The European (r)evolution of wireless digital networks

Some of the European developments of two different personal communication services, digital cellular telephony and mobile data networks, are compared with each other and with developments in the United States. The related agendas for research and development of wireless technologies in the past decade are also reviewed and compared. The present status of European cellular telephony, the implementation of mobile data networks in Europe, cellular engineering issues, and economic and regulatory issues are discussed. GSM, the pan-European digital cellular telephony standard, and some essential technology differences between the circuit-switched and packet-switched radio systems and their relative merits in the increasingly competitive European environment are also reviewed.<>