GPRS in Practice

Professionals quickly discover that, although the technical specifications for GPRS cover all parts of the engineering functions in detail and depth, they are lacking in one important feature; the conceptual framework within which the specifications sit - GPRS in Practice fills this gap. By beginning with an explanation of why GPRS is necessary and describing the core concept of GPRS operations, the TBF (Temporary Block Flow), a revision section then covers the GSM Air Interface with its Radio, Physical and Logical channels and this progressively leads to the GPRS logical channels - what they do and how they do it. The book then moves on to a brief introduction of the GPRS protocol stack which provides a launch pad for a detailed trip into all the layers of this stack, with detailed diagrams and explanations of each layer integrated into an overall understanding of how the GPRS service operates in practice.

• Provides descriptions of why procedures are specified and then clearly explains how the specifications work in practice
• Provides a layered view of the GPRS protocol and deals in detail with each layer separately
• Includes numerous acronyms and abbreviations accompanied by their full meaning

An invaluable resource for Mobile network operators, Development and deployment engineers and Handset designers.

Preface.

1. Introduction.

2. Radio Channels, Physical channels and Logical Channels - the GSM/GPRS Air Interface.

3. Air Interface Frame and Multiframe Structures.

4. The TBF and the MAC Layer.

5. An Introduction to Protocol Layers Data Flow.

6. GPRS Mobile Station Characteristics.

7. Operations in the Physical Layers.

8. RLC/MAC Layer Procedures.

9. LLC Layer Procedures.

10. GMM Layer Procedures.

11. SM Layer Procedures.

12. SNDCP Procedures.

Appendix 1: GMSK and EDGE.

Appendix 2: System Information and Packet System Information.

Appendix 3: Inter-Layer Primitives.

Appendix 4: Mobile Station Uplink Power Control.

Appendix 5: A Possible Problem with UL TBFs When the Application Layer is Using TCP/IP.

Recommended Reading.

Index.

Peter McGuiggan has worked in telecommunications for the past forty years. He has held a variety of positions such as development test-engineer for a telecommunications manufacturer, an engineer working on fixed line international telecommunications systems including satellite, microwave and line transmission systems and as a lecturer in radio systems and advanced electronics and an engineering manager. He also worked in Saudia Arabia managing the telecommunications training for the National Guard.Upon the privatisation of UK telecommunications in 1986, he was appointed as the training manager of one of the new telecommunications operating companies and in 1992 he was appointed Training Adviser to the Director of Mobile Communications of a major operating company. He currently works as a Telecommunications Consultant for PMCG Consultancy Ltd in the UK where he has written and presented courses on the GSM Air Interface, The GSM A-bis Interface, Cell Planning, Cell Optimisation using Frequency Hopping, GPRS Operations and UMTS Operations. GPRS is now an established technology allowing packet-data access to the internet and intranets and it is expected that consumer demand for the service will continue to increase, especially when the higher data rates are made available.

The GPRS technology is also carried forward to the 3G systems and it is vital that engineers working in the GSM/3G engineering fields understand the GPRS technology.

The specifications are the source for the technology, but in general the specifications provide exactly that - specifications and not explanations! With this in mind, GPRS in Practice is written in a simple manner using simple language allowing the reader to fully understand the complex GPRS concepts and how the GPRS interface works.

• Provides an invaluable companion to the specifications as it supplies explanations of the technicalities and cross-references the specifications within a practical context
• Presents explanations of paging, cell reselection, temporary block flow, multislot classes and many other concepts not available elsewhere
• Explains the underlying concepts of the GPRS system with the use of excellent diagrams so that in many cases the concepts are understandable from the diagrams alone without the accompanying text

By casting light upon the specifications with alternative simplified explanations, engineers, technical managers, project leaders and technicians will find this highly readable approach extremely helpful and an essential purchase!