Products > Shields > GSM Shield
Power requirements
It is recommended that the board be powered with an external power supply that can provide between 700mA and 1000mA. Powering an Arduino and the GSM shield from a USB connection is not recommended, as USB cannot provide the required current for when the modem is in heavy use.
The modem can pull up to 2A of current at peak usage, which can occur during data transmission. This current is provided through the large orange capacitor on the board's surface.