General Packet Radio Service

GeneralPacketRadioService is better known as GPRS. It is a GlobalSystemForMobileCommunication (GSM) based MobilePhone technology spinoff, a low speed data service.

GPRS is of interest to companies wanting LineOfBusiness? applications delivered through WirelessNetworking. It is a less expensive alternative to WiFi based solutions, but suffer from reliability unless QualityOfService? (QOS) mechanisms are adopted.

A consideration for a data service over MobilePhone is that the network coverage of data is usually smaller than that for voice. So mechanisms are needed for alternate processes.

In theory ThirdGeneration (3G) based network services is going to make GPRS obsolete. This may not be realised due to economic considerations. Existing usage patterns have not seen MMS to have taken over the SMS market. (see http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2004/11/16/corpit/9266624&sec=corpit)

In North America an enhanced GPRS service called EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) can be considered 3G. See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDGE

GPRS services are degraded with increasing usage. And there are inherent high latencies in communications. Also it was suggested by the references below that TCP based protocols, and thin client applications, are unsuitable in this arena.

PoC - Push To Talk over Cellular

A GPRS based application that enables a MobilePhone to behave like a Walkie Talkie, it is like instant messaging where groups of connected people need to be granted access. Good idea for the companies (e.g. Motorola and Nokia) that make these devices. Since voice is converted to IP packets multiple parties can be on the receiving end.

Downside is that there can be significant latency (during heavily loaded periods).

And it operates on a different pricing model so the commercial success of this service outside US, where the service originated, is not yet established.