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Harald Welte -
Konrad Meier