From: "Ed Durrant" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
Message-ID: <49F0D21B.9010900@durrant.mine.nu>
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:39:55 +1000
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To: OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
Subject: Re: [OS2Wireless] Cell phone as dial-up modem
References: <list-2441016@2rosenthals.com>
In-Reply-To: <list-2441016@2rosenthals.com>
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Ray Davison wrote:
> What if anything is available to get a cell phone to act as a dial-up 
> modem?  OS/2 would be nice but I will settle for Win.
>
> I did this on my previous laptop with the help of Cingular.  I had the 
> choice of paying by the byte or just treating it like an ordinary 
> phone call and just being charged minutes.  I chose minutes.
>
> I had not done it for a while, had to replace the laptop, Cingular has 
> become AT&T, who now tells me I can't do that any more.  They now 
> insist on a separate data plan which is not cost effective for 
> occasional use.
>
> On the desktop I can get free dial-up from several ISPs.  If I can get 
> the OS to treat a cell phone as a modem I should be able to do it with 
> a laptop.
>
> Ray
>
Apparently in the US, there is a general agreement from all Mobile phone 
service providers not to allow what they call "tethering" - they allow 
the phone - be it 3G, Edge or CDMA to browse the Internet from the 
handset itself but for some strange reason want to stop you using the 
phone as a modem for your laptop, instead they want you to buy an extra 
USB connected modem and an additional plan to  be able to use your 
laptop on their mobile service.

 I guess they have the mobiles modified in some way to stop this or 
perhaps the service can tell in some way, but it's not a technical 
problem, rather a deliberate block put in by these companies.

I don't know if all of the mobile companies do this (but I think so) in 
any case not all companies cover all areas, so its down to whoever is 
available in your area. You may be able to change to another provider 
and be able to tether but then you might have to change phone as well 
because they may use a different technology - e.g. Edge rather than GSM 
etc.!

We are a lot luckier here in Australia, there is competition. At least 
in Metro areas all phone companies compete and all allow you to use your 
phone as a modem. Generally the use of a USB modem gives higher speeds 
but using the phone is possible at speeds between 384K and 1.5Mb/s (the 
USB modem theoretically gives up to 7Mb/s or in some trials up to 13Mb/s 
but generally 2-3 Mb/s is the maximum you can get and that's when close 
to the mobile tower. Of course for all of these options we pay a lot 
more here in Australia than you do in the US.

Here's my article on one tethered phone from a few years back:

http://www.os2voice.org/VNL/past_issues/VNL0606H/feature_1.html

Cheers/2

Ed.