An ancient Chinese philosopher said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." That's all well and good, but there are a lot of steps between here and there! You may not know it yet, but we're on a journey between today's wireless systems, called 2G (as in "second generation") and tomorrow's third-generation broadband wireless networks, called 3G. The halfway point in the journey is called 2.5G, and it's all about making that trip a little easier for you and me. One day, 3G could offer Internet access speeds that are fast enough to deliver a dizzying range of multimedia services. In the meantime, wireless service providers don't want to wait to add bells and whistles—like Internet access—to your everyday cell phone service. 2.5G technologies allow carriers to use today's networks and radio spectrum to provide services that represent a huge advance over 2G. And network infrastructure needs only modest upgrades to meet 2.5G standards. So, what's wrong with 2G systems? Nothing—but there's always room for improvement. Here's a short primer on the how and why of 2.5G. Right now, 2G wireless systems use circuit-switched methods, like those of traditional phone networks, to transmit voice and data over wireless networks. There's a couple of ways to go about this. In the case of the TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) wireless standards, a circuit is assigned a time slot within the network when you make a call or dial for data. These TDMA and GSM time slots support about one-sixth the speed of a dial-up modem (9.6 kbps of data throughput). CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks use code-division rather than time-division methods: Your connection is assigned a code and is broken up into data chunks that are sprayed like ping pong balls across the available spectrum, to be reassembled at the receiving end. Though inherently more friendly to data transmission, 2G CDMA has data speeds only slightly better than that of TDMA/GSM. The 2.5G systems, on the other hand, dramatically improve your Internet connection speed by modifying how the networks handle data. Internet data is sent in IP (Internet Protocol) packets of various sizes. These packets don't always fit efficiently into time slots, and because data tends to be transmitted in bursts rather than an even stream, using dedicated phone circuits is wasteful. So, 2.5G on TDMA and GSM networks uses a hybrid strategy to deal with Internet data. Voice calls are still handled with circuit-switched time slots. But data is transported by packet switching, and improved technology allows more kilobits of data per time slot. The 2.5G method of choice for GSM/TDMA users is called General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a method in which Motorola is an industry leader in delivering working solutions. Under the best circumstances, GPRS offers more than 100 kbps, although in everyday use speeds will probably be closer to 40 or 50 kbps. No longer will it take an eternity for you to check your e-mail! With GPRS, you will be seeing several other changes for the better. Here's just a few: - GPRS gives you a permanent "virtual" connection to the network, so your e-mails could be downloaded all the time, without delays. You could also make voice calls at the same time as data calls. - If you're a business user, you could get a data connection to the office wherever you go: Besides e-mail and Internet/intranet access, this includes access to your files and other data. - The always-on connection could allow you to verify and authorize online transactions. - The greater bandwidth and speed of access could enhance location services, everything from mobile yellow pages (which will be able to identify the closest bank or restaurant) to traffic updates to emergency response services. So now you know a little about what GPRS has in store for you. From the wireless handheld devices that allow you to make calls and surf the Internet, to the smart chips inside these devices, to the network technologies that help carry your voice and data, Motorola is bringing you a whole new future of wireless data services.