General packet radio

service (GPRS)
 INTRODUCTION
 GPRS stands for General Packet Radio
Service, and is a relatively low cost technology
that offers packet-based radio service and
allows data or information to be sent and
received across mobile telephone networks.
Designed to supplement the existing mobile
technologies, like GSM, CDMA, TDMA etc.
 INTRODUCTION(CONT..)
 It is a packet oriented mobile data service
 It is available to all users having 2G
communication system, as well as in the 3G
systems.
 In 2G systems, GPRS provides data rates of 56-
114 kbit/second.
GPRS data transfer is typically charged per
megabyte of traffic transferred.
2G cellular systems combined with GPRS are
often described as 2.5G, that is, a technology
between the second (2G) and third (3G)
 INTRODUCTION(CONT…)
 GPRS is classified as a 2.5G technology
because it builds upon existing network
infrastructure whereas with 3G networks it
normally requires building an entirely new
network.
 WHAT DOES GPRS DO?

 GPRS provides a permanent connection where

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 anytime-anywhere "always connected".
 The GPRS traffic structure is based on a fixed cost,
dependent on the quantity of data required.
 Services offered

 "Always on" internet access

 Multimedia messaging service (MMS)
 Instant messaging
 Internet applications for smart devices through
wireless application protocol (WAP)
 Point-to-point (P2P) service: inter-networking
with the Internet (IP)
 GPRS TERMINALS
 Class A
 MS supports simultaneous operation of GPRS and
GSM services
 Class A terminal can make or receive calls on two
services simultaneously
 Class B
 MS able to register with the n/w for both GPRS &
GSM services simultaneously. It can only use one of
the two services at a given time.
 Users can make or receive calls on either a packet or a
switched call type sequentially, but not simultaneously.
 Class C
 MS can attach for either GPRS or GSM
services
 a Class C terminal can make or receive calls
from only the manually (or default) selected
service
 GPRS ARCHITECTURE

 GPRS Subscriber Terminals

 GPRS BSS
 GPRS Networks Node
 GPRS Mobility Management
 GPRS SUBSCIBER TERMINALS
 New terminals are required because existing GSM
phones do not handle the enhanced air interface, nor
do they have the ability to packetize traffic directly.

 A variety of terminals will exist, including a high-

speed version of current phones to support high-
speed data access.
 GPRS BSS
 Each BSC will require the installation of one or more
PCUs (packet
( control unit) and a software upgrade.
The PCU provides a physical and logical data
interface out of the base station system (BSS) for
packet data traffic.
 The BTS (base
( transceiver site) may also require a
software upgrade, but typically will not require
hardware enhancement.
 GPRS NETWORKS NODE
 In the core network, the existing MSCs are based
upon circuit-switched central-office technology,
and they cannot handle packet traffic.
 Thus two new components, called GPRS
Support Nodes, are added:
 Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)
 Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)

BACK
SGSN
 The SGSN can be viewed as a "packet-switched
MSC;" it delivers packets to mobile stations (MSs)
within its service area
 SGSN performs mobility management functions
such as mobile subscriber attach/detach and
location management
GGSN
 GGSNs are used as interfaces to external IP
networks such as the public Internet
 GGSNs maintain routing information that is
necessary to tunnel the protocol data units (PDUs)
to the SGSNs that service particular MSs
GPRS MOBILITY MANAGEMENT

 Mobility management within GPRS builds on the

mechanisms used in GSM networks.

 As a MS moves from one area to another, mobility

management functions are used to track its location
within each mobile network.
 OTHER ELEMENTS
BG (Border Gateway)
 (Not defined within GPRS)
 Routes packets from SGSN/GGSN of one operator to
a SGSN/GGSN of an other operator
 Provides protection against intruders from external
networks
DNS (Domain Name Server)
 Translates addresses from ggsn1.oper1.fi -format to
123.45.67.89 format (i.e. as used in Internet)
 OTHER ELEMENTS
Charging Gateway
 Collects charging information from SGSNs and
GGSNs
PTM-SC (Point to Multipoint -Service Center)
 PTM Multicast (PTM-M): Downlink broadcast; no
subscription; no ciphering
 PTM Group call (PTM-G): Closed or open groups;
Down/up -link; ciphered
 Geographical area limitation
HOW GPRS WORKS
RADIO INTERFACE

GPRS provides packet data services (similar to the

Internet) using the GSM digital radio network. Each
voice circuit in GSM transmits the speech on a secure
14kbps digital radio link between the mobile phone
and a nearby GSM transceiver station.
 RADIO INTERFACE

 Each transceiver uses TDM to deliver eight voice

circuits on one radio channel
 The GPRS service joins together multiple speech
channels to provide higher bandwidth data connections
 The radio bandwidth remains the same, it is just shared
between the voice users and the data users
 higher the data rate, the more power the mobile device
will use and the shorter the battery life and the higher
the transmitted RF power
 GPRS ROAMING
 Home Network Roaming - Here all data is
transmitted from wherever you connect to a
GPRS network to your home GPRS network
 Local Network Roaming - Data is just
transmitted to a local Internet connection point
and will be subject to local conditions for
security and performance.
 GPRS MOBILE DEVICES
 The key use for GPRS is to send and receive data to a
computer application
 To use GPRS, the service is 'dialed' at which point
the user is 'attached' and an IP address is allocated
 The three standard methods to connect your computer
to GPRS mobile phone are:
1… Infrared
2… Data-cable
3… Bluetooth
 GPRS SECURITY
The radio interface is considered to be relatively
secure being controlled by the GSM network's
security - (SIM card + HLR). Security issues arise
when data needs to leave the GPRS network to be
delivered to either the Internet or a company LAN.

Internet connectivity is the cheapest and most

common - and here you can take charge of security
by encrypting sensitive data.
 NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

Three ways to connect to GPRS network

1. Internet
2. Leased Lines
3. Frame Relay
 LEASED LINES
Leased lines provide the most secure method
of connecting to GPRS but are traditionally
expensive
 FRAME RELAY
If a frame relay connection is available with
network suppliers then adding an addition PVC
(Private Virtual Circuit) to one of the GPRS
networks will make a cost effective solution
DATA PACKET ROUTING
 Data Packet Routing
 GGSN
 handles interaction with the external data network.
 routes external data packets to the SGSN
 Three different routing schemes are possible:
 Mobile-originated message.
 Network-initiated messages when the MS
is in its home network.
 Network-initiated messages when the MS has
roamed to another GPRS operator’s network.
 Data Packet Routing
 GPRS operators will allow roaming through an inter-
operator backbone network
 GPRS operators connect to the inter-operator
network by a border Gateway (BG)
 The main benefits of the architecture are its
flexibility, scalablity, interoperability and roaming
 The GPRS network encapsulates all data network
protocols into its own encapsulation protocol, called
the GPRS Tunning Procotocol (GTP).
 Data Packet Routing
 The operation of GPRS is partly independent
of the GSM network. However, some
procedures share the network elements with
current GSM functions.
 A mobile station has three states in the GPRS
system:
 Idle
 Standby

 Active
KEY USER FEATURES OF GPRS
 Speed
Theoretical maximum speeds of up to 171.2
kilobits per second are achievable with GPRS
 Immediacy
GPRS facilitates instant connections
whereby information can be sent or received
immediately as the need arises
 New applications, better applications
 KEY NETWORK FEATURES OF
GPRS
 Packet Switching
GPRS involves overlaying a packet based air
interface on the existing circuit switched GSM
network With GPRS, the information is split into
separate but related "packets" before being
transmitted and reassembled at the receiving end
 Spectrum Efficiency
The available radio resource can be concurrently shared
between several users. This efficient use of scarce radio
resource means that large numbers of GPRS users can
potentially share the same bandwidth and be served from
a single cell.
 KEY NETWORK FEATURES OF
GPRS
 Internet aware
File Transfer Protocol (FTP), web browsing,
chat, email, telnet- will be as available over the
mobile network because of GPRS. Hence, web
browsing is a very important application for
GPRS.
 Supports TDMA and GSM
THANK YOU