AfterDawn: Glossary

GPRS

Full description not available yet.

General Packet Radio Service is a mobile data service available to users of GSM mobile phones. It is not based on circuit switched data technology but on a packet-switched so it uses bandwidth only when transmitting data. So it gives more users the opportunity to use network, but it doesn't guarantee bandwidth to users.

Almost always IP is used on top of the GPRS to give Mobile Phone possibility to access Internet, for web surfing, email, instant messaging etc.

With GPRS enabled phone is also possible to connect PC to internet. Link between computer and phone can be Bluetooth, Data Cable or Infrared.

GPRS is much slower than newer technologies like 3G's HSDPA, which can reach 135kbps.

GPRS data is billed per kilobytes, by monthly fee or combination of these two (for 10€/$/£ you get 100 megabytes of data, after that 1€/$/£ for every megabyte).

Theoretical download limit is approx. 160.0 kbit/s, realistic bit rate is 30–80 kbit/s.

Glossary

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