GSM: Poised for US breakthrough
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) may have the lion’s share of wireless telephone traffic worldwide, but in the United States, GSM currently lags behind more widely deployed Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technologies. That may not be the case for long, however.
Major vendor VoiceStream has a nationwide GSM network in the U.S., and both Cingular and AT&T are in the process of switching their TDMA networks to GSM general packet radio service (GPRS), a 2.5G technology that promises data transmission speeds of up to 144Kbps. Cingular and AT&T eventually plan to switch to a standard called Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), which will increase data rates to 384Kbps. Meanwhile, Verizon, whose network is built on CDMA, is moving to a standard called CDMA 1xRTT to enable high-speed data services. Like EDGE, CDMA 1xRTT is a 2.5G technology that is an interim step on the road to 2Mbps mobile data services.
It looks like the technology is moving into place for the next generation of wireless services, but in support of what improvements over today’s phones? Clearly, better data services are the prime advantage, but there are advantages for talkers, too.
Because of its convenience and ease of use, voice recognition will be a boon for users on GSM GPRS networks. While some wireless providers support voice recognition applications today, all GPRS networks will build it in from the start. Application developers need to learn about the VoXML application for tying voice to XML-encoded data. And they need to consider how to make available a suitable set of public information resources for mobile access, the same way they now offer access for telephone and Web users.
While the new opportunities are exciting, network providers need to keep an eye out for new perils, too. As GSM becomes a universal standard, it will become more popular with virus writers and even spammers. But at the same time, vendors will step up to block unwanted calls and messages. A company called WhiteCell already has an application called SMSafe that lets network providers screen for spam the way e-mail providers currently can on data networks.
How much should all this affect your mobile phone purchasing plans? That depends on your time horizon. I’m not expecting major developments for about a year, at which time 2.5G features–which means simply technology for sending packet data over existing cellular networks originally designed for voice transmissions–should be more widely available through GSM GPRS. Most service contracts last a minimum of one year–don’t lock yourself in for more than that. Try to get the cheapest phones you can buy, too, because by the time your contract is up for renewal, your phones may be obsolete. Consider purchasing a combination PDA-phone, such as the Handspring Treo, today if GPRS is already available in your area. But be aware that as EDGE technologies unfold, even today’s cutting-edge phones will become obsolete; you’ll want new handsets that can take advantage of the new services’ features.
3G mobile networks, which promise high-speed, always-on voice, data, and multimedia services over an IP network, are even further down the road. IBM has an excellent white paper on the road map for 2.5G and 3G.
If you’re building mobile applications at the network level, be sure to consider how to migrate users from older technology, but plan for CDMA and TDMA to co-exist with GSM-based GPRS and its coming descendent EDGE for a long time.
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Monday, February 25, 2002 12:00 pm
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