How is an ID assigned to a cellular operator?

[magnetra]

My cell phone operator id is CC 429 NC 01. How is this ID assigned? In general, how is an ID assigned to a cellular operator ?

M

 

[artem]

Cellular Network ID

if not wrong your phone can display 3 types of messages:
- could be custom from SIM card
- translated by phone software taking mobile country code and mobile network code broadcasted by base station
(i suppose this information is taken by phone manufactorers from gsm organisation and if operator is new its name wont be displayed on old phones, but combination of what you have seen, also this depends from phone to phone)
- display other messages sent by base stations on common signalling channels on air interface .

What is displayed could be MCC and MNC - if you own phone from the operator you see this info when working from this operator network - these numbers should match fisrt 5 digits of imsi number of your sim card.

 

[gied]

Cellular Network ID

Hi,

according to hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_country_codes
your country is Nepal. There are international standard organisations that assign country code (or MCC). In early days of GSM in europe it was ETSI. Nowadays it must be ITU, but I am not sure. You have to check 3gpp.org, that is responsable for all UMTS and GSM standards now.

The Network code (or MNC) is usually given by telecom regulator or governement of respective country.

If the question is how does the phone know the MCC and MNC of a certain operator, the answer would be that each base station in the network is constantly transmitting broadcast channels (BCH or BCCH), that carry that information.

And as Artem says first 5 digits of the sim card number or (IMSI) are MCC+MNC. However the IMSI is kept inside the sim card, and the number you see written on the card itself has nothing to do with IMSI

 

[artem]

Cellular Network ID

well, i just guessed, but we can check whether i am right or not ):

magnetra, is SIM card from Nepal based operator ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_country_codes

 

[magnetra]

Re: Cellular Network ID

Yes, my SIM is from Nepal based operator.
Here is a very useful link,
https://www.numberingplans.com/?page=analysis

M