 different releases of these network elements. For example, throughput and number of PDP contexts are usually the main limiting factors when dimensioning SGSN and GGSN. In this context, from the network planning perspective, the MMS is a key contributor to GPRS traffic, and later on to UMTS PS traffic. Dimensioning of MMSC and related servers is only part of the planning exercise. Good understanding of the impact of MMS traffic on the underlying network providing the bearer for the service - be the bearer GPRS or UMTS - is key for a successful MMS deployment and operation. Thus, a new reason for optimisation and performance enhancement arises, specifically for MMS or generic optimisation including MMS. Networking: LAN Switching Capacity, IP addressing and Connectivity Once the MMS traffic is identified and the traffic model is understood, the next logical step is to integrate the MMSC into the GPRS packet core network. It will be assumed for the sake of simplicity that the rest of the servers around the MMSC will not have direct interfaces with the GPRS packet core network. Inter-MMSC connections are dealt with later on. Regardless of that, the MMS traffic should be also taken into account for the capacity of the site switches. Since the G connectivity is through a WAP gateway, IP addressing can be solved without interfering with packet core addressing. Should the site be equipped with a Cisco OSR or similar, a separated VLAN (MMS VLAN) seems to be a reasonable option. Addressing will depend greatly on the configuration of the server and/or cluster. Redundancy and Load Balancing Recommendations for Servers When there is more than one MMSC server, load-balancing solutions should be used to ensure even traffic distribution. Inter-MMSC Traffic Analysis Unlike with SMS, in MMS there is the possibility of having inter-MMSC traffic. In the case of SMS, once the message is received in the SMSC, it is delivered through the SS7 network to the destination. With MMS, if the origin and destination of the MMS are under differ