TELECOMMUNICATIONS: SEVERAL COMPANIES EMBRACE GPRS.

PositionTechnology Information

As a result of combining several channels, GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) are set to boost the theoretical transmission speed from 9.6 kilobits a second to almost 100 kilobits. Telephones currently offer maximum speeds of 53.6 kilobits a second, but the new systems providing much higher rates will be unveiled next month by telephone equipment manufacturers.Tango will be launching its GPRS service on 12 March at a rate that is nine times cheaper than conventional mobile telephone technology. The operator will charge users in proportion to the capacity they use. The system will provide permanent Internet connection with users being charged solely for what they send or download. Jean-Claude Bintz, the head of Tele 2, announced his company's success with mobile telephony experiments it carried out recently using the UMTS standard. The tests were conducted in co-operation with the Swedish equipment maker Ericsson. The Luxembourg Government will be issuing the first UMTS licences in September via a "beauty competition" system. Tele 2 intends to make a bid for a licence.Alcatel launches its first GPRS mobile telephone.Alcatel reports its new terminal can provide a system of...

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