On Mon, Dec 09, 2013 at 06:32:18PM -0500, dan@geer.org wrote:
GSM firmware is still not open-source though (as that would make phone not suitable for legal usage in USA)
I lightly consulted with an operator and all he/she could offer was "Does Alexey mean the source to A5?" so I'll have to ask what it is that cannot be legally used in the U.S.? Anybody can implement and then open source any of the GSM standards (other than the crypto) so far as I know.
I believe that there's no law or regulation preventing anyone from writing open source implementations of GSM in the US. However there definitely are regulations preventing the sale or operation of unlicensed intentional emitters, and the FCC definitely cares about the GSM bands. Getting a license for an open source implementation of GSM would likely be a large expense, which AFAIK no open source implementor has even started to try to undertake. There is also federal law prohibiting the sale of equipment which can intercept wireless telephony communications. Many scanners have filters or programming/configuration jumpers which prevent reception of the specific frequencies covered by the law. Depending on the reading and the zealousness of the prosecutor, such a law might be seen to be relevant to an open source GSM platform. -andy