Telco 101 Update

Well it is 2007 and we have finally started to digest the Telco 101 project ... URL will be released soon

In addition to the Flashing lights and Multi Media experience, I have gone for the good old traditional Text method. Below is a rather dull extract on how a Telco works, but it may be of value an remember the text will appear on the web site in the form of audio clips using a rather cool actors voice.

To begin the understanding of how a mobile telecommunications network actually works we must first level our understanding of what “Technology Innovations” have occurred with the mobile telecommunications market. You will here around the industry many acronyms and a lot of terminology and jargon all of which is the “Language of Telo”, a language we all need to have a simple understanding off, but let’s start at a very high level …. The Mobile telecommunications market ahs seen many evolution during it existence and many more come, we have moved threw GSM, GPRS and on 3G (UMTS) with 4G flagged to arrive in the future, but what are these terms ?

GSM – Definition - GSM

(Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile telephony system that is widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. GSM uses a variation of time division multiple access (TDMA) and is the most widely used of the three digital wireless telephony technologies (TDMA, GSM, and CDMA). GSM digitizes and compresses data, then sends it down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot. It operates at either the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz frequency band.

Mobile services based on GSM technology were first launched in Finland in 1991. Today, more than 690 mobile networks provide GSM services across 213 countries and GSM represents 82.4% of all global mobile connections. According to GSM World, there are now more than 2 billion GSM mobile phone users worldwide. GSM World references China as "the largest single GSM market, with more than 370 million users, followed by Russia with 145 million, India with 83 million and the USA with 78 million users." Since many GSM network operators have roaming agreements with foreign operators, users can often continue to use their mobile phones when they travel to other countries. SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) cards holding home network access configurations may be switched to those will metered local access, significantly reducing roaming costs while experiencing no reductions in service.

GSM, together with other technologies, is part of the evolution of wireless mobile telecommunications that includes High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HCSD), General Packet Radio System (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS)

GPRS Definition

General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is a packet-based wireless communication service that promises data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates allow users to take part in video conferences and interact with multimedia Web sites and similar applications using mobile handheld devices as well as notebook computers. GPRS is based on Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and complements existing services such circuit-switched cellular phone connections and the Short Message Service (SMS).

In theory, GPRS packet-based services cost users less than circuit-switched services since communication channels are being used on a shared-use, as-packets-are-needed basis rather than dedicated to only one user at a time. It is also easier to make applications available to mobile users because the faster data rate means that middleware currently needed to adapt applications to the slower speed of wireless systems are no longer be needed. As GPRS has become more widely available, along with other 2.5G and 3G services, mobile users of virtual private networks (VPNs) have been able to access the private network continuously over wireless rather than through a rooted dial-up connection.

GPRS also complements Bluetooth, a standard for replacing wired connections between devices with wireless radio connections. In addition to the Internet Protocol (IP), GPRS supports X.25, a packet-based protocol that is used mainly in Europe. GPRS is an evolutionary step toward Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telephone Service (UMTS)

UMTS Definition

UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) is a third-generation (3G) broadband, packet-based transmission of text, digitized voice, video, and multimedia at data rates up to 2 megabits per second (Mbps). UMTS offers a consistent set of services to mobile computer and phone users, no matter where they are located in the world. UMTS is based on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication standard. It is also endorsed by major standards bodies and manufacturers as the planned standard for mobile users around the world. Once UMTS is fully available, computer and phone users can be constantly attached to the Internet wherever they travel and, as they roam, will have the same set of capabilities. Users will have access through a combination of terrestrial wireless and satellite transmissions. Until UMTS is fully implemented, users can use multi-mode devices that switch to the currently available technology (such as GSM 900 and 1800) where UMTS is not yet available.

Previous cellular telephone systems were mainly circuit-switched, meaning connections were always dependent on circuit availability. A packet-switched connection uses the Internet Protocol (IP), meaning that a virtual connection is always available to any other end point in the network. UMTS also makes it possible to provide new services like alternative billing methods or calling plans. For instance, users can choose to pay-per-bit, pay-per-session, flat rate, or asymmetric bandwidth options. The higher bandwidth of UMTS also enables other new services like video conferencing or IPTV. UMTS may allow the Virtual Home Environment (VHE) to fully develop, where a roaming user can have the same services to either at home, in the office or in the field through a combination of transparent terrestrial and satellite connections.
The electromagnetic radiation spectrum for UMTS has been identified as frequency bands 1885-2025 MHz for future IMT-2000 systems, and 1980-2010 MHz and 2170-2200 MHz for the satellite portion of UMTS systems.

A lot of facts, but thsi should hopefuly show why we are using Multi Media to pull this poroject together