The
General Packet Radio System (GPRS) is a new service that provides actual packet
radio access for mobile Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Time-Division
Multiple Access (TDMA) users. The main benefits of GPRS are that it reserves radio
resources only when there is data to send and it reduces reliance on traditional
circuit-switched network elements. The increased functionality of GPRS will decrease
the incremental cost to provide data services, an occurrence that will, in turn,
increase the penetration of data services among consumer and business users. In
addition, GPRS will allow improved quality of data services as measured in terms
of reliability, response time, and features supported. The
unique applications that will be developed with GPRS will appeal to a broad base
of mobile subscribers and allow operators to differentiate their services. These
new services will increase capacity requirements on the radio and base-station
subsystem resources. One method GPRS uses to alleviate the capacity impacts is
sharing the same radio resource among all mobile stations in a cell, providing
effective use of the scarce resources. In addition, new core network elements
will be deployed to support the high burst ness of data services more efficiently.The
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a new non voice value added service that
allows information to be sent and received across a mobile telephone network.
It supplements today's Circuit Switched Data and Short Message Service. GPRS is
NOT related to GPS (the Global Positioning System), a similar acronym that is
often used in mobile contexts.In
addition to providing new services for today's mobile user, GPRS is important
as a migration step toward third-generation (3G) networks. GPRS will allow network
operators to implement a IP-based core architecture for data applications, which
will continue to be used and expanded upon for 3G services for integrated voice
and data applications. In addition, GPRS will prove a testing and
development area for new services and applications, which will also be used in
the development of 3G services.In addition to the GPRS timeline, it is necessary
to investigate the 3G deployment timeline.
