Hi,
After receiving my gorgeous Anritsu MD8470A (TEA alert!), I am actually using it for the intended application: learning about Mobile Communications.
Actually, it amazes me how little I know about how mobile phones and their network work. Also, it is interesting that there seems to be very little information around.
Considering that this is probably the #1 electronics/computing/telehony/radio application worldwide, I definitely want to better understand how it works.
And here is the first obstacle:
With GSM (2G), I can use any active SIM card to connect to my test mobile network. If the provider of the SIM does not match the one I configured on my device, the mobile phone will show me the roaming symbol. This is easy to understand, it works, all OK. I have some basic experience with SIM cards: did the cloning, used FUN-Smartcards with the SimEmu v6.1 software, etc.
But trying to use WCDMA (3G), the SIM cards will not work, because a USIM card is expected. But I cannot use i.e. my own USIM card from my regular phone, because with WCDMA the communication is encrypted betweeb BOTH the mobile phone and mobile network. For this to work, the mobile network needs to "know" the USIM card's secret key (sorry if that is not the corrrect designation - remember I am still learning). Of course, I don't know this secret key of my official USIM card and it is protected against hacking attempts to extract it.
This means I cannot use the MD8470A with WCDMA!
I need a TEST USIM card. These TEST USIM cards have preconfigured provider ID's (001/01) and known secret keys, which are pre-configured on the test equipment. Each manufacturer apparently uses a slightly different test configuration, hence your TEST USIM card needs to match the test equipment: R&S CMU200/CRTU, Agilent, Anritsu, etc. Unless you know the contents of the card and set the test equipment accordingly.
Now the big question: how to obtain a TEST USIM card? Hardly from the manufacturer of the test equipment...
So, as usual, eBay is your friend and I found many listed TEST USIM cards. Unfortunatly the item description does not inspire too much confidence, as they seem to randomly list the supported test equipment (like: title says CMU200 and description mentions Anritsu). I ordered one such card from what seemed the most probable match. Waiting for it to arrive.
But meanwhile I found that there is one guy selling a kit with programmer, software and BLANK USIM cards! Yes, you can actually program them yourself! Unfortunately the kit is a bit expensive (around 80 Euro + risk of having to pay customs). The programmer itself is easily obtainable in EU for 30 Euro and each blank card can be bought for 2-4 Euro. The software is what makes it more expensive. I accept that, software deserves payment, of course.
My questions are:
1) Has anyone tried these kits? Do they work?
2) WHY would someone buy a kit to program blank USIM cards? I would want such a kit to play with my MD8470A, but that is not a serious application. Is there a way to CLONE USIM cards? Is that the reason for this kit? If so, I would buy it immediatly: I used to have many clones of my own SIM card, so that I could swap phones without having to switch the SIM card over. I wish I had the same for my current USIM (I actually have 2, which is the maximum the provider hands out).
Any comment is welcome! I know I sound nerdish, but then, this is why most hand around in the Test Equipment forum, right?
Reminds me of Douglas Adams: "A nerd is someone who uses a telephone to talk to other people about telephones."
Regards,
Vitor