The General Packet Radio Service, GPRS, adds a packet-switched layer to existing GSM mobile networks. Packet-switching allows many users to share the same (potentially fast) connection.
This makes sense for ‘bursty’ applications such as web browsing or massaging, where the connection lies idle for most of the time, waiting for the user to request a new page or check for email. When the user needs to send or receive data, thought, they potentially have the entire network resources at their disposal, and therefore perceive fast access.
As every network user knows, the more people who are connected at one time, the slower the overall experience. That said, packet-switching in an efficient way for networks to share limited resources and potentially gives the user a faster experience with bursty applications. Indeed, packet-switching is the principle behind every Ethernet and broadband network, not to mention the entire backbone of the Internet.
So in the first instance, GPRS offers potentially faster mobile data speeds than we’re used to today. More importantly though, packet-switching allows a completely different pricing model, where you’re charged by data used, not time spent online. Consequently sending 1 MB over GPRS will cost you the same whether it takes five minutes or five hours. This certainly makes for a much more relaxing online experience.
Better still, the nature of packet-switching means once you’ve made the initial connection to the network, you can remain connected to it all day long, with no charge unless data is exchanged. This eliminates the tedious dialup and negotiating process which can take up to 30 seconds on a mobile, and even the initial connection is much faster. Since you’re permanently connected to the Internet, previously impractical applications such as instant massaging also become possible.
So while the performance of GPRS may very depending on network demand, you’ll still only be charged for data used, and can remain permanently connected to the Internet in a mobile environment.
Recent Comments