General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a new service designed for digital cellular networks. It is based on Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and will complement services such as circuit based cellular phone connections and Short Message Service (SMS). It is ideal for Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services and supports applications based on standard data protocols such as internet protocols (IP). GPRS integrates GSM and IP technologies, adding immediacy and convenience to mobile data services.

      GPRS is a service that provides actual packet radio access for GSM and time-division multiple access (TDMA) users. It utilizes packet switching technology where information is transmitted in short bursts of data over an IP based network.

      Two common methods are used for data transfer, circuit switching and packet switching. GPRS as said earlier, promotes the latter. With circuit switch transmission the dedicated circuit is first established across a sequence of links and then the whole channel is allocated to a single user for the whole duration of a call. On the other hand, packet switched transmission cuts data in to small parts called packages which are then sent in sequence to the reciever, which agains builds the packages back together like a jigsaw puzzle at the receiving end. This ensures that the same link resources can be shared at the same time by many different users and makes it ideal for traffic.

      The use of packet switch mode of transmission should cost users less than the circuit switched services. GPRS optimizes the use of radio resources so that radio resources are only needed or reserved when transferring messages or when there is data to send. So for the end user, it means you only pay for the time it takes to download or charges can be typically based on the amount of data transfered. One can stay logged on to the net or an e-mail account all the time without worrying about connection time.

      The use of GPRS should also cost the users less since communication channels are being used on a as-packets-are-needed-basis rather than being dedicated to one user at a time. In line with this, sharing the same radio resource would mean alleviating the problem of capacity. The switch to packet based connection would increase capacity time per slot and improve efficiency by multiplexing connections, resulting in an increased number of connections per carrier. Also because of the spectrum efficiency of GPRS, less cost will be attributed to network operators because there would be less need to build idle capacity that is only used in peak hours.

      With the use of packet switch transmission of data, GPRS also promises data rates from 56 up to 114 kbps and connection to the internet for mobile phone and computer users, while circuit switch trasnsmission of data was limited to about 9.6kbps. These improved rates will allow users to take part in IP based applications and services. GPRS fully enables Mobile Internet functionality by allowing internetworking between the existing Internet and GPRS networks. So services available to the Internet will be as available over mobile networks through GPRS (like chat, e-mail, file transfer, et cetera).

      Also with the said rate of data transfer, sevices are recieved faster compared to traditional GSM phones, so information retrieval and database access is faster, more usable and more convenient.

      The concept of immediacy is also featured by GPRS because it facilitates immediate connections whereby information can be sent or recieved as the need arises, subject to radio coverage. Session set up is nearly instantaneous where transmission of packets commence at .5 to 1 second; dial-up connection is no longer necessary, an instantaneous "always-on" connectivity is percieved. This means that with GPRS you can be continually connected to data networks and access different information and services.

      GPRS radio channels are also defined, so there is flexibility in allocating communication channels. This would be able to permit the user to recive voice calls simultaneously when sending or recieving data calls.

      In addition to providing all these new services mentioned, GPRS also plays an important role as a step towards third generation (3G) networks. Without the success of GPRS, 3G networks would become an unlikely reality.

The following Internet references were essential in coming up with this overview. Visit these URLS for various readings for a more thorough understanding of GPRS:

	http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci213689,00.html [Go!]
	http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/so/neso/gprs/gprs_wp.htm [Go!]
	http://keskus.hut.fi/opetus/s38118/s98/htyo/54/tech.shtml [Go!]
	http://www.mtsgsm.com/service/gprs.html [Go!]
	http://www.nokia.com/gprs/ [Go!]