Road To 3-G

GPRS DRIVING WAP ON THE ROAD TO

3G

ABSRTACT
Mobile telephony allowed us to talk on the move. The Internet turned raw
data into helpful services that people found easy to use. Now, these two
technologies are converging to create third generation mobile services. In simple
terms, third generation (3G) services combine high-speed mobile access with
Internet Protocol (IP)-based services. But this doesn’t just mean fast mobile
connection to the world wide web. Rather, it means whole new ways to
communicate, access information, conduct business, learn, and be entertained --
liberated from slow, cumbersome equipment and immovable points of access.
Mobile computing is being heralded as the new “killer app” for the Internet.
While 3G hasn’t arrived yet 2.5G is here! The technologies at the forefront
of 2.5G push are GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), EDGE (Enhanced Data
rates for Global Evolution.), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access),
and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol).
On the road to 3G, we shall have an insight into the blossoming of
3G from 2G, the technologies involved, & their areas of application.. GRPS and
WAP are definite stepping-stones on 3G wireless networks. Separately their
improvements are useful upgrades and together they are a significant departure
from 2G systems. A gradual transition and user acceptance for 3G could be a
reality.

WAP G
 GPRS DRIVING WAP ON THE ROAD TO
3G

INTRODUCTION

Imagine having a combined camera, video camera, computer, stereo, and radio
included in your mobile phone! It's possible with 3G, the future of wireless
communications. We will soon have high-speed access to a host of mobile multimedia
services.
With access to any service anywhere, anytime, from one terminal, the old
boundaries between communication, information, media, and entertainment will
disappear. Services will truly converge.
"Mobility" will be offered with many services that we currently regard as "fixed"
-- indeed, Ericsson believes that mobility will become the norm for many communication
services. We’ll be able to make video calls to the office and surf the Net simultaneously,
or play interactive games with friends at home -- wherever we may be. But 3G is not just
about applications that require high-speed data rates. It’s about convenience and speed of
access.
 The following table gives an overview of wireless generations from 1G of 3G :

TECHNOLOGY FEATURES

First-generation AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone -Analog voice service

wireless Service - No data service

Second- CDMA Call Division Multiple - Digital voice service

generation Access - 9.6K to 14.4K bit/sec.
wireless TDMA Time Division Multiple - CDMA, TDMA and PDC offer
Access one-way data transmissions only
GSM Global System for Mobile - Enhanced calling features like
 Communications caller ID
PDC Personal Digital Cellular - No always-on data connection

Third- W-CDMA Wide band Code - Superior voice quality

generation Division Multiple Access - Up to 2M bit/sec. always-on data
wireless CDMA-2000 Based on the - Broadband data services like
Interim Standard-95 CDMA video and multimedia
standard - Enhanced roaming

While 3G has not arrived yet what the industry calls 2.5G is here! The term 2.5G
is an ad hoc term for migratory technologies bridging the gap towards 3G. While one
cannot expect to see real time streaming video on the cell phone soon, 2.5G technologies
will enable e-mail management, web browsing and m-commerce (mobile commerce). We
will look at two complimentary technologies viz., GPRS and WAP, at the forefront of
2.5G push…………

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)

It is a packet switched wireless protocol for global system for mobile
communications (GSM) that mirrors the Internet model and enables seamless transition
towards 3G networks. It transmits IP packets very efficiently allowing profitable services
to be marketed at attractive tariffs. Hence it is an excellent platform for wireless data
services and applications. It permits burst transmission speeds of up to 115 Kbit/s
(theoretically upto even 171 Kbit/s). It is the first transport mode to allow full instant
Internet access and is an enabler for a wide range of applications. In this sense it truly
may pave the way for UMTS (Universal Mode Telecommunication Service ), a 3G
service. As both are packet based technologies, GPRS will be widely installed by
operators as a step in the evolution towards the UMTS world.
It works as an overlay data packet network on top of its underlying circuit
switched global system for mobile communications (GSM) radio network which is the
prevailing mobile standard in Europe and most of Asia Pacific region. However it is also
designed to work on TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) standard used by many
mobile vendors in North America.

 Features :
Several features of 3G wireless networking are delivered by GPRS:
Its main features can be categorized from user perspective and networking perspective.

• User features :
The real advantage of GPRS is that it provides an ‘ALWAYS – ON’ connection
between mobile terminal and the network. ‘Always – on’ does not mean that there is
always a steady stream data connection; It just means that, because data packets can be
transmitted almost immediately i.e., instant IP connectivity, there is no costly connection
time. Many current 2G information services require a data connection over voice line. As
a result, users are charged by the minute for data services. This would not be necessary
with GPRS.
SPEED is main advantage over existing networks. Using all 8 TDMA time slots
in radio interface, a maximum speeds of upto 171.2 Kbit/s are possible, that’s about 3
times faster than 56K modem and about 10 times faster CSD(Circuit Switched Data)
transfers currently used.
HIGHER BANDWIDTH enables applications such as low quality video
monitoring or music download.

• Network features :
Packet switching replaces the circuit switched transfer mechanism of GSM. Just
like data transfers over internet, GPRS splits information into separate related data
packets that are transmitted and reassembled at the termination. This allows the operators
to implement IP (Internet Protocol) based infrastructure for tomorrows 3G voice and data
applications.
SPECTRUM is used efficiently because GPRS resources are only allocated when
there is actual data transfer , thus sharing the same limited radio resource among all
mobile devices in a cell which frees up idle bandwidth that would have otherwise been
wasted.

 Working of GPRS :
Since the main goal of GPRS is to provide an intermediate step towards 3G, it
needs to be both straightforward so that it can deploy on existing systems and also
provide a logical upgrade path to 3G. However it is very important to note that GPRS
signaling and data transfer does not in fact travel through GSM networks. The GSM
network is only contacted for table look up in Location Registers so that GPRS can find
user profiles on the existing network.

MOBILE PUBLID
TERMINAL INTERNET

GPRS NETWORKING Firewal

GPRS
encryption
RADIO Secure GPT OPERATOR
ACCESS terminal IP
NETWORK NETWORK
(GSM) Firewal
GRPS
NETWORK

The radio spectrum in the bands 890-915 MHz for the uplink (mobile station to
base station) and 935-960 MHz for the downlink has been reserved in Europe some
regions in Asia Pacific for mobile networks. At least 10 MHz in each band was reserved
explicitly for GSM. This 2x25 MHz spectrum is divided into 200 kHz carrier frequencies
using FDMA. One or more carrier frequencies are assigned to individual base stations,
and each carrier is divided into eight time slots using TDMA. Groups of eight
consecutive time slots form TDMA frames, with a duration of 4.615 ms. A transmission
 channel occupies one time slot position within a TDMA frame. TDMA frames of a
particular carrier frequency are numbered, and both the mobile station and the base
station are synchronized on this number. Larger frames are formed from groups of 26 and
51 TDMA frames (there are also larger groups), and position within such frames defines
the type and function of a channel. GPRS sends packetized air traffic over one to eight
time slots using time division multiple access. This can be shared with other users. The
receiver takes these packets and sends them over public land mobile networks using IP
backbones. The packets can then be rooted like any other IP datagram, onto other public
data networks like the internet.
(We will see what is packet-switching mode in the latter sessions of this paper.)

 GPRS network nodes :

Since existing network nodes use circuit switch technology, they cannot handle
packet traffic. Base stations for instance, would have to be upgraded to include packet
control units, mobility management, and security features. In addition to deploy GPRS on
GSM, two kinds of network nodes are needed :

1) Serving GPRS support node (SGSN) :

• Delivers packets to mobile stations within service area
• Detects new GPRS mobile stations
• Queries home location register to get user profile data
• Keeps track of mobile stations.

2) Gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) :

• Interfaces with external IP networks
• Maintains routing information used to tunnel packets to the right SGSN.
• One GGSN serves many SGSNs.
 GPRS PROTOCOL LAYERING

GMM/SM GMM/SM
LLC Relay LLC
RLC RLC BSSGP BSSGP
MAC MAC Network Service Network Service
GSM RF GSM RF L1 bis L1 bis

Um GB
MS BSS SGSN

♦ GMM/SM:

The Session Management layer supports context handling of packets to allow transparent
data transport. The GPRS Mobility Management (GMM) sub layer supports the mobility
of user terminals by keeping track of location and managing moves to other cells.

♦ LLC :

The Logical Link Control provides packet data transfer between MS (Mobile Station) and
SGSN. It also manages retransmission.

♦ RLC :

The Radio Link Control tailers the packets i.e., size etc. for the needs of digital radio
transmission.

♦ MAC :
The Medium Access Control utilizes the resources of physical radio interface below it to
send the packets.
♦ GSMRF :
This physical interface can use one to eight TDMA time slots to transfer information at
the rate of 171.2 Kbit/s.
The other side of the link through base station system include :

♦ BSSGP :
The Base Station System GPRS Protocol transports between a BSS and a SGSN.

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol )

The internet and mobility are main drivers behind our economy. One comprises the
world’s biggest library while the other represents the natural way of working the
untethered way. WAP the defacto standard brings them together enabling anywhere
anytime access to information from any device over any network. It is essentially a
browsing protocol, specifically for mobile devices.
The idea behind WAP is to take a client server approach with emphasis on the server
doing most of the work.. It is designed to deliver content in optimal format for display on
thin client devices such as mobile phones, This is done by using a small micro browser
on the mobile phone that requires only minimal resources.
Its main feature is that it does not depend on any one specific underlying transport
standards which means that WAP complaint services and applications run over all
network types, both current and future.

 How does WAP work ?

The mechanism behind WAP communications is fairly simple comparable to IP.

WAP vs. IP
 Internet WAP
HTML JavaScript Wireless Application Environment (WAE)
Wireless Session Protocol (WSP)
HTTP
Wireless Transport Protocol (WTP)
TLS – SSL Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS)
TCP/IP Wireless Datagram User Datagram
UDP/IP Protocol (WDP) Protocol (UDP)

To send or retrieve data, the micro browser on a WAP capable phone initiates the
following events:

1) The browser makes a request in WML (Wireless Markup Language).

The WML is derived from HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).
This is specifically designed for mobile data transfer and mobile screen
display.
2) The request is passed to WAP gateway which has an access to internet
ant retrieves the requested information from the server.
3) Requested data is then sent back to mobile micro browser from the
WAP gateway.
THE WAP MODEL

CLIENT WAP Gateway WEB Server

CGI
WML WML Scrip
Encode t
WML r Etc.
WSP/W
Script HTTP
TP WML
Script
compiler
WTAI WAP AND GPRS A GOOD MATCH
content
Protocol
WAP has taken off rapidly andAdapter
looks set to get mobile data revolution. Users are
Etc.
currently accessing mobile portals using circuit switched data links which indicates the
high value they place on the content. Thus when the same content over GPRS the user
experience will be enhanced. To become practical and useful WAP needs precisely those
upgrades that GPRS provides. GPRS is very efficient medium and it consumes far less air
resources. Therefore the result is that operator cost for WAP over GPRS services are
significantly lower than with WAP over CSD.

 Packet Switching vs. Circuit Switching :

Circuit Switching was designed for voice communication. It creates temporary
dedicated links well suited for this type of communication. But, it less well suited for data
and other non-conversational transmissions which tend to be bursty meaning that data
comes in spurts with idle gaps between them. When these links are used, the line is often
idle and its facilities wasted. Multiplexing improves line utilization but is only minimally
effective unless transmission is predictable and every user is transmitting at same rate.
Second weakness is its data rate. A CS link creates the equivalent of a single cable
between two devices and thereby assumes single data rate for both devices.
Thirdly, CS is inflexible. Once a circuit has been established, that circuit is the
path taken by all parts of transmission whether or not it remains the most efficient.
Finally, CS sees all transmissions as equal, but often with data network
transmission, priority is important. For instance, transmission X can go anytime, but
transmission is time dependent and must go immediately.
A better solution for data transmission is Packet Switching (PS). In PS network,
data is transmitted in discrete units of potentially variable length blocks (from 200 bytes
to 65,545 bytes) called packets. Longer transmissions are broken up into multiple
packets. Each packet contains data and a header with control information. The packets
are sent to networks from node to node where packet is stored briefly and then routed
accordingly to the information in its header.

DATA HEADER

A typical Packet
(A cell networking is an improvement over packet network which is made up of 53 bytes
each wherein 47 bytes reserved for data and 5 bytes for header)

 Instant access :
The ‘Always – on’ feature is an excellent alternative to circuit switched data and
its associated need to set up a call for every communication to Internet. GPRS provides
immediacy , which will enable higher interactivity and faster response time, thus
lowering user frustration. In an optimized service the user can access the first page of a
WAP session in about 5 to 10 seconds and subsequent pages will take 2 to 4 seconds.
With ‘Always – on’ mode it will possible to access the first page nearly as quickly as
subsequent pages. GPRS users are on-line via logical connections as in the internet
model. Communication channels are employed during transmission sessions only but are
instantly available. Thus, staying on-line all the day does not in itself incur any additional
charges.

 Higher Transfer rate :

The higher transfer rates are needed to accommodate WAP’s unusually complex
and frequent network resource requirements. The increased bandwidth will allow better
and more varied applications with pictures, movement and sound. This would be a
welcome change to the current lack luster WAP applications.

 Security :
Security in wap and GPRS is performed at different protocol layers. GPRS
provides security at bearer layer while WAP adds security on top of transport layer. The
first step is to authenticate the mobile terminal with standard GSM techniques. After that
all data between the mobile terminal and serving GPRS support node (SGSN) is
encrypted. WAP security is based on wireless transport layer security which is
independent of the underlying bearer. For establishing secured connections between
WAP gateway and content servers on the internet Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is used.
 3G AROUND THE GLOBE
In Europe, cellular networks had cellular networks had reached relative
standardization through the GSM for most of the last decade. The natural upgrade was
GPRS. Europe’s transition to 3G technology, generically called W-CDMA (Wide band
Code Division Multiple Access) may begin this year or next, the major hurdle being
economical rather than technical.
Unlike Europe North America suffers from a lack of standardization on 2G
cellular service. Some carriers use CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) while others
use TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access). CDMA carriers will probably continue to
upgrade their data rates until they launch 3G. While TDMA carriers will first upgrade to
GPRS before going on to W-CDMA. Because of these difficulties, 3G in north America
will roll out later than in Europe.
But, Japan is ahead of the game. NTT Dacono has announced the launch of 3G
services dubbed FOMA (Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access). The wide acceptance
is a part of the reason why 3G is arriving so quickly in Japan.

CONCLUSION

The world is witnessing the transformation of mobile phone from a voice centric
communication device to a tool fro managing business and private life and sharing and
storing experiences. In this scenario, WAP over GPRS together bring mobile services one
step forward on the road of evolution towards 3G services.
Unfortunately, there are also shortfalls to both technologies that suggest they are
merely transition technologies. Although both standards have a lot of industry backing
there is also a lot of pressure from competing technologies. A lot depends on whether true
3G capable technologies will emerge sooner rather than later. If 3G is deployed soon,
2.5G technologies may not have sufficient to penetrate the market properly. Whatever
happens, GPRS and WAP are useful migratory technologies, which will be, heard a lot
more.