“YES 2 GPRS” White Paper February 2001 www.mobileGPRS.com Contents The full GPRS report, “YES 2 GPRS” is divided into the following sections: Preface 2 Issue History 2 Key Changes in the new edition 2 1. GPRS Latest Status Update 12 Aims 14 Audience 14 Authors 14 Part 1 –GPRS Features 16 2. Key User Features of GPRS 16 Speed 16 Immediacy 16 New Applications, Better Applications 17 Service Access 17 3. Key Network Features of GPRS 18 Packet Switching 18 Spectrum Efficiency 19 Internet Aware 20 4. Limitations of GPRS 20 No Direct GPRS Mobile Terminate Support by Terminals 20 Limited Cell Capacity for all Users 21 Speeds Much Lower in Reality 22 Suboptimal Modulation 22 Transit Delays 22 No Store and Forward 23 CDMA Comparison 23 5. Mobile Lifestreams’ Rules of Nonvoice Services 23 Nonvoice First Rule 23 Nonvoice Second Rule 24 Nonvoice Third Rule 24 6. Timescales for GPRS 24 7. The Standards for GPRS 25 ETSI 25 Competition and Cooperation 26 Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 2 The Standards 27 Part 2 –GPRS Network Infrastructure 28 8. GPRS Network Nodes 28 Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 28 Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 29 Additional Changes to Enable GPRS 30 GPRS Interfaces 31 9. GPRS Call Flow 32 Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) 32 GPRS Attach and Detach 33 At the GGSN 33 At the SGSN 34 At the BSS 35 At the GPRS Mobile Station 35 10. General GPRS Network Features 36 GPRS Backbone Network Types 36 GPRS Point to Point Service Description 37 Interworking 38 Security 38 11. Specific GPRS User Features 39 Channel Coding Schemes 39 Cell Capacity Impact from GPRS 40 Quality of Service 42 Billing 44 Charging 45 12. GPRS Future Enhancements 47 Point to Multipoint Services 47 Enhanced GPRS (E-GPRS) 47 Part 3 – Comparing GPRS to Existing Nonvoice GSM Services 49 13. Comparison between GPRS and SMS 49 Destinations 50 Service Design 50 Message Length 51 Channel 51 Delivery Status 51 The Future of SMS 52 SMS Disadvantages 52 Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 3 Service Summary 53 GPRS/SMS Interconnection 54 14. Comparison between GPRS and Circuit Switched Data 56 Mobile Data Underperformance so far 56 Switching 57 Speed 58 Connection Type 59 Concurrency 60 Pricing 60 15. High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) 61 Part 4 – Comparing GPRS to other advanced GSM nonvoice services 63 16. Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) 64 17. Third Generation (3G) 66 Introduction 66 Background 66 Three Modes 67 Data 67 Migration from GPRS to 3G 68 Timescales 68 18. A Comparison Between GPRS and cdmaOne Pack Data 68 Defining the Market 69 Summary 74 19. Predictions for Success 75 Support for Standards 75 Infrastructure Vendors 75 Terminal Vendors 75 Competitors 75 Application Developers 75 Customers 76 Likelihood of Success 76 Optimal Network Migration Path 77 Part 5 – Applications 78 20. Corporate Applications 78 Job Dispatch 78 Remote Point of Sale 79 Customer Service 80 Remote Monitoring Such as Meter Reading 81 Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 4 Vehicle Positioning 84 Corporate Email 87 Remote LAN Access 89 File Transfer 89 Web Browsing 90 Document Sharing/Collaborative Working 91 Audio 91 Still Images 93 Moving Images 93 Home Automation 95 21. Consumer Applications 96 Simple Person to Person Messaging 96 Voice and Fax Mail Notifications 97 Unified Messaging 97 Internet Mail 99 Prepayment 100 Ringtones 102 Mobile Commerce 103 Affinity Programs 104 Mobile Banking 105 Chat 106 Instant Messaging 107 Information Services 109 Summary 113 22. Optimal Bearer by Application 113 23. Initial GPRS Traffic Generators 116 Part 6 – GPRS Infrastructure Vendors 117 24. GPRS Infrastructure Selection Criteria 117 Design 117 Performance and Scalability 118 Supplier Type 119 Availability and Resilience 120 Connectivity 121 Pricing 122 Local Factors 122 25. GPRS Infrastructure Suppliers 123 ALCATEL 124 Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 5 ERICSSON 128 LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES 135 MOTOROLA 138 NOKIA 141 NORTEL NETWORKS 147 SIEMENS 151 SYMMETRY COMMUNICATIONS 154 26. Comparison of GPRS Infrastructure Suppliers 156 Design 156 Contracts 157 Interfaces 157 Data 157 Airlinks 158 Acquisitions 158 27. GPRS Contracts Awarded 159 Western Europe 159 Eastern Europe 161 Middle East 162 Africa 162 Asia 162 North America 163 28. GPRS Suppliers Market Share 164 Western Europe 164 Eastern Europe 165 Middle East 165 Asia 166 North America 166 Africa 167 Global 167 29. Associated GPRS Suppliers 167 Cisco Systems 168 Part 7 – Related GPRS Elements 169 30. GPRS Devices 169 Three Classes of GPRS Mobile Stations 170 Device Types 170 Interfacing Terminal Equipment with Mobile Stations via at Commands 173 31. Towards Application Centric Devices 173 Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 6 Information Appliances 174 Nonvoice Third Rule 176 Mobile Terminal Design Trends 176 Application Centric Device Examples 177 Summary 178 32. Wireless Protocols 178 Background 178 SIM Application Toolkit 179 Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 180 Mobile Station Application Execution Environment (MExE) Significance for GPRS 183 Part 8 – Mobile Data Around the World 185 33. Mobile Data Services in the USA 185 CDMA 185 TDMA 186 Public Data Networks in the US 188 CDPD 188 34. Mobile Data Services in Japan 190 35. BT Cellnet, UK 191 36. T-Mobil Germany GPRS Questionnaire 195 37. Vodafone Airtouch, UK 197 Vodafone’s View of GPRS 197 Part 9 – Deploying GPRS 199 38. Solution Priorities 199 Terminals 199 Protocols 200 Technologies 200 Services 200 Applications 200 39. The Nonvoice Mobile Value Chain 201 Network Operators 201 Customers 202 Application Developers 202 Terminal/Infrastructure Vendors 203 IT/Mobile Channels 203 40. Nonvoice Market Segmentation 204 Consumer 205 Corporate Horizontal 205 Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 7 Corporate Vertical 205 Automation 205 41. Network Operators Guide to Maximizing Returns from GPRS 206 Choose the Right GPRS Infrastructure Supplier 206 Choose Popular Applications and Services 206 Setup a Business Partners Program 207 Remember Simplicity 207 Price Them Correctly 208 Enable all Potential Users 208 Educate and Inform Customers 209 Educate and Inform the Mobile Workers 209 42. Delivering Data Customer Service 211 43. Summary 213 44. Links to Related Internet Sites 214 Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 8 1. Key User Features of GPRS The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a new nonvoice value added service that allows information to be sent and received across a mobile telephone network. It supplements today’s Circuit Switched Data and Short Message Service. GPRS is NOT related to GPS (the Global Positioning System), a similar acronym that is often used in mobile contexts. GPRS has several unique features which can be summarized as: SPEED Theoretical maximum speeds of up to 171.2 kilobits per second (kbps) are achievable with GPRS using all eight timeslots at the same time. This is about three times as fast as the data transmission speeds possible over today’s fixed telecommunications networks and ten times as fast as current Circuit Switched Data services on GSM networks. By allowing information to be transmitted more quickly, immediately and efficiently across the mobile network, GPRS may well be a relatively less costly mobile data service compared to SMS and Circuit Switched Data. IMMEDIACY GPRS facilitates instant connections whereby information can be sent or received immediately as the need arises, subject to radio coverage. No dial-up modem connection is necessary. This is why GPRS users are sometimes referred to be as being “always connected”. Immediacy is one of the advantages of GPRS (and SMS) when compared to Circuit Switched Data. High immediacy is a very important feature for time critical applications such as remote credit card authorization where it would be unacceptable to keep the customer waiting for even thirty extra seconds. NEW APPLICATIONS, BETTER APPLICATIONS GPRS facilitates several new applications that have not previously been available over GSM networks due to the limitations in speed of Circuit Switched Data (9.6 kbps) and message length of the Short Message Service (160 characters). GPRS will fully enable the Internet applications you are used to on your desktop from web browsing to chat over the mobile network. Other new applications for GPRS, profiled later, include file transfer and home automation- the ability to remotely access and control in-house appliances and machines. SERVICE ACCESS To use GPRS, users specifically need: · a mobile phone or terminal that supports GPRS · a subscription to a mobile telephone network that supports GPRS · use of GPRS must be enabled for that user. Automatic access to the GPRS may be allowed by some mobile network operators, others will require a specific opt-in Mobile Lifestreams Limited www.mobileGPRS.com Page 9 · knowledge of how to send and/ or receive GPRS information using their specific model of mobile phone, including software and hardware configuration (this creates a customer service requirement) · a destination to send or receive information through GPRS. Whereas with SMS this was often another mobile phone, in the case of GPRS, it is likely to be an Internet address, since GPRS is designed to make the Internet fully available to mobile users for the first time. From day one, GPRS users can access any web page or other Internet applications- providing an immediate critical mass of uses. Having looked at the key user features of GPRS, lets look at the key features from a network operator perspective. 2. Key Network Features of GPRS PACKET SWITCHING GPRS involves overlaying a packet based air interface on the existing circuit switched GSM network. This gives the user an option to use a packet-based data service. To supplement a circuit switched network architecture with packet switching is quite a major upgrade.