Smart launches RP’s first GPRS service

First, it was the analog cellular phone, or the first generation of mobile telephones. Then came, the digital or global system for mobile communication (GSM) phones (second generation or 2G) that allowed text messaging.

Smart Communications launched over the weekend the country’s first GPRS (general packet radio service) otherwise known as 2.5 G, because it is considered by experts as a pilot-test for the entry of 3G or third generation mobile communications.

3G will bridge the gap between the wireless and Internet worlds seamlessly, and offer services such as video-on demand and high-speed multi-media as well as mobile Internet access.

The third generation of mobile communication systems is expected to be available in the Philippines by next year at the earliest.

GPRS or 2.5 G is a new value added service that sends information through a mobile phone network in ‘packets’ of data in a manner similar to the Internet.

Users of GPRS-enabled cellular phones are, therefore, ‘always’ online, similar to the immensely successful I-mode service of Japan’s NTT DoCoMo. Japan is scheduled to launch its 3G service, much ahead of its European and American counterparts, in May of this year.

Travellers and executives out of their offices can also use their GPRS handsets as a wireless modem in order to browse the Internet with a laptop or a handheld computer.

Theoretical maximum speeds of up to 171.2 kilobits per second (kbps) are achievable under GPRS. This is about three times as fast as the data transmission speeds possible over today’s fixed telecommunication networks and 10 times as fast as current GSM networks.

GPRS also facilitates several new applications that were not previously available over GSM networks, due to limitations in speed of circuit switched data (9.6 kbps) and message length of short message service (SMS or text messaging) of 160 characters. Services like file and data transfer, or applications such as credit card access codes are ripe with potential.

According to Smart head of personal communications and mobile services division Anastacio Martirez, the launch of Smart’s GPRS service will pave the way for the introduction of more advanced mobile Internet and wireless data services addressed to the high end and corporate markets.

Smart was the first to conduct a test GPRS data call in the country in July of last year. Its GSM network has been GPRS-ready since late last year but the launch of the service was held back by the lack of GPRS-enabled handsets.

Because GPRS sends data in packets, current WAP (wireless application protocol) applications such as those offered under Smart Zed can be accessed more efficiently using the Sagem PW 959 handset which Smart is initially offering.

WAP, which was the first attempt to link the mobile phone and the Internet, was found to be inefficient owing to the fact that one still needs to dial-up to access the Web using WAP. This technology also runs on the voice or circuit-switch network, or the lines used in fixed telephones.

By offering constant connectivity (meaning no need to dial-up), Smart GPRS will also open up a host of new applications and content-rich services using corporate Intranets or WAP portals. Web surfing and other Internet applications can also be done using a laptop of a personal digital assistant (PDA) hooked up to a GPRS handset.

Services that are currently available over the fixed Internet today like File Transfer Protocol (FTP), chat, mail, and telnet, can be accessed through Smart’s mobile network because of GPRS.

"People with high mobility who want instant and constant connection to the Internet anytime, anywhere will benefit most from this new service. As the technology and the market develops further, we will see more content-rich services running on GPRS," Martirez added.

Because packet-switched services are inherently more efficient in using network resources than traditional voice or circuit-based services, GPRS will make it possible to offer more affordable mobile data services. This means that data services that were found to be expensive under WAP may be more affordable under GPRS.

Mobile data services now form the cutting edge of the mobile phone business all over the world. In the Philippines, Smart has developed a wide range of mobile data services using SMS (short message service or GMS) and WAP under Smart Zed, its mobile portal for personalized services, and Smart Money, which is the company’s award-winning electronic payments service.

Smart and the Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel) comprise the wireless business of the PLDT group. Their combined subscriber base now exceeds four million, over 80 percent of which are GSM subscribers.