3GPP streaming over GPRS Rel ´97

Mobile streaming is thought to be mainly a 3G service offered with guaranteed bit rates, error rates and delay bounds. In this paper we analyze the feasibility of streaming services in a 2.5G environment. GPRS Rel. ´97 allows enough bandwidth for streaming, but it cannot guarantee bit rates or delays. We study different QoS parameter configurations to find optimal values for streaming over GPRS Rel. ´97. Its error protection is good enough, if the correct QoS profile is chosen. GPRS cell reselections cause additional problems for streaming, since several seconds of data can be lost Results show that despite all the limitations, streaming is possible in a GPRS environment and this service can be started even before the deployment of 3G networks.