For the first time at EMF, Eventphone will be providing a DECT (cordless) telephone system for everyone to use. Bring a DECT phone with you (and the correct charger, maybe even a headset if you have one), and you can easily stay in contact with other people on site. 

For this event, Eventphone have developed a whole new all-IP PBX with up to 30 IP-based DECT antennae. Already trialled at Easterhegg in Germany, now it’s being tested on a much larger scale at EMF.

At EMF, there won’t be the long queues that you might remember from DECT systems at other hacker events. After extensive research and testing of different solutions, the new system is capable of automatic self-registration (more info in German).

A DECT phone on the EMFcamp network

Each new phone will get a random extension number assigned automatically. You can reserve your personal 4-digit extension number now by using the Eventphone registration system. Once on site, your reserved extension can be activated by dialling a token code. 

The list of compatible phones is not yet complete as this is a new system, but you can assume that most Gigaset devices will work, and other DECT phones may as well. If you have any questions, send Eventphone a tweet, and please feed back your experience with different devices directly to the POC Team or via Twitter.

Mobile phones are welcome too

But wait, there’s more! What about a mobile phone network? Can we build a GSM network? Oh yes, we can! The GSM team is working very hard to get this set up with the help of some awesome sponsors. It will be integrated with the DECT phone system so you can dial between them. 

We’ll be supplying SIM cards to all attendees thanks to Hologram.io, so don’t worry about bringing your own. You simply need an unlocked GSM handset that supports 1800MHz (possibly some 900MHz too), which covers pretty much any phone that works in Europe. Your SIM card will continue to work with Hologram’s worldwide roaming data service once you leave EMF.

Our GSM network is provided this year with the kind help of Lime Microsystems.

As our GSM network will be limited, if you’re relying on being contactable we still recommend bringing a DECT phone. Nevertheless, the GSM system should allow for some great experiments.

A GSM phone on the EMFCamp network

In addition, we will have several interesting services available via the network: If you want to build something that uses voice and/or SMS and make it available to other attendees, keep an eye on the wiki and come find us at the Badge Tent. We can find a way to connect whatever you have via an API.

Together, we are the POC (Phone Operations Centre). We’ll have a dashboard with current network status, and we’ll announce important news on Twitter.

DECT, SIP and GSM extensions can be registered now in the all new and shiny GURU3. All former GURU2 accounts from previous Eventphone events have been migrated for your convenience.

We deliver where others can’t

Mobile reception from all UK networks is pretty bad at the camp site, so you shouldn’t expect a regular mobile phone to work most of the time across most of the site. If you need to be reachable during the weekend, we’re working hard on a solution, with the help of Nexmo, where you can register a UK (or select international) incoming number to be forwarded to your DECT phone, so it’s a good idea to bring one.

We will also be allowing calls out to the public phone network to UK numbers and select international destinations - if there’s somewhere specific you need to call (and it’s not a hotbed of fraud!) then talk to us and we’ll do our best to open it up.