explosive situation. The average growth of our voice networks is 4 percent; however, in the data communications arena, the growth is still approxi- mating 30 percent growth per year. This unparalleled growth consists of both goods and services to meet the demands of customers, internal users, and the industry in general. General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a key milestone for GSM data. It offers end users new data services and enables operators to offer radically new pricing options. Using the existing GSM radio infrastructure, up-front investments for operators are relatively low. GPRS solutions began appear- ing initially in 1999 through 2000 using the infrastructures that are already in place. Pricing for use of the voice side of the network has become commoditized, whereas pricing models for the new data access will set a new revolution. One such threshold looks at an all-you-can-eat model Downloaded from Digital Engineering Library @ McGraw-Hill (www.digitalengineeringlibrary.com) Copyright © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use as given at the website. GPRS Introduction GPRS Introduction whereby users of wireless phones add a data subscription at $29.95 per month for unlimited use. Another such model is the one used in Japan by DoCoMo by charging a rate of the U.S. equivalent of $.0025 per packet. Oth- ers will emerge that will shake the industry mode and create new dynam- ics in the use of data anywhere. GPRS services were targeted at the business user. However, the services will soon be available networkwide, targeting both the business and the res- idential consumer. The widespread adoption and acceptance of GPRS will create a critical mass of users, driving down costs while offering better ser- vices. These components will form the basis of a healthy mobile data mar- ket with growth figures comparable with GSM voice-only services today. Research by Infonetics indicates that the movement of the user commu- nity 