Johan Molnö

System overview and performance evaluation of GERAN-the GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network

With the now finalized standardization of the first phase of the EDGE concept and its introduction of 8PSK modulation to support higher data rates, GPRS has evolved into a third generation (3G) mobile communication system. Within its second phase, EDGE will evolve further into being capable of supporting real-time packet data and thereby providing the full range of 3G services. By adopting the UMTS quality of service (QoS) concept, together with the development of new radio bearers, support of real-time packet data is accomplished and the GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) is created. This paper describes and evaluates GERAN with the focus on IP multimedia and the alignment with the UMTS QoS model.