GPRS Vs 3G Tecnology

Article By Iqra Amjad
General packet radio switching (GPRS) is a Mobile Data Service available to users of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and IS-136 mobile phones. General Packet Radio Service data transfer is typically charged per megabyte of transferred data, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether the user has actually transferred data or has been in an idle state.
GPRS can be used for services such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access, Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and for Internet communication services such as email and World Wide Web access. GPRS is packet-switched, which means that multiple users share the same transmission channel, only transmitting when they have data to send. Thus the total available bandwidth can be immediately dedicated to those users who are actually sending at any given moment, providing higher use where users only send or receive data intermittently.
Web browsing, receiving e-mails as they arrive and instant messaging are examples of uses that require intermittent data transfers, which benefit from sharing the available  bandwidth. Like GPRS, 3G is also a wireless communication service. 3G is an ITU specification for the third generation (analog cellular was the first generation, digital PCS the second) of mobile communications technology. 3G promises increased bandwidth, up to 384 Kbps when a device is stationary or moving at pedestrian speed, 128 Kbps in a car, and 2 Mbps in fixed applications. 3G will work over wireless air interfaces such as GSM, TDMA, and CDMA.
It gives you ‘always-on’ continuous connection to the Internet via your Tablet PC or Notebook and Mobile. 3Gstands for third generation wireless, that’s nearly seven times as fast as a standard dial-up connection. You can enjoy your mobile online activities, at work or play, at faster speeds than ever before.3G allows for higher call volumes and supports multimedia data applications such as video and photograph.
Video calling facility is with 3G you can now actually see the person on the other side! As long as both people have a 3G phone you no longer have to imagine what they look like and you can see them face-to-face via your cell phone’s screen.
Obtaining information and news with 3G technology it is possible to access any site on the Internet by using your phone as a modem with your laptop. You can use your favorite search engines to find information on the weather, the daily news, stocks and shares, or practically any other information you require to ensure that you are continually on top of things. If you have left your office and forgotten to send an important e-mail, you are now able to quickly and efficiently perform this function directly by using your cell phone.
The speed and quality of 3G really contributes to enhancing the quality of film over mobile devices. One is now able to view film trailers, reviews, and interviews, download ring tones, wall papers and enter competitions all by means of your cell phone.
With the incredible sound and video quality of your 3G phone you can view highlights from your favorite matches and you’ll always have access to the latest scores. You can download songs, music videos and interviews, compose your own ring tone through your cell phone as requirement.
3G is an exciting new technology that is being incorporated into mobile devices across the globe. Users are now able to make person-to-person calls, download data and do a variety of other tasks they never imagined possible all via their 3G cell phones.
[The writer is a scholar in Communication Sciences at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi]