Author_Institution :
Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Abstract :
The proliferation and development of cellular voice systems over the past several years has exposed the capabilities and the effectiveness of wireless communications and, thus, has paved the way for wide-area wireless data applications as well. The demand for such applications is currently experiencing a significant increase and, therefore, there is a strong call for advanced and efficient mobile data technologies. This article deals with these mobile data technologies and aims to exhibit their potential. It provides a thorough survey of the most important mobile packet data services and technologies, including MOBITEX, CDPD, ARDIS, and the emerging GPRS. For each technology, the article outlines its main technical characteristics, discusses its architectural aspects, and explains the medium access protocol, the services provided, and the mobile routing scheme.
Keywords :
access protocols; data communication; mobile radio; packet radio networks; telecommunication network routing; ARDIS; CDPD; GPRS; MOBITEX; cellular voice systems; medium access protocol; mobile data networks; mobile data technologies; mobile packet data services; mobile routing; wide area wireless data applications; wireless communications; Access protocols; Data communication; Ground penetrating radar; Land mobile radio cellular systems; Local area networks; Mobile computing; Pervasive computing; Portable computers; Telecommunication traffic; Wireless communication;