GPRS
GSM Glossary
GSM — GPRS
Information on GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
The GPRS (general packet radio service) is a 2.5G
add-on to GSM and other second generation cellular communications systems
that provides an always-on packet data capability.
The GPRS (general
packet radio service) is an ETSI standard that allows a
GSM or D-AMPS network to support transfer of internet protocol
(IP) packet data at air-interface transfer rates of up to
115 Kbps. This maximum data rate is typically shared among
a number of mobile terminals; it would be rare for
the whole capacity to be available to a single mobile
terminal for a long period of time. GPRS uses
the same modulation scheme (GMSK) as other GSM services. The
GPRS (general packet radio service)is allocated one or more
time division multiple acces (TDMA) slots in the same way
that these slots are allocated to circuit-switched traffic. The slots
allocated to the GPRS (general packet radio service) are
then shared by GPRS users. The capacity allocated to
the GPRS (general packet radio service) can be changed
dynamically, allowing GPRS to use capacity not currently allocated
to circuit-switched traffic. Packet data is transmitted in packet data
channels (PDCH). Each packet data channel (PDCH) occupies a single
slot in a GSM frame, in the same way as
a traffic channel. Packet data is routed to individual terminals.
GPRS defines three types of mobile station. Class A stations
support simultaneous circuit-switched and packet-switch traffic. Class B stations support
both types of traffic but not simultaneously, while Class C
stations support only one type of traffic. The GPRS
(general packet radio service)provides security services similar to those in
circuit-switched GSM. This means that security is not end-to-end, but
between the mobile terminal and the GPRS support node.
Upgrading an existing GSM network typically requires new hardware in
the base station controller (BSC) and a software upgrade to
other parts of the system.
Other topics in our resources on GSM related to GPRS include:
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