This article continues our discussion of 3G mobile systems, started in the previous issue of Magti magazine. As we mentioned previously, the second half of 2000 would see the launch of the GPRS (General Packet Radio System).

We would like to draw your attention to the GPRS system and explain the significance that it may well acquire for you as our customers. We hope the GPRS system and the mobile internet will soon become as popular as the GSM system or internet access  via a PC.

We will try to avoid difficult technical terms, which will tell little to our reader and just say that the GPRS system is a means of high speed data exchange for GSM subscribers. Such a definition certainly does not give a clear view of the peculiarities and advantages of this new technology  so a clearer explanation is given below.
Why was it necessary to create a new system? When the GSM standard was initially designed (this was in 1982 and was mainly intended for establishing mobile voice communication with customers), it was impossible to imagine that in a couple of decades we would face such an increased demand for data transfer via a mobile means of communication. Currently the GSM data transfer system is purely a symbolic feature based on the SMS (Short Message System) and the 9.6 KBps speed of data exchange, allowing subscribers to receive e-mail and fax. Today the speed of data transfer that is available fails to meet customer demand therefore making the data exchange system completely inappropriate. Such shortcomings are the reason why some operators of mobile networks (our company included) have avoided activating data transfer systems under such inadequate conditions.

 Unlike other mobile standards (which suffer similar drawbacks) GSM managed to overcome the speed problem, which was a serious drag on the development of GSM in particular and telecommunications technologies on the whole.

 GPRS has become a real solution to the problem. It allows GSM operators to consolidate their position in the modern telecommunications market in the sector of data transfer. The initial development of GPRS, which began in 1994 and was completed by the end of 1998, involved no more than a description of the standard. It was only later that manufacturers began to develop a real model of the system. In such a competitive market many prominent companies, such as Nokia, Lucent, Alcatel, Ericsson and Motorola,  have been involved in the designing of the system. Today GPRS trial equipment is used by many GSM operators, though none of them has started using the new system commercially. Although migration to new technology needs high investment (for some operators even the initial stage of such a process will need dozens of millions of dollars), a number of operators intend to effect commercial launch of this new technology quite soon.

GPRS has the advantage of avoiding the necessity of using a new frequency band with the new technology, thus making the migration process quite smooth. For its part, GPRS is at the intermediate stage of the implementation of 3G technologies. These technologies will be fully developed in a few years and will operate on a 2MHz frequency.

Meanwhile GPRS is undergoing testing in a number of  well-known companies. (see chart)

Such an incomplete list means that dozens of companies have already started using trial versions of GPRS, and their number is constantly increasing.
The maximum speed for data transfer using GPRS is 115 Kbps, which is much higher than the 9.6 Kbps available today or the speed of data transfer via landlines, which in Georgia is currently lower than in a number of developed European countries.

We have focused your attention on the high speed achievable using GPRS, though of no less significance is the fact that GPRS subscribers can also transfer data in the OnLine mode, which allows them to avoid delays in receiving and sending information. When activating a mobile or entering a service area, customers are automatically assigned a personal IP address allowing them to effect a real-time exchange of information with other systems. A PC that provides internet access via a GPRS mobile also offers an On-Line mode. There is no need to pay any fee for keeping the line busy until a real exchange of information starts, which is why customers find the system so attractive and convenient.

One more innovation of  the GPRS system is a new payment principle in sharp contrast to the existing payment rules for the usage of a mobile service. GSM subscribers are accustomed to paying charges in proportion to airtime used, which creates a certain amount of inconvenience when exchanging data via a mobile. Under such conditions customers will probably use their mobiles to access the internet only in extreme circumstances. The situation in Georgia is similar: one hour of internet access via a mobile increases the subscribers charge to the mobile operator by GEL 17 plus an additional GEL 2 due to the internet provider.
Taking such inconveniences into account, the system of payment for GPRS usage will henceforth be based on a different principle: customers will pay according to the volume of information exchanged instead of paying for airtime usage. Such a system of payment is extremely convenient for customers.

New Types of Services which may Emerge from GPRS

In addition to access to the internet and e-mail, the GPRS system allows the development of a number of new services. Development of some of these services in Georgia will become possible via  a mobile network due to the unavailability of a high speed fixed network. This will be promoted by a GPRS billing system which is preferential and much more acceptable. E-Commerce may be considered another new type of service, and its rapid development has aroused keen interest in the European Union. As for Mobile Commerce, it will become much more of a reality as a part of 3G technologies based as it will be on  the availability of access to the internet via mobile phones.

We trust it will be of  interest if we tell you a few words about the latest types of GPRS mobiles currently known only to our customers in the form of prototypes. Real GPRS handsets should have been seen by only a few people for the simple reason that they are produced in small parcels. There is a distant resemblance between an ordinary mobile and a GPRS one, the latter having  a much larger display  (a significant element in new technologies, intended to receive a wide range of data, including short messages or multimedia information). One of the GPRS models, equipped with a built-in HTML browser, was on show at one of the latest Motorola exhibitions (such phones were so rare at the time that most of the Motorola employees had not even seen them). Such a browser allows users to view web-pages by means of a similar PC program. Another addition to this phone which we would like to emphasize is a feature which allows you to use a special "pencil" on the display to write text, which will simultaneously be input into the phone. We believe such a feature will be quite convenient for exchanging  messages.
We have not dwelt on the difficulties and problems which usually accompany the construction, development and implementation of new technologies. The main point here is that an important step has been taken in the sphere of 3G technologies and into making them a reality. As a result, all of us can anticipate the pleasure to be brought about by these major changes.
 

Levan Buchukuri

Director of Marketing,
Customer Care and Strategic Planning
MAGTICOM