CT2

CT2 is a cordless telephony standard that was used in the early nineties to provide short-range proto-mobile phone service in some countries in Europe. It is considered the precursor to the popular DECT system. CT2 is frequently referred to by the marketing name "Telepoint."

Overview

CT2 is a digital FDMA system that uses Time Division Duplexing technology to share carrier frequencies between handsets and base stations. Features [ [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/CT2 Wikipedia France on CT2] ] [Cisco's [http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/199506/msg00029.html Stephen Wolff on PHS] ] [ [http://www.dectweb.com/LearningZone/IEEE1992Article.pdf Report on Digital Cordless Networks from 1992 (Dr. Walter H. W. Tuttlebee)] ] of the system are:

* Standardized on 864-868 MHz
* 500 frames/second (alternately base station and handset)
* 100 kHz carriers
* 32 kbit/s ADPCM voice channel compression
* 10mW maximum power output
* GFSK data encoding
* Up to 100 meter (300 ft) range

Unlike DECT, CT2 was a voice-only system, though like any minimally-compressed voice system, users could deploy analog modems to transfer data. In the early nineties, Apple Computer sold a CT2 modem called the PowerBop to make use of France's Bibop CT2 network. Although CT2 is a microcellular system, fully capable of supporting handoff, unlike DECT it does not support "forward handoff", meaning that it has to drop its former radio link before establishing the subsequent one, leading to a sub-second dropout in the call during the handover.

Deployment and Usage

CT2 was deployed in a number of countries, including Britain and France. In Britain, the Ferranti Phonezone system was the first public network to go live in 1989, and the much larger Rabbit network operated from 1992 to 1993. In France, the Bibop network ran from 1991 to 1995. In Finland, Pointer service was available for a short time on the 1980s before being overridden by NMT. Outside of Europe, the system achieved a certain amount of popularity in Hong Kong with three operators offering service until licenses were terminated in 1996 [ [http://www.ofta.gov.hk/en/telecom_fact/milestones/main.html OFTA Hong Kong milestones] ] .

Typical CT2 users were sold a handset and base station which they could connect to their own home telephone system. Calls via the home base station would be routed via the home telephone line and in this configuration, the system was identical to a standard cordless phone. When in range, the user could receive incoming calls.

Once out of range of the home, the CT2 user could find signs indicating a network base station in the area, and make outgoing calls (but not receive calls) using the network base station. Base stations were located in a variety of places, including high-streets and other shopping areas, gas stations, and transportation hubs such as rail stations. In this configuration, callers would be charged a per-minute rate higher than if they made calls from home, but not as high as conventional cellular charges.

The advantages to the user were that the rates were generally lower than cellular, and that the same handset could be used at home and away from home. The disadvantages, compared to cellular, were that many networks did not deliver incoming calls to the phones (Bibop was a notable exception), and that their areas of use were more limited.

There are no known open CT2 networks still running, though CT2 phones are still used by some as cordless phones.

Similar systems

Japan's Personal Handyphone System, another system based upon microcells, is a direct analog of CT2 and has achieved a much greater level of success. PHS is a full microcellular system, with hand-off, with better range and more features.

The DECT system is CT2's successor, and also supports full microcellular service and data. However, to date DECT has been used to provide commercial mobile-phone like service only in Italy in 1997-8 (the FIDO network).

In the US, a system similar to DECT and PHS called PACS was developed but never deployed commercially.

References

Related links

*CT1
*DECT
*PHS
*GSM

*Rabbit (telecommunications)
* [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibop Wikipedia France: Bibop]

External links

* [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/pmc/consult/cordless/cordless.htm Cordless Telephony: The Future of Analogue and CT2 Cordless Telephony in the United Kingdom] , UK OFCOM plans for phasing out of CT2
* [http://exelvision.com/musee/ordis/apple/powerbop/PowerBop.htm Apple PowerBop in pictures]