Advantages of GPRS | disadvantages of GPRS

This page covers advantages and disadvantages of GPRS. It mentions GPRS advantages or benefits and GPRS disadvantages or drawbacks.

What is GPRS?

Introduction:
GPRS stands for General Packet Radio Service. The technology is known as 2.5G as it is in between 2G (GSM) and 3G (UMTS). Following are the features of GPRS.
• It uses 1 to 8 radio channels in 200 KHz frequency band.
• It uses packet switching.
• It is used for voice and medium speed data.
• GPRS supports speeds upto 171.2 Kbps.
• Extended GPRS i.e. EGPRS or EDGE supports speeds upto 384 Kbps.

GPRS

Refer GPRS tutorial basics>>.

Benefits or advantages of GPRS

Following are the benefits or advantages of GPRS:
➨GPRS reuses similar air interface (TDMA/FDMA, Bursts, frame structure) as defined in the GSM standard. It makes use of normal burst and access burst defined by GSM. It uses frame structure which is single 52 frame multiframe (for both traffic and signaling) unlike GSM's dual structure of 26-frame multiframe for traffic and 51-frame multiframe for signaling. Refer GSM versus GPRS >> for more information.
➨As GPRS reuses existing GSM infrastructure, deployment is easier. The figure-1 depicts GPRS network architecture. The core network elements of GPRS are SGSN and GGSN. SGSN stands for Serving GPRS Support Node and GGSN stands for Gateway GPRS Support Node.
➨GPRS based data services (Web, E-mail) and applications can be utilized on mobile devices without the need of broadband internet connectivity. Moreover it provides seamless and instant connectivity with the internet.
➨Users are charged only when data is being sent and received unlike other non-GPRS users. Moreover in GPRS, charges are based on amount of data being transferred.
➨As GPRS is available in all the mobile devices, it provides wireless internet access.
➨It allows simultaneous use of both voice and data services. Hence user can have both voice call and data call together. Data call refers to use of internet by browsing or downloading or uploading data.
➨As it allows transfer of data at low speeds which are ideal for less data hungry applications requiring privacy/security.

Drawbacks or disadvantages of GPRS

Following are the disadvantages of GPRS:
➨The data rates (171.2/384 Kbps) supported are slower compare to latest wireless standards such as HSPA, LTE, LTE-advanced etc.
➨Network can be affected When more number of GPRS users in the same area utilize the gprs services at the same time. This leads to congestion which results into slower data connection.
➨It is not possible to troubleshoot in case of issues. This means either GPRS services are working fine or they are not working.



GPRS RELATED LINKS

GPRS Measurements Tutorial
GSM Tutorial
GPRS tutorial
BER vs BLER vs DBLER
Test Mode A vs Test Mode B
GPRS RxQUAL vs BER
EGPRS Basics
EGPRS vs GPRS
What is GPRS


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