| Now fully revised and updated throughout, GSM, GPRS and EDGE Performance continues to provide a complete overview of the entire GSM system. It presents comprehensive descriptions of GSM’s main evolutionary milestones – GPRS, AMR and EDGE and explains how such developments have positioned GERAN (GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network) as a full 3G radio standard. For the first time in one volume, the radio network performance and capabilities of GSM, GPRS, AMR and EDGE solutions are studied in-depth by using revealing simulations and field trials. This volume explains how cellular operators can roll out new 3G technologies capable of delivering wireless Internet based multimedia services in a competitive and cost-effective way.
The wireless market has experienced a phenomenal growth since the first secondgeneration (2G) digital cellular networks, based on global system for mobile communications (GSM) technology, were introduced in the early 1990s. Since then, GSM has become the dominant global 2G radio access standard. Almost 80% of today’s new subscriptions take place in one of the more than 460 cellular networks that use GSM technology. This growth has taken place simultaneously with the large experienced expansion of access to the Internet and its related multimedia services.
Cellular operators now face the challenge to evolve their networks to efficiently support the forecasted demand of wireless Internet-based multimedia services. In order to do this, they need to perform a rapid technology evolution rolling out new third-generation (3G) radio access technologies, capable of delivering such services in a competitive and costeffective way. There are multiple recognised 3G technologies, which can be summarised into two main 3G evolution paths. The first one to be conceived and developed, and the more widely supported, is UMTS multi-radio (universal mobile telecommunications system), and the second one is cdma2000. |