Digital Cellular System

Digital cellular systems are those which incorporate digital modulation techniques.
Digital systems provide significant improvements in capacity and system performance.
The United States Digital Cellular System (USDC) was created in the late 1980s to
handle more users in a given spectrum allotment. USDC is a TDMA (time division
multiple access) technologies. USDC can provide up to six times the capacity of AMPS.
The USDC standard has the same 45MHZ FDD scheme as AMPS. The dual-mode
USDC/AMPS system, which had been implemented in Canada and Mexico, was
standardised as interim standard 54 ( IS-54) by the electronic industry north American
Digital Cellular (NADC). The USDC system is intended to share the same frequency
reuse scheme and base stations as the AMPS system, enabling base stations and
consumer units to be supplied with both AMPS and USDC channels from within the
same type of hardware. USDC forward and reverse control channels utilise the same
signalling method as AMPS phones to ensure compatibility.
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
The secondary standard is the Global System for Mobile (GSM). It was created to
address the fragmentation issues that plagued Europe's first cellular infrastructure.
GSM was the world's first cellular system to define digital modulation as well as
network-level architecture and services. It is the most widely used second-generation
(second generation) technology in the world.
GSM was originally designed to be a pan-European cellular service that offered several
communication services via ISDN, but it is now the world's most advanced standard
for new cellular radio and personal communication devices globally. As of 2001, GSM
has over 350 million consumers worldwide.
In 1991, GSM was initially launched on to European market. For marketing purposes,
GSM changed its name to the global system for mobile communications in 1992. By
the end of 1993, numerous non-European nations in South America, Asia, and
Australia had embraced GSM, which supports personal communication service (PCS)
in the newly established 1.8GHZ to 2.0GHZ radio bands throughout the world.
GSM Services
GSM services adhere to ISDN standards and are classed as teleservices or data services.
Teleservices include both conventional mobile phone traffic and mobile generated
traffic. Data service includes both computer-to-computer communication and packet-
switched traffic. User services are classified into three kinds.
Telephone Services — This service includes emergency dialling and facsimiles.
Videotex and Teletex are also supported by GSM, although they are not part of the GSM
standard.
Bearer or data services - These services include packet-switched methods and transfer
rates ranging from 300 bps to 9.6 kbps. Data can be transmitted in either transparent
or non-transparent mode (where GSM provides standard channel coding for user data)
(where GSM offers special coding efficiency based on specific data services).
Supplementary ISDN services — These are digital services that include all diversions,
closed user groups, and caller identifications. These services are not available in
analogue mobile networks. Short message services (SMS) are another supplementary
service that allows GSM customers and base stations to send alphanumeric pages of a
certain length.
SMS can be used for safety and advisory purposes, such as broadcasting highway or
weather information to all GSM users within the reception range.