Completely disable GSM

Can I completely remove GSM from XA2 or X10? No emergency calls, no calls/phone/mobile network etc.? Completely remove drivers and support. To have a WLAN device only. Is that possible? if yes, how? I’d really appreciate any help. Thanks a lot.
Flo

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many jurisdictions mandate that any mobile must be able to make an emergency call, regardless if it has a sim or not, sim locked to an operator with out coverage where you are. so this request would probably be illegal, and put Jolla in some legal difficulties, if they implemented it.

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But is this a ‘request’ to Jolla?, it is posted in the general section.

Sounds more like the OP is making a general enquiry more aimed at users rather than devs?

@apozaf - you might start by looking at mcetool where the different ‘radios’ can be switched off.

Radio states:
    Master:                      enabled (Online)
    Cellular:                    enabled
    WLAN:                        enabled
    Bluetooth:                   disabled
    NFC:                         disabled
    FM transmitter:              disabled

I’m not sure how this might work, it does seem that cellular cannot be disabled, but I haven’t really played much to really say. My device is a Sony Xperia 10ii

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It’s not a request to Jolla but to users. It cannot be illegal making a small tablet or ebook reader without GSM out of your device.
Some years ago I was able to delete all cellular related stuff from a mediatec SoC device.
I don’t want cellular disabled (emergency calls and tracking still work), I want it completely uninstalled.

How confusing; your question title says “completely disable”, but your last comment says “completely uninstalled”.

sorry. def:! completely disable = uninstall

lol, no SIM card brings zero privacy. Still can be triangulated, IMSI catched etc.
I want to get rid of the fu…ng baseband.

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Would be interesting to hear you expand on that.
I realize IMSI Catcher isn’t a word that means what it says, but the IMSI is per definition contained on your SIM.
Come to think of it, i can’t readily think of how the network would even be able to individually address the phone, since all such identities are on SIM and sort of downstream from the IMSI.

Nice tinfoil hat :slight_smile:

Network can address the phone either by IMSI (SIM card) or the phone’s IMEI. I heard from a friend some time ago, that in China is searched for stolen phones by scanning for the IMEI of the stolen phone. Then, the stolen phone rings every few minutes, called from the network by IMEI, independent from the SIM cards IMSI or phone number, so that it is unuseable for the thief.
But a thief has to insert his own SIM card into the stolen phone, otherwise he can’t use the phone.
So I think, no SIM card + no emergency call → no connection to any network → no scanning or bearing by triangulation…

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That’s BS.
IMEI is a NAS level thing, handled (optionally afaik) well into registering with the network.

Phones can and should be looked up by it if stolen. It is a disgrace we don’t do that more here.
However; i can only see that working with a SIM in it.
So as you say yourself; not much that can happen without a SIM (and having registered with the network) or ongoing (outgoing!) emergency call.

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regarding @apozaf 's problem: what about flashing SFOS on some Android tablet, that has no 2G 3G 4G 5G module in it? I read about people who ‘root’ and modify their Android tablets, so isn’t it possible to install SFOS on such a tablet? I would also like to do so, simply to have a bigger screen and not to have to use Android.
So my question: Is this possible? and what have I to do for this? Does anybody know?

You need to port Sailfish to that device and I wish you a lot of luck and success with your project! :smiley:

You clearly have no idea how cellular phones and networks work! :wink:

HINT : Your IMEI number = Similar if not the same as a MAC address of your (W)LAN NIC :stuck_out_tongue:

That’s not possible because the low level stuff is entirely handled by the SOC. Even Jolla can’t modify the SOC’s firmware since it is contained in digitally signed BLOBs. If there are separate antennas for cellular and WiFi, you could remove the antenna for cellular but I doubt it, because the frequency ranges are too close.

No, just 10 years experience. :clown_face:

But we have the following these days :

  • Hardware switches that disable it like the Librem 5 and PinePhone64 have.
  • SoC’s that don’t even have a integrated modem!
    It’s a seperate chip connected to the SoC and at the moment most 5G phones are made like that.

So if you remove/disable/edit all the code that enables and use them, perhaps in the firmware part of the phone, then there has to be some kind of option to disable it ?!

I know plenty of “experienced” cases like you (if it’s actually true anyway…) who have no idea what they are actually doing after 10 years so just admit you said something stupid and move on… :roll_eyes:

Oh, personal attacks are so cute.
I’m calling your ignorance right here and now.

IMEI is a static “burned in” id much like a MAC, but unlike a MAC address it has nothing whatsoever to do with addressing.

Thankfully the specs are open, so you could just point me to where IMEI is used in paging (or any other addressing for that matter).

4G/LTE: https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/136300_136399/136331/15.03.00_60/ts_136331v150300p.pdf
5G/NR: https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/138300_138399/138331/15.03.00_60/ts_138331v150300p.pdf

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Hi attah
yeah, you may be right with IMSI, then my bad, but I don’t think you are. I’m not a tinfoilhatguy. I was watching a video from a CCC congress called “your baseband is watching you” and there was an example where they spied a university teacher because of a word he used in his teaching, and other sick examples. The baseband is the master, with access to everything. And it works the same without a SIM. That’s a fact, no matter if you have 10 years experience or not. Some guys from CCC are not stupid either.
My question was if I can uninstall support, nothing more. The reason is: I don’t need it and I don’t want to have it, that’s all. No need to frame me a conspiricy tinfoil guy.
https://media.ccc.de/v/CC16_-109-__-sub_lounge-201605211815-your_baseband_is_watching_you-_dan

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That’s not true.
I’ve done it with the Cosmo Communicator with the help of the community.
And the 630 SoC has been reverse enginered.

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I’ll re-watch the talk, thanks for the tip. Those guys are awesome.
My point was not to say that this is beyond all technical possibilities (malicious code especially included). But as i can’t see the network even being capable of facilitating it, i am genuinely interested in how it could work.
The SIM basically just identity and key storage, so technically a modem alone indeed has all the capability, but without an identity everything falls apart.

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The Question is: A phone, bootet without a SIM card, scans the band for available base stations (towers, networks) for the case of emergency call - in a receive mode. But does it send anything without someone doing an emergency call?