[Ovmsdev] AT&T to Terminate 2G on Dec 31, 2016

[Mark Webb-Johnson]

But, what am I gonna do with my original iPhone !!!!

They 'leaked' this a couple of years ago: http://blog.gsmarena.com/att-will-discontinue-its-2g-service-in-2017-you-probably-wont-notice/

Not much of an issue for the smartphone/phone market, but a huge issue for M2M users. Alarm companies, Internet-of-Everything companies, and others like us. That 2G spectrum is valuable, and I can understand that from AT&Ts point of view they'll drop the 1% to handle the 99% (even if the 1% is millions of subscribers). Short-term, others will be happy to take up those subscribers, but long-term 2G spectrum will die and be reused.

From an OVMS point of view, we have been looking at 2 replacement options:
SIM5218
SIM5320

Our factory prefers the SIM5320 because it is exactly the same form factor as our current SIM908. The issue is that the SIM908 is a quad-band device, that has frequencies covering pretty much all the world. When we move to 3G, there are so many frequencies that one device can't cover them all (4G is even worse). With a soldered-on device, we're going to have to produce OVMS for North America, OVMS for Europe, OVMS for Asia, etc. A pain in the neck. So, we're also looking at a plug-in form factor (such as the SIM5218 - even though it is slightly more expensive). The SIM5218 is also tri-band, vs dual-band for SIM5320, so we can get away with fewer options. The plug-in form factor would also give us the option of having a standard base board (with CAN, power, connectors, etc), but the modem being optional. The only negative I see is that the GPS comes with the modem, so an optional modem means an optional GPS - not so good for a lot of the cars we support. That said, the most expensive part of the modem is the cellular plan, and that wouldn't have to be purchased if we are just using the GPS. I would love it if these guys would stick to one plugin form factor (so we could just swap-out the modem for 2G->3G->4G->nG).

Regards, Mark.

On 18 Jun, 2014, at 12:00 am, Tom Saxton <tom at idleloop.com> wrote:

> According to Nissan:
> 
> "AT&T has announced that on December 31, 2016, AT&T will terminate 2G
> network availability."
> 
> https://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/features/disclaimers.html
> 
> This will kill Carwings on the Leaf, as well as current OVMS hardware
> running on AT&T.
> 
> Perhaps T-Mobile will keep running 2G in the US? In my experience,
> T-Mobile's coverage isn't as good as AT&T's.
> 
>   Tom
> 
> 
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