View source for Osmocom

{{Short description|Telecommunication software}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Osmocom
| logo                   = osmocom_logo.svg
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| author                 = [[Harald Welte]]
| developer              = Osmocom open source community
| released               = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} -->
| discontinued           = <!-- Set to yes if software is discontinued, otherwise omit. -->
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| repo                   = {{URL|git.osmocom.org}}
| programming language   = [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]]
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| genre                  = Telecommunication software
| license                = [[Affero GPLv3]] for all cellular software, [[GPLv2|GPLv2+]] for some remaining software (libosmocore, OsmoPCU, OsmoSTP, OsmoGGSN)<ref>{{cite web |title=Software Licensing |url=https://osmocom.org/projects/cellular-infrastructure/wiki/SoftwareLicensing |website=Osmocom.org |access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref>
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| website                = {{URL|osmocom.org}}
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'''Osmocom''' ('''open source mobile communications''') is an [[open-source software]] project that implements multiple mobile communication standards, including [[GSM]], [[Digital enhanced cordless telecommunications|DECT]], [[Terrestrial Trunked Radio|TETRA]] and others.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Open Source Mobile Communications|url=https://osmocom.org/|website=osmocom.org|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref>
== History and usage ==
[[File:BS11 BTS.JPG|thumb|right|Siemens BS11 BTS]]
In 2008 [[Harald Welte]] and [[Dieter Spaar]] experimented with a [[base transceiver station]] from [[Siemens]] that was [[End-of-life (product)|end-of-life]] and implemented the BSC side of the A-bis protocol, which eventually turned into OpenBSC. After attracting more interest, support for other BTS models was added.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=http://ftp.osmocom.org/docs/latest/osmobsc-usermanual.pdf|title=OsmoBSC User Manual}}</ref> The first release of the OpenBSC project took place at the 25th [[Chaos Communication Congress]] held in December 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|title=25C3: Running your own GSM network|url=https://fahrplan.events.ccc.de/congress/2008/Fahrplan/events/3007.en.html|date=2009-01-10|website=fahrplan.events.ccc.de|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>
In the following years, the software has been used at various [[hacker con]]s such as the Chaos Communication Congress, [[Chaos Communication Camp]] and [[Electromagnetic Field (festival)|Electromagnetic Field]] to provide a [[cellular network]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=GSM Phone Network At EMF Camp Built On Raspberry Pi And LimeSDR|url=https://hackaday.com/2018/08/30/gsm-phone-network-at-emf-camp-built-on-raspberry-pi-and-limesdr/|last=By|date=2018-08-30|website=Hackaday|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=CCCamp: 5,000 Hackers Out Standing In Their Field|url=https://hackaday.com/2019/08/30/cccamp-5000-hackers-out-standing-in-their-field/|last=By|date=2019-08-30|website=Hackaday|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=33C3: Hackerkongress endet mit Humba-Täterä im explodierenden Bällebad|url=https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/33C3-Hackerkongress-endet-mit-Humba-Taeterae-im-explodierenden-Baellebad-3583271.html|website=heise online|date=31 December 2016 |language=de|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref>
In 2010, a telephone-side implementation of the GSM stack was developed, named OsmocomBB. Together with OpenBSC, these projects became part of the new Osmocom umbrella project.<ref name=":1" />
The Sysmocom [[GmbH]] company was founded by Welte and Holger Freyther<ref>{{Cite web|title=SysmoBTS: Harald Weltes Sysmocom verkauft freie GSM-Basisstation - Golem.de|url=https://www.golem.de/news/sysmobts-harald-weltes-sysmocom-verkauft-freie-gsm-basisstation-1205-91914.html|access-date=2020-06-29|website=www.golem.de|language=de-DE}}</ref> in 2011 to provide commercial support.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About sysmocom background and company culture|url=https://sysmocom.de/about2/index.html|last=sysmocom|date=2016-02-28|website=sysmocom.de|language=en|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Sysmocom - Cellular Network Infrastructure - Open Source Mobile Communications|url=https://osmocom.org/projects/cellular-infrastructure/wiki/Sysmocom|website=osmocom.org|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>
Since 2018 Osmocom software and Sysmocom hardware has been used in [[Villa Talea de Castro]] in [[Mexico]] to provide a cellular network to around 3500 people.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Am Rande des Funklochs|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/handyempfang-am-rande-des-funklochs-1.3826448|last=Herrmann|first=Boris|website=Süddeutsche.de|date=15 January 2018 |language=de|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=In defense of the right to communication (DeutscheWelle original video)|url=https://vimeo.com/363361602|website=Vimeo|language=en|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>
Osmocom software has been used in research projects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bosma|first1=Jeffrey|last2=Soeurt|first2=Joris|title=Eavesdropping on and decrypting of GSMcommunication using readily available low-costhardware and free open-source software in practice|url=https://www.os3.nl/_media/2016-2017/courses/ot/jeffrey_joris.pdf|journal=University of Amsterdam|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=2018-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021222244/https://www.os3.nl/_media/2016-2017/courses/ot/jeffrey_joris.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://osmocom.org/projects/baseband/wiki/ProjectRationale|title = ProjectRationale - OsmocomBB - Open Source Mobile Communications}}</ref>
== Projects ==
=== OpenBSC ===
OpenBSC was a project to develop a [[free software]] implementation of [[GSM]] protocol stack and elements. It runs on Linux and requires an E1 interface (ISDN [[Primary Rate Interface]], via [[mISDN]]). It is written in C and licensed using the GPL (≥v2) license.
The first version implemented the GSM specification 21.12 and 08.5x, and worked for a specific Base Transceiver Station (Siemens BS11 MicroBTS).
OpenBSC implemented several [[Mobile Switching Center|MSC]] components, including the A-bis protocol (the protocol between the [[Base transceiver station|BTS]] and the [[Base station controller|BSC]]), [[Authentication Center|AUC]], [[Home Location Register|HLR]], [[Visitor Location Register|VLR]] (both using [[SQL]] tables), and a [[Short Message Service|SMS]] Switching Center. OpenBSC can be accessed using [[telnet]].
OpenBSC supported the following BTS devices:
* Siemens BS11 (microBTS) (E1 Primary Rate interface)
* ip.access nano BTS (PoE-interface)
OpenBSC is now considered legacy and the features have been split into different projects: OsmoBSC, OsmoMSC and OsmoHLR.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Overview - OpenBSC - Open Source Mobile Communications|url=https://osmocom.org/projects/openbsc|website=osmocom.org|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>
=== SDR ===
[[RTL-SDR|rtl-sdr]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=RTL-SDR: Seven Years Later|url=https://hackaday.com/2019/07/31/rtl-sdr-seven-years-later/|last=By|date=2019-07-31|website=Hackaday|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> was discovered by Steve Markgraf, who also created osmo-fl2k for radio transmissions. These projects deprecated the use of OsmoSDR.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RTL-SDR: Seven Years Later|url=https://hackaday.com/2019/07/31/rtl-sdr-seven-years-later/#comment-6169016|last=Markgraf|first=Steve|date=2019-07-31|website=Hackaday|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>
=== OsmoTETRA ===
The OsmoTETRA project implements the TETRA protocol.<ref>{{Cite web|title=TETRA-Digitalfunk für jedermann|url=https://www.heise.de/security/meldung/TETRA-Digitalfunk-fuer-jedermann-1253092.html|website=[[Heise Online]]|date=June 2011 |language=de|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Digitaler Behördenfunk: Hacker arbeiten an freier TETRA-Implementierung - Golem.de|url=https://www.golem.de/1101/80600.html|website=www.golem.de|language=de-DE|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=OsmocomTETRA - OsmocomTETRA - Open Source Mobile Communications|url=https://osmocom.org/projects/tetra/wiki/OsmocomTETRA|website=osmocom.org|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref> Osmo-tetra implements the lower layer of the protocol.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Osmo-tetra - OsmocomTETRA - Open Source Mobile Communications|url=https://osmocom.org/projects/tetra/wiki/Osmo-tetra|website=osmocom.org|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref> Some conducted research revealed that some government traffic is not properly secured.<ref name=":0" />
=== OsmocomBB ===
OsmocomBB  is a free firmware for the [[baseband processor]] of mobile phones which handles the encoding and radio communication of both voice and data. OsmocomBB is the only existing free implementation of baseband firmware, excluding failed projects like TSM30 from [[The Hackers Choice|THC]] and MadOS.<ref name="ars technica">{{cite thesis|type=M.Sc.|last=Pönsgen|first=François|date=2015|page=5|title=GSM and GPRS Security Using OsmocomBB|publisher=Norwegian University of Science and Technology|url=https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2352780/13286_FULLTEXT.pdf|access-date=2017-05-04}}</ref>
[[File:Motorola C123 OsmocomBB.jpg|thumb|Motorola C123 with Calypso chipset running the OsmocomBB [https://osmocom.org/projects/baseband/wiki/Rssibin RSSI application] in Spectrum view mode]]
OsmocomBB implements the GSM [[protocol stack]]'s three lowest [[OSI model|OSI]] Layers of the client side GSM protocol and [[device driver]]s. The protocol layers forming the kernel exists on the baseband processor, typically consisting of an [[ARM architecture|ARM]] processor and a [[digital signal processor]].[[File:Motorola C139 LCD screen glare.jpg|thumb|Motorola C139, a model compatible with OsmocomBB]]
It has support for the Calypso chipset produced by [[Texas Instruments]].<ref>Cooper, T. A. (2012). ''[http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32401 Integration of Open-Source GSM Networks]'' (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech).</ref>
[[Karsten Nohl]] has extended OsmocomBB to be able to detect [[IMSI-catcher|IMSI catchers]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=GSM-Hacking: Osmocom-Patch entdeckt stille SMS und Abhöraktionen - Golem.de|url=https://www.golem.de/1112/88680.html|access-date=2020-06-29|website=www.golem.de|language=de-DE}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[OpenBTS]], FOSS project for implementing a BTS using [[GNU Radio]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://osmocom.org/ Official website]
{{Mobile telecommunications standards}}
[[Category:Free communication software]]
[[Category:Software using the GPL license]]
[[Category:Telecommunications]]
[[Category:Software using the GNU AGPL license]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C++]]