# Range Networks

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Range Networks Industry Telecommunications Founded 2011 Headquarters San Francisco, CA, USA Key people Bob Fultz (VP of Products), Pedro Rump (VP of Engineering), Harvind Samra (Co-Founder and CTO) Products RapidCell 5150 Series Development Kit Number of employees 30+ Website http://rangenetworks.com/

**Range Networks, Inc.** is a U.S. company that provides open-source software products used to operate cellular networks. Founded in 2011, Range Networks is headquartered in [San Francisco, CA](/source/San_Francisco), with satellite offices worldwide.

## History

In 2007 David Burgess and Harvind Samra created [OpenBTS](/source/OpenBTS), subsequently releasing the source code to the public to provide cellular service to people in rural and remote regions.

In 2010 the founders incorporated as Range Networks to commercialize [OpenBTS](/source/OpenBTS) based products and deploy networks worldwide. Range Networks deployments can now be found on all seven continents including [Antarctica](/source/Antarctica).

In December, 2010 the company raised $12 million from Gray Ghost Ventures and [Omidyar Network](/source/Omidyar_Network).

## Technology

Range Networks is a provider of U.S.-made commercial [open source](/source/Open_source) cellular systems. Using a combination of Range Networks hardware and software, network operators can build networks in which traditional [GSM](/source/GSM) handsets are treated as virtual [SIP](/source/Session_Initiation_Protocol) endpoints.[1] The company supports 2G, 2.5G and 3G [GSM](/source/GSM) systems.[2]

## OpenBTS Project

The [OpenBTS](/source/OpenBTS) Project, an [open source](/source/Open-source_software) software defined radio implementation of the [GSM](/source/GSM) (Global System for Mobile communications) radio access network that presents normal [GSM](/source/GSM) handsets as virtual SIP endpoints, was developed and is maintained by Range Networks. Range Networks produces proprietary software packages releasing their source code mostly under the [GNU AGPL](/source/GNU_AGPL) while holding copyright under single commercial entity selling commercial licenses, support and hardware.

In August 2013, Range Networks announced the release of an update to [OpenBTS](/source/OpenBTS), providing developers with the ability to incorporate Internet access through a [packet-oriented](/source/Packet-oriented) [mobile data service](/source/Mobile_data_service) known as [General Packet Radio Service](/source/General_Packet_Radio_Service) (GPRS).[3]

## Deployments

Range Networks has worked with university and research groups to deploy cellular networks in rural regions around the world.

[Indonesia](/source/Indonesia): Partnering with [UC Berkeley](/source/UC_Berkeley)’s Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER) research group a cellular network was established in [Papua](/source/Papua_(province)), [Indonesia](/source/Indonesia).[4] In mid-2012 a wireless Internet service provider in rural [Papua](/source/Papua_(province)) contacted the TIER group about setting up a low power [GSM](/source/GSM) base station in a remote village in the Central Highlands of [Papua](/source/Papua_(province)). The village now has both voice and global [SMS](/source/SMS) service and the network is profitable for local service providers.[5]

[Zambia](/source/Zambia): In collaboration with the [UC Santa Barbara](/source/UC_Santa_Barbara)’s Mobility Management and Networking Laboratory (Moment Lab) a cellular network was deployed to study the economic feasibility of bringing cellular networks to remote regions.[6] The deployment of the network provided the remote village of [Macha](/source/Macha) in [Zambia](/source/Zambia) with the capability of making and receiving calls and sending and receiving local [SMS](/source/SMS) messages.[7] The network also allowed for outgoing global calls and outgoing global [SMS](/source/SMS) text messages on a trial basis.[8]

[Mexico](/source/Mexico): Through a partnership with non-profit organization Rhizomatica [9] a cellular network was established in [Oaxaca, Mexico](/source/Oaxaca). Covering a village of approximately 2500 residents, where traditional cellular service was previously non-existent, the network is now serving over 450 residents who are able to make local and global calls and send text messages.[10] Today, the community has its own cellular infrastructure, including billing and management of the network on their own.[11][12][13]

[Antarctica](/source/Antarctica): The [Australian Antarctic Division](/source/Australian_Antarctic_Division) (AAD), a division of the Australian Governments Department of the Environment and Energy has used Range Networks software to provide GSM services to its four research stations.[14] The system is currently installed and operational at Casey, Davis and Mawson Stations in Antarctica as well as the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island station.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Range Networks Offers SIP-based Wireless Access Network"](http://www.telecompetitor.com/range-networks-offers-sip-based-wireless-access-network/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Range Networks: Low cost for rural networks"](http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20130402/networks/range-networks/#). April 2, 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["LXer: Linux News"](http://www.mobiletechnews.com/info/2013/08/20/140422.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [TIER website](http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100620194630/http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu/) 2010-06-20 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["HetNet News: Range networks integrates its open-source equipment; new Firetide CEO"](http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20130520/infrastructure-2/hetnet-news-range-networks-integrates-open-source-equipment-new-firetide-ceo/). May 20, 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["MOMENT Lab | UC Santa Barbara"](http://moment.cs.ucsb.edu/). Moment.cs.ucsb.edu. Retrieved August 13, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Mobil system](https://web.archive.org/web/20150915005718/http://cs.ucsb.edu/~mariya/docs/mobisys254-zheleva.pdf)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Experimental Zambian network explores economic benefits of rural communications - CIO.de"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130824185002/http://www.cio.de/news/cio_worldnews/2013/2923028/). Archived from [the original](http://www.cio.de/news/cio_worldnews/2013/2923028/) on August 24, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["rhizomatica"](http://rhizomatica.org/). rhizomatica. Retrieved August 13, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Agencia EFE"](https://efe.com/). *EFE Noticias*. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [\[1\]](https://archive.today/20130917060729/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=223120336&ft=1&f=)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Archived at [Ghostarchive](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211208/4g1Na3SecHY) and the [Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/web/20140523114451/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g1Na3SecHY): [*Independent Cell Networks Springing up in Rural Mexico*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g1Na3SecHY). *[YouTube](/source/YouTube)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Mexico sees its first open-source village cellphone network"](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/16/mexico-sees-its-first-village-cellphone-network/2821643). *[USA Today](/source/USA_Today)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Australian Antarctic Program"](http://www.antarctica.gov.au/). Antarctica.gov.au. Retrieved August 13, 2022.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Range Networks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_Networks) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_Networks?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.