 - General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is a packet-based wireless communication service that promises data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates allow users to take part in video conferences and interact with multimedia Web sites and similar applications using mobile handheld devices as well as notebook computers. GPRS is based on Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and complements existing services such circuit-switched cellular phone connections and the Short Message Service (SMS).
In theory, GPRS packet-based services cost users less than circuit-switched services since communication channels are being used on a shared-use, as-packets-are-needed basis rather than dedicated to only one user at a time. It is also easier to make applications available to mobile users because the faster data rate means that middleware currently needed to adapt applications to the slower speed of wireless systems are no longer be needed. As GPRS has become more widely available, along with other 2.5G and 3G services, mobile users of virtual private networks (VPNs) have been able to access the private network continuously over wireless rather than through a rooted dial-up connection.
GPRS also complements Bluetooth, a standard for replacing wired connections between devices with wireless radio connections. In addition to the Internet Protocol (IP), GPRS supports X.25, a packet-based protocol that is used mainly in Europe. GPRS is an evolutionary step toward Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telephone Service (UMTS).
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Learn more about WiMAX, 3G and Wireless Broadband |
| WiMAX tutorial: This tutorial explains WiMAX technology, applications and terminology. It also provides an overview of WiMAX services, performance, security and devices. |
| 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G: 3G wireless overview and history lesson. |
| Definitions: CDMA, TDMA and GSM: Definitions: CDMA, TDMA and GSM |
| 3G wireless: The long and winding road: In this tip, Lisa Phifer sorts out the cellular alphabet soup and looks at the complex history behind today's 3G wireless. |
| Mobile and Wireless Protocols: This Mobile and Wireless Protocols Guide explains the various mobile protocols and offers tips and advice for selecting and using them in your organization. |
| WiMax or LTE: Which is the future of wireless?: 4G wireless vendors are developing a competitive marketplace for the future by choosing two different technologies -- WiMax and LTE. |
| Using 3G phones for laptop Internet access: Learn how to use a 3G phone for laptop Internet access. |
| CDMA2000: A 3G mobile technology: CDMA2000 is a 3G mobile technology that includes 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev 0, EV-DO Rev A and EV-DO Rev B, and it competes with GSM technologies. |
| CDMA technology: An understanding of CDMA technology is critical for mobile managers when they are trying to select the best cellular solution for their enterprise mobile strategy. |
| Mobile Radio Systems: This chapter is an intro to the various mobile radio systems. It provides a foundation for comparing competing mobile radio access systems for supporting mobile broadband services. |
| WiMAX tutorial: This tutorial explains WiMAX technology, applications and terminology. It also provides an overview of WiMAX services, performance, security and devices. |
| Smartphone user review: Apple iPhone 3G: After much anticipation, Apple released its updated iPhone on Friday, offering a device that operates on a 3G network. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
17 Oct 2008
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