Re: Augmenting mobile-broadband-provider-info

["Mark Haack" <Mark Haack werk55 de>]

Hi
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marcel Holtmann" <marcel holtmann org>
To: "Antti Kaijanmäki" <antti kaijanmaki nomovok com>
Cc: <networkmanager-list gnome org>
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 10:30 AM
Subject: Re: Augmenting mobile-broadband-provider-info


> Hi Antti,
>
> > > > Do you mean the international dial code like +1 for the US, etc?  We
> > > > could do this.
> > >
> > > Yes, that's what I mean.
> > >
> > > > At least in the case of the timezone db, I think there's better 
> > > > places
> > > > to put that.  I realize not all platforms use glibc, but I have to
> > > > believe that even if you don't, there's going to be some 
> > > > timezone/locale
> > > > information already on the system that it would be a shame to 
> > > > duplicate.
> > >
> > > Ok, I agree with that. Could we at least add countries and provider's
> > > that do not necessarily offer mobile broadband but just telephony? A
> > > mapping from MCC MNC to country and provider name can be helpful in
> > > various ways.
> >
> > I agree. This would turn m-b-p-i into cellular-provider-info.
> >
> >
> > When we are now talking about augmenting, I would like to make some
> > proposals also. I would like to have optional network-name field added
> > to gsm section. Virtual providers use same parent networks with same
> > mcc/mnc pairs and there's no way telling them a part. Here's an example
> > with two Finnish operators which both operate on DNA network:
> >
> > DNA:
> > at+cops=0,2
> > at+cops?
> > +COPS: 0,2,"24412",2
> >
> > GoMobile:
> > at+cops=0,2
> > at+cops?
> > +COPS: 0,2,"24412",2
> >
> > Fortunately each provider conveniently happens to claim they "own" the
> > network they are operating in:
> >
> > DNA:
> > at+cops=0,0
> > at+cops?
> > +COPS: 0,0,"dna",2
> >
> > GoMobile:
> > at+cops=0,0
> > at+cops?
> > +COPS: 0,0,"go.mobile",2
> >
> > We can use this long alphabetical format of the network to identify the
> > virtual providers from each other:
> >
> >         <provider>
> >                 <name>Dna</name>
> >                 <gsm>
> >                         <network-name>dna</network-name>
> >                         <network-id mcc="244" mnc="12"/>
> >
> >                         <apn value="internet">
> >                                 <dns>217.78.192.22</dns>
> >                                 <dns>217.78.192.78</dns>
> >                         </apn>
> >                 </gsm>
> >         </provider>
> >         <provider>
> >                 <name>GoMobile</name>
> >                 <gsm>
> >                         <network-name>go.mobile</network-name>
> >                         <network-id mcc="244" mnc="12"/>
> >
> >                         <apn value="internet.gomobile.fi">
> >                                 <dns>217.78.192.22</dns>
> >                                 <dns>217.78.192.78</dns>
> >                         </apn>
> >                 </gsm>
> >         </provider>
> >
> > This allows us to automatically select the correct provider.
> >
> > Any thoughts?
>
> you can't trust the network name string returned by AT+COPS since there
> are so many factors coming into play here. So first of all you have the
> names stored in the modem itself, then the names stored on the SIM card
> and then the potential updates over the network. Every hardware does
> different things to present the result of AT+COPS.
>
> And to make it even more complex, in case of roaming situations some
> devices actually to weird concat of home network and current network.

To blow on the fire, in  (if I remember right) i.e. US Cingular there is a 
technical roaming without actual charge, because the subnets belong to each 
other. Which means on technical level there is roaming, which is reported by 
+creg, but it is not the right business logic, which belongs to the user 
domain.
In old times there was in free Roaming from O2 to D1 in Germany, I guess it 
is a common model for small PLMNs.

Today there are a lot of so called MVNOs which sells SIM under their own 
brand. You can´t figure out the real name from PLMN-number. On some device 
i.e. Option Wireless, you can query for that branded operator name, but its 
a "hidden" function (from the host interface) of the SIM.

Best pratice is to use a model/proxy which utilizes the numeric plmn from 
+cops and the roaming indicator +creg plus a host based database which can 
handle
all the tricky network and/op device dependant stuff. The device 
dependencies can be handled normally beside the plmn db in the AT-based 
communication stack.

best regards
Mark



> Regards
>
> Marcel
>
>
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