GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), HSCSD & EDGE

Mobile Phones UK

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for reviews of new phones, and for news of great offers!
Name:
Email:

RSS feed

Quick searches:
Contract Mobile Phones
Pay As you Go
Sim Free Mobile Phones
Mobile Broadband
Ringtones
Bluetooth Headsets
Handsfree Car Kits
Recycle Mobile Phones

Mobile broadband
3 Mobile broadband
3 Mobile WiFi (MiFi)
O2 broadband
Orange broadband
T-Mobile broadband
Vodafone broadband

Apple phones
Apple iPhone 3G
Apple iPhone 3G S

BlackBerry phones
BlackBerry 8110
BlackBerry 8120
BlackBerry 8520
BlackBerry 8900
BlackBerry Bold
BlackBerry Bold 9700
BlackBerry Storm
BlackBerry Storm2

HTC phones
HTC HD2
HTC Hero / T-Mobile G2 Touch
HTC Magic
HTC Touch Diamond 2
HTC Touch HD
HTC Touch 2
HTC Touch 3G

LG phones
LG Chocolate BL40
LG Cookie
LG Crystal
LG GT505
LG GW520
LG KS360
LG Pop
LG Renoir
LG Viewty
LG Viewty Smart

Nokia phones
Nokia E51
Nokia E63
Nokia E71
Nokia E75
Nokia N79
Nokia N85
Nokia N86
Nokia N95
Nokia N96
Nokia N97
Nokia N97 Mini
Nokia N900
Nokia X6
Nokia 2630
Nokia 3600 Slide
Nokia 5130 XpressMusic
Nokia 5230
Nokia 5310 XpressMusic
Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
Nokia 6300
Nokia 6301
Nokia 6303 Classic
Nokia 6500 Classic
Nokia 6600 Fold
Nokia 6600 Slide
Nokia 6600i Slide
Nokia 6700 Classic
Nokia 8800 Arte
Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte

Palm phones
Palm Pre

Samsung phones
Samsung Armani
Samsung G600
Samsung G800
Samsung Genio Touch
Samsung i8510
Samsung i8910 HD
Samsung Jet
Samsung L770
Samsung Marcel S3500
Samsung Omnia
Samsung Omnia 2
Samsung Omnia Lite
Samsung Omnia Pro
Samsung Pixon
Samsung Pixon 12
Samsung S5600
Samsung S7220
Samsung S7330
Samsung Tocco
Samsung Tocco Lite
Samsung Tocco Ultra
Samsung U900 Soul

Sony Ericsson phones
Sony Ericsson Aino
Sony Ericsson C510
Sony Ericsson C902
Sony Ericsson C903
Sony Ericsson C905
Sony Ericsson G502
Sony Ericsson K330
Sony Ericsson Satio
Sony Ericsson W302
Sony Ericsson W350i
Sony Ericsson W395
Sony Ericsson W595
Sony Ericsson W705
Sony Ericsson W715
Sony Ericsson W902
Sony Ericsson W910i
Sony Ericsson W995
Sony Ericsson Yari

T-Mobile phones
T-Mobile G1

Mobile phone guides:
Mobile phone reviews
Unlock codes
SAR values
SIM only
History of Cell Phones

More stuff:
Camcorders
Digital Cameras
LCD TV's
MP3 Players
Plasma TV's
SatNav Systems

 
 

What is GPRS?

Whilst GSM (2G) networks are excellent for voice calls, they are limited when it comes to sending and receiving data. GSM phones use a technology called CSD (Circuit Switched Data) to transfer data. CSD requires the phone to make a special connection to the network before it can transfer data (like making a voice call) which can take up to 30 seconds. Once connected, the data is sent or received and the user is billed for the time spent online. Data transfer is relatively slow: 14.4 kbps (kilobits per second) for GSM 1800 networks (Orange and T-Mobile) and 9.6 kbps for GSM 900 networks (Vodafone and O2).

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is a method of enhancing 2G phones to enable them to send and receive data more rapidly. With a GPRS connection, the phone is "always on" and can transfer data immediately, and at higher speeds: typically 32 - 48 kbps. An additional benefit is that data can be transferred at the same time as making a voice call. GPRS is now available on most new phones.

GPRS is part of a series of technologies that are designed to move 2G networks closer to the performance of 3G networks. The key characteristic of a 3G network is its ability to transfer large amounts of data at high speed (up to 2 Mbps), enabling applications like video calling, video downloads, web browsing, email, etc. By increasing the speed of a 2G network, some of these applications become possible, e.g. web browsing and sending or receiving emails with large attachments. These technologies are called 2.5G and include enhancements to the CSD technology, such as HSCSD and EDGE.

GPRS Class Types

The class of a GPRS phone determines the speed at which data can be transferred. Technically the class refers to the number of timeslots available for upload (sending data from the phone) or download (receiving data from the network). The timeslots used for data are in addition to the slot that is reserved for voice calls. These timeslots are available simultaneously, so the greater the number of slots, the faster the data transfer speed. Because GPRS transmits data in packets, the timeslots are not in use all the time, but are shared amongst all users of the network. That increases the overall data capacity of the network, and it also means that you are billed for the quantity of data transmitted, not the time that you are online. It may mean that during busy times, data transfer rates slow down, because the network will give priority to voice calls.

The most common GPRS classes in use are as follows:

GPRS Class

Slots

Max. data transfer speed

Class 2
3
8 - 12 kbps upload / 16 - 24 kbps download
Class 4
4
8 - 12 kbps upload / 24 - 36 kbps download
Class 6
4
24 - 36 kbps upload / 24 - 36 kbps download
Class 8
5
8 - 12 kbps upload / 32 - 40 kbps download
Class 10
5
16 - 24 kbps upload / 32 - 48 kbps download
Class 12
5
32 - 48 kbps upload / 32 - 48 kbps download

Generally speaking, the higher the GPRS class, the faster the data transfer rates.

HSCSD

HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data) enables data to be transferred more rapidly than the standard GSM (Circuit Switched Data) system by using multiple channels. The maximum number of timeslots that can be used is four, giving a maximum data transfer rate of 57.6 kbps (or 38.4 kbps on a GSM 900 network). HSCSD is more expensive to use than GPRS, because all four slots are used simultaneously - it does not transmit data in packets. Because of this, HSCSD is not as popular as GPRS and is being replaced by EDGE.

EDGE

EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) or EGPRS provides data transfer rates significantly faster than GPRS or HSCSD. EDGE increases the speed of each timeslot to 48 kbps and allows the use of up to 8 timeslots, giving a maximum data transfer rate of 384 kbps. In places where an EDGE network is not available, GPRS will automatically be used instead. EDGE offers the best that can be achieved with a 2.5G network, and will eventually be replaced by 3G.

GPRS Resources

GSM World Guide to GPRS
Nokia GPRS Guide
Nokia EDGE Guide

Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

© 2001 - 2010, Landmark Internet Ltd - disclaimer