Analysis of effects of GPRS on GSM network radio resource dimensioning and QoS: the case of celted (T) Ltd.

Dimensioning of air interface resources in a GSM network for packet data usage has posed a great challenge to radio frequency planners and optimizers for one major reason, the ‘competition’ in capacity between traditional voice telephony usage and the GPRS data usage. The two kinds of telephony services in a GSM network share the same radio resources on a given cell. Unlike in traditional voice telephony on which there exist well established rules and principles for traffic dimensioning and therefore facilitating comprehensive means for dimensioning the required amount of radio resources for a particular foreseeable traffic, the same is opposite with the data telephony introduced on GSM network under GPRS technology. The dimensioning for GPRS resources on GSM networks at the air interface becomes even more complex with the fact of GSM/GPRS resource sharing which has prompted for the need to hold a study and establish clear rules to govern the process. This study therefore, is focused on the understanding of the existing situation and points out merits and demerits of the situation at hand. An empirical model termed TCH Traffic Dependent is established to set down clear guidelines on how radio resources should be dimensioned for GPRS services without compromising the capacity and quality of either voice or data services.