I’ve been dialling up to the Internet for the past two weeks using my cellphone — and getting speeds twice as fast as my ISDN line.
I’m using general packet radio services (GPRS) technology — the much-heralded first step towards what’s been dubbed the “mobile Internet”. Apart from being fast, GPRS is “always on” and always accessible, making it ideal for cell owners who use their phones as a primary means of communication.
Through GPRS cell users now have the kind of data connectivity only previously available through a computer and fast digital line. Now, combined with a handheld computer or using one of the many cellphones with e-mail and WAP capabilities, the Internet can literally be in the palm of your hand.
MTN has opened its GPRS service to contract users for free this month — to gauge the demand as much as work out how to bill it, it seems. The service provider has branded GPRS as MTNdataFAST — to differentiate it from another equally tongue-twisting technology called high speed circuit-switched data (HSCSD), branded MTNdataLIVE.
The key difference is that GPRS is an “always-on” connection for which customers will be billed according to the amount of data they send or receive, while HSCSD uses the current circuit-switched system that bills you according to the amount of time you spend online or on a call.
GPRS is more suited to such low volume traffic with frequent access (e-mail or WAP browsing), while HSCSD is better for high intensity traffic such as transferring files or big amounts of e-mail.
Whatever it’s called, the average consumer will be thrilled with the speed.
I tried GPRS with several handsets and was impressed with how easy it was to establish a connection. The Sony Ericsson T68i let me read e-mail on its bright colour screen, and fetched any new messages every 30 minutes. I also successfully used the Motorola V70, its data cable and GPRS software as the conduit for my laptop. The great thing is that once GPRS is running that’s it — it stays running in the background (thankfully, as its workings will be as tough to fathom as its acronym).
If this is the future of the mobile Internet, I can’t wait for it to begin in earnest.