Speed Delivery - Assignment Example

Contents Table Introduction.p.2 The WAP scenariop.2 The GPRS angle.p.4 3G - a future proof technologyp.5 Conclusionp.7 Report Introduction For a successful technical solution to Speed-delivery's need each of GSM with WAP, GPRS and 3G should be considered. However which of the three technologies would be most suitable in this case can only be decided after the technical suitability of all the three mobile services, their advantages and limitations and any future concerns that may arise are thoroughly scrutinised. The WAP scenario By the use of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) the drivers of Speed -delivery's vehicles would be empowered by the wireless devices which will help them in interacting with their managers and access information from their company's intranet instantly without taking the services of the telephone staff anymore. Through WAP the informations, maps and plan chalked out for the drivers by the management as well as the information required by the management from the drivers would be very easily and quickly delivered to both the parties. WAP can be built on operating systems like EPOC, Windows CE, JavaOS, FLEXOS, OS/9, PalmOS etc. WAP is meant for handheld digital wireless devices like the mobile phones, PDAs etc. since it is designed to work with wireless network like GSM, it can be considered technically suitable in this case. One advantage of WAP is that even between different device families, it has the capacity to provide service interoperability. So if the company wants to shift to other network technologies like CDMA in future, they will not have to face any major problem with WAP. According to Wikipedia, "Spin-off technologies, such as MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) (picture messaging), a combination of WAP and SMS, have further driven the protocol. An enhanced appreciation of device diversity, supported by the concomitant changes to WAP content to be more device-specific rather than being aimed at a lowest common denominator, has allowed for the content presented to be more compelling and usable. As a result, the adoption rate of WAP technology is on the upswing.''(para.24) So sending maps to the drivers would be easier through this mode. The other advantage and deciding factor of WAP is that its deployment is cost effective. If we look at the usability of WAP we will find that the drivers who are always on a move would find it difficult to navigate with a WAP enabled mobile because of limited deck size. So care would have to be taken to keep the messages and maps as simple and understandable as possible otherwise the whole investment woulgd go awry. There is problem with a large amount of data to be accessed by WAP. Also, accessing data takes more time when compared to other modes like the 3G. So the bandwidth and delay factors should have to be compared before opting for this technology. Data services in WAP are mostly text based, hence for applications like email by mobile phones, stock market data etc. WAP is a better option but for digitized map transmission which uploads huge traffic load on the network, using WAP would be difficult. Lots of developments are in progress in WAP technology but still due to data traffic limitations these technological upgradation will not solve Speed-delivery's purpose as their application requires rich content to flow at good speed. The GPRS angle The mobile data service, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is available to GSM mobile phones but it has 3 capability classes - Class A, Class B and Class C. In Class A GPRS service and GSM service (voice, SMS), can be connected at the same time using both. In Class B GPRS service and GSM service (voice, SMS), can be connected but only one at a time. It means that GPRS service gets suspended, if GSM service (voice call or SMS) is in progress. After the GSM service gets concluded, the GPRS service gets resumed automatically. Almost all the GPRS mobile devices comes under the Class B category. In the Class C category GSM service (voice, SMS) and GPRS service can be connected but GSM service (voice, SMS) or GPRS service should always be manually switched between the two services. To transmit on two different frequencies at the same time, two radios will be required in a Class A device. But this is very expensive and a dual transfer mode (DTM) feature might be implemented by a GPRS mobile. From the technical suitability and cost effectiveness angle GPRS service is not very advisable in this scenario. IT is also because it is mostly suited to receiving and sending small bursts of data. Since the Speed delivery's managers would be sending the maps to drivers, this service might pose problems. The data transfer speed of GPRS is up to 115Kbps. It supports application data, which is bursty in nature or with large volumes. GPRS has the speed and capability of carrying required application data but since this technology is not commercially very popular, risk of technological obsolescence is high in future. So if we look at the future concerns, use of GPRS might pose problems. There are certain limitations of this technology. According to GPRS.htm, "Although GPRS will provide better data rates than is currently available, there are some limitations. Speeds of 177.2kbps would require a user to use all eight timeslots without any error protection - which simply won't happen. Initial terminals are likely to use only 1-3 timeslots anyway, limiting the available bandwidth to a GPRS user. When GPRS packets are sent to a destination they are sent in all different directions - allowing for the potential for one or some of those packets to be corrupted or even lost altogether during the data transmission over the radio link. This is inherent in wireless packet technologies so data integrity and retransmission strategies are incorporated - which in turn result in potential transit delays. Although available radio resource can be concurrently shared between several users, an increase in the numbers of users will slow data services down for each user." (para.12) 3G - a future proof technology Of the three options 3G (Third generation) network is most suitable for Speed-delivery because 3G is especially meant for travelling purposes and as the drivers of the courier company will always be on move it is the most suitable option. It is technically excellent for mobile computers or phone users irrespective of the place they are located in. Through its consistent service the drivers would have no problem accessing information from their company's intranet because 3G ensures that those who are travelling are efficiently and constantly attached to the internet as its roaming service is so powerful that it is capable of providing a consistent set of services irrespective of the place one is travelling to. The drivers would be able to access information that the managers intend to provide them through an amalgamation of satellite and terrestrial wireless transmissions. Another advantage of 3G is that it has the capacity to provide faster data speed. Since the drivers would be moving from one place to another if they get information much later than what was required at a particular location, then their time would be wasted and they would have to go back again. For voice and data users 3G has the ability to provide greater overall capacity. This again is advantageous in this case where the people accessing the services would be mostly traveling from one location to another and they would need clarity of voice even when they are on the move. Consignment pickup staff of Speed-delivery would be able to view full intranet content, which includes geographical maps of their work area. Networks that support 3G are advantageous as they are wide area cell based with bandwidth capacity ranging from 384kbps to 2Mbps, which is maximum in comparison to other two technologies. Since users on WAP & GSM get affected by slow load times often, 3G is the most preferred technical solution. Lots of research is being carried out by a cartel of leading technology players like DoCoMo, Ericsson, HP, Nokia, NTT, Motorola, Sun, Qualcomm and other infrastructure vendors in smooth technological upgrade from 3G to 4G. This upgradation will extend 3G capacity by: 1. Providing wider bandwidth at higher frequency, 2. Utilizing both wireless LAN and cell based WAN design, 3. Use of IP6 with converged voice and data capability 4. Increase in magnitude, 5. Solve roaming issues and interoperate across Networks 6. Improved modulation techniques Conclusion Looking at the advantages and limitations of all the three options I would like to suggest that for our client, Speed-delivery, 3G is the best option from the point of technical suitability. Its limitations in comparison to the other two are lesser while its advantages outnumber the advantages of both WAP and GPRS. The future of WAP and GPRS pose some concern. 3G seems a more appropriate technology for required application keeping in mind technological obsolescence a future risk factor. Word count: 1476 'References' Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2007) Retrieved Feb. 8, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAP. GPRS.htm (2007) Retrieved Feb. 9, 2007 from http://ntrg.cs.tcd.ie/ undergrad/4ba2.01/group1/gprs2.htm. Read More