The User Experience

We now look more closely at how the user takes advantage of GPRS. We have already emphasized the packet nature of GPRS, which makes a GPRS connection similar in many ways to a local area network (LAN) connection. Just as with a LAN connection, once a GPRS mobile station registers with the network, it is ready to send and receive packets. A user with a laptop computer could be working on a document without even thinking about being connected, and then automatically receive new e-mail. The user could decide to continue working on their document, then half an hour later read the e-mail message and reply to it. All this time the user has had a network connection and not once had to dial in, as he or she must today with circuit-switched connections. Furthermore, GPRS allows for simultaneous voice and data communication, so the user can still receive incoming calls or make outgoing calls while in the midst of a data session.

Since there is almost no delay before sending data, GPRS is ideally suited for applications such as extended communications sessions, e-mail communications, database queries, dispatch, and stock updates to name just a few. In addition, the high throughput of GPRS will remove many of the obstacles from the use of multimedia, graphical web-based applications. For example, mobile users will be able to easily use graphically intensive web-based map application to get directions while traveling. Furthermore, with almost no transmission delay and high throughout, it will be more practical to use enterprise applications such as SAP* wirelessly and remotely