General Packet Radio Service

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Packet_Radio_Service

General packet radio service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data service on
the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile
communications(GSM). GPRS was originally standardized by European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in response to the earlier CDPD and i-
mode packet-switched cellular technologies. It is now maintained by the 3rd Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP). [1][2]

GPRS usage is typically charged based on volume of data transferred, contrasting

with circuit switched data, which is usually billed per minute of connection time. Usage
above the bundle cap is either charged per megabyte or disallowed.

GPRS is a best-effort service, implying variable throughput and latency that depend on
the number of other users sharing the service concurrently, as opposed to circuit
switching, where a certain quality of service (QoS) is guaranteed during the connection.
In 2G systems, GPRS provides data rates of 56–114 kbit/second. 2G cellular technology [3]

combined with GPRS is sometimes described as 2.5G, that is, a technology between the
second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate-speed
[4]

data transfer, by using unused time division multiple access (TDMA) channels in, for
example, the GSM system. GPRS is integrated into GSM Release 97 and newer
releases.

Technical overview
The GPRS core network allows 2G, 3G and WCDMA mobile networks to
transmit IP packets to external networks such as the Internet. The GPRS system is an
integrated part of the GSM network switching subsystem.

Services offered
GPRS extends the GSM Packet circuit switched data capabilities and makes the
following services possible:

 SMS messaging and broadcasting

 "Always on" internet access
 Multimedia messaging service (MMS)
 Push to talk over cellular (PoC)
 Instant messaging and presence—wireless village
 Internet applications for smart devices through wireless application
protocol (WAP)
 Point-to-point (P2P) service: inter-networking with the Internet (IP)
 Point-to-Multipoint (P2M) service : point-to-multipoint multicast and point-to-
[citation needed]

multipoint group calls

If SMS over GPRS is used, an SMS transmission speed of about 30 SMS messages per
minute may be achieved. This is much faster than using the ordinary SMS over GSM,
whose SMS transmission speed is about 6 to 10 SMS messages per minute.

Protocols supported
GPRS supports the following protocols:

 Internet protocol (IP). In practice, built-in mobile browsers use IPv4 since IPv6 was
not yet popular.
 Point-to-point protocol (PPP). In this mode PPP is often not supported by the mobile
phone operator but if the mobile is used as a modem to the connected computer,
PPP is used to tunnel IP to the phone. This allows an IP address to be assigned
dynamically (IPCP not DHCP) to the mobile equipment.
 X.25 connections. This is typically used for applications like wireless payment
terminals, although it has been removed from the standard. X.25 can still be
supported over PPP, or even over IP, but doing this requires either a network-
based router to perform encapsulation or intelligence built into the
end-device/terminal; e.g., user equipment (UE).

When TCP/IP is used, each phone can have one or more IP addresses allocated. GPRS
will store and forward the IP packets to the phone even during handover. The TCP
handles any packet loss (e.g. due to a radio noise induced pause).

Hardware
Devices supporting GPRS are divided into three classes:

Class A
Can be connected to GPRS service and GSM service (voice, SMS), using both at
the same time. Such devices are known to be available today.
Class B
Can be connected to GPRS service and GSM service (voice, SMS), but using
only one or the other at a given time. During GSM service (voice call or SMS),
GPRS service is suspended, and then resumed automatically after the GSM
service (voice call or SMS) has concluded. Most GPRS mobile devices are Class
B.
Class C
Are connected to either GPRS service or GSM service (voice, SMS). Must be
switched manually between one or the other service.

A true Class A device may be required to transmit on two different

frequencies at the same time, and thus will need two radios. To get around
this expensive requirement, a GPRS mobile may implement the dual transfer
mode (DTM) feature. A DTM-capable mobile may use simultaneous voice
and packet data, with the network coordinating to ensure that it is not
required to transmit on two different frequencies at the same time. Such
 mobiles are considered pseudo-Class A, sometimes referred to as "simple
class A". Some networks support DTM since 2007.

USB 3G/GPRS modems use a terminal-like interface over USB 1.1, 2.0 and
later, data formats V.42bis, and RFC 1144 and some models have connector
for external antenna. Modems can be added as cards (for laptops) or
external USB devices which are similar in shape and size to a computer
mouse, or nowadays more like a pendrive.

Addressing
A GPRS connection is established by reference to its access point name (APN). The
APN defines the services such as wireless application protocol(WAP) access, short
message service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), and
for Internet communication services such as email and World Wide Web access.

In order to set up a GPRS connection for a wireless modem, a user must specify an
APN, optionally a user name and password, and very rarely an IP address, all provided
by the network operator.

Coding schemes and speeds

The upload and download speeds that can be achieved in GPRS depend on a number of
factors such as:

 the number of BTS TDMA time slots assigned by the operator

 the channel encoding is used.
 the maximum capability of the mobile device expressed as a GPRS multislot
class

Multiple access schemes

The multiple access methods used in GSM with GPRS are based on frequency division
duplex (FDD) and TDMA. During a session, a user is assigned to one pair of up-link and
down-link frequency channels. This is combined with time domain statistical
multiplexing which makes it possible for several users to share the same frequency
channel. The packets have constant length, corresponding to a GSM time slot. The
down-link uses first-come first-served packet scheduling, while the up-link uses a scheme
very similar to reservation ALOHA (R-ALOHA). This means that slotted ALOHA (S-
ALOHA) is used for reservation inquiries during a contention phase, and then the actual
data is transferred using dynamic TDMA with first-come first-served.

Channel encoding
The channel encoding process in GPRS consists of two steps: first, a cyclic code is used
to add parity bits, which are also referred to as the Block Check Sequence, followed by
coding with a possibly punctured convolutional code. The Coding Schemes CS-1 to CS-
[5]

4 specify the number of parity bits generated by the cyclic code and the puncturing rate
of the convolutional code. In Coding Schemes CS-1 through CS-3, the convolutional
[5]

code is of rate 1/2, i.e. each input bit is converted into two coded bits. In Coding [5]

Schemes CS-2 and CS-3, the output of the convolutional code is punctured to achieve
the desired code rate. In Coding Scheme CS-4, no convolutional coding is applied. The
[5] [5]

following table summarises the options. Note that the bit rates do not include the overhead
incurred by channel coding and the RLC and MAC headers.

GPRS
Bit Rate Modulatio Code
Coding
(kbit/s/slot) n Rate
Scheme

CS-1 8.0 GMSK 1/2

CS-2 12.0 GMSK ≈2/3

CS-3 14.4 GMSK ≈3/4

CS-4 20.0 GMSK 1

The least robust, but fastest, coding scheme (CS-4) is available near a base transceiver
station (BTS), while the most robust coding scheme (CS-1) is used when the mobile
station (MS) is further away from a BTS.

Using the CS-4 it is possible to achieve a user speed of 20.0 kbit/s per time slot.
However, using this scheme the cell coverage is 25% of normal. CS-1 can achieve a
user speed of only 8.0 kbit/s per time slot, but has 98% of normal coverage. Newer
network equipment can adapt the transfer speed automatically depending on the mobile
location.

In addition to GPRS, there are two other GSM technologies which deliver data
services: circuit-switched data (CSD) and high-speed circuit-switched data (HSCSD). In
contrast to the shared nature of GPRS, these instead establish a dedicated circuit
(usually billed per minute). Some applications such as video calling may prefer HSCSD,
especially when there is a continuous flow of data between the endpoints.

The following table summarises some possible configurations of GPRS and circuit switched data
services.

Technolog Download TDMA Timeslots allocated

Upload (kbit/s)
y (kbit/s) (DL+UL)

CSD 9.6 9.6 1+1

HSCSD 28.8 14.4 2+1

HSCSD 43.2 14.4 3+1

20.0 (Class 8 & 10 and CS-

GPRS 80.0 4+1
4)

GPRS 60.0 40.0 (Class 10 and CS-4) 3+2

EGPRS (ED 236.8 59.2 (Class 8, 10 and MCS- 4+1

 GE) 9)

EGPRS (ED
177.6 118.4 (Class 10 and MCS-9) 3+2
GE)

Multislot Class
The multislot class determines the speed of data transfer available in
the Uplink and Downlink directions. It is a value between 1 to 45 which the network uses
to allocate radio channels in the uplink and downlink direction. Multislot class with values
greater than 31 are referred to as high multislot classes.

A multislot allocation is represented as, for example, 5+2. The first number is the number
of downlink timeslots and the second is the number of uplink timeslots allocated for use
by the mobile station. A commonly used value is class 10 for many GPRS/EGPRS
mobiles which uses a maximum of 4 timeslots in downlink direction and 2 timeslots in
uplink direction. However simultaneously a maximum number of 5 simultaneous timeslots
can be used in both uplink and downlink. The network will automatically configure the for
either 3+2 or 4+1 operation depending on the nature of data transfer.

Some high end mobiles, usually also supporting UMTS, also support
GPRS/EDGE multislot class 32. According to 3GPP TS 45.002 (Release 6), Table B.2,
mobile stations of this class support 5 timeslots in downlink and 3 timeslots in uplink with
a maximum number of 6 simultaneously used timeslots. If data traffic is concentrated in
downlink direction the network will configure the connection for 5+1 operation. When
more data is transferred in the uplink the network can at any time change the
constellation to 4+2 or 3+3. Under the best reception conditions, i.e. when the best
EDGE modulation and coding scheme can be used, 5 timeslots can carry a bandwidth of
5*59.2 kbit/s = 296 kbit/s. In uplink direction, 3 timeslots can carry a bandwidth of 3*59.2
kbit/s = 177.6 kbit/s.
[6]