Visitors to the Tel.com Africa 2000 Expo are in for a technological phenomenon, courtesy of MTN South Africa and Ericsson. These major players in the telecommunications arena have joined forces to host the first live public demonstration on the African continent of General Packet Radio Services ("GPRS") - the new technology that finally combines two of the fastest-growing international industries, namely wireless telephony and the internet.
Explains Bruce Cockburn, General Manager Products and Innovations at MTN South Africa, "GPRS is a vital stepping stone between existing networks and the future Third Generation Networks already being planned. It uses radio frequencies very efficiently and enables a far more user-friendly charging system, based on information transfer rather than call duration."
Designed to illustrate the real impact that GPRS will have on the way we live and work today, the MTN/Ericsson stand will enable visitors to experience the thrill of Mobile Internet. "We`ve created an innovative container housing a full end-to-end GPRS wireless solution based on the actual Ericsson product," says Frode Drydal from Ericsson South Africa. "This means that the public can browse websites or participate in an on-line Chat session.
He adds that the demonstrations use GPRS handsets linked to notebook computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) via infrared. Among the applications on show are
Microsoft Chat - which allows participants using a GPRS mobile phone to converse using text, or cartoon characters representing themselves; and
A simulated Lotto System - which enables the user to select lottery numbers using a graphic interface on an Ericsson prototype phone, and submit the selection to a Lotto server.
Especially designed for data communications, GPRS is also an ideal bearer for Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services. Explains Cockburn, "GPRS has the capacity to provide the much higher speeds and more efficient transfers necessary to make information services part of the lives of the general public. We`ve therefore included WAP demonstrations in our exhibition, linking a GPRS handset to an Ericsson MC218 WAP-compatible terminal. This enables people to test and evaluate the services available, prior to investing in the technology. It also highlights the contribution which WAP over GPRS can make in the development of truly Mobile Internet."
Cockburn points out that MTN South Africa has enjoyed substantial growth in data traffic over the years fuelled by its innovative corporate products, such as Mobile Connect to serve the growing numbers of mobile workers, and its pro-active involvement in the remote meter reading and telemetry industry. "MTN SA is presently testing the Ericsson GPRS platform and developing strategic partnerships with key corporates and solution providers. An announcement will be made later in the year as to when the services will go live on the MTN South Africa network," he says.
If the MTN/Ericsson GPRS interactive exhibition at Tel.com Africa 2000 is anything to go by, there is huge strength in the partnership and exceptional future potential. MTN GSM - MTN SA`s Network Operator - currently has over two million subscribers in South Africa; and operations in Swaziland, Uganda, Rwanda and the Cameroon. Ericsson, on the other hand, is one of the world`s leading suppliers of GPRS network infrastructure.
Concludes Cockburn, "Mobile technology is not only here to stay but it is developing at a rapid rate. As visitors to our stand will discover, true mobile internet access is almost a reality. It`s tremendously exciting - both for the so-called `road warriors` who can now be unshackled from their office networks and for the general public."
Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over.
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