Aspects of introducing EDGE in existing GSM networks

The use of higher level modulation to provide Enhanced Data rates for Global/GSM Evolution (EDGE) is currently being standardized for GSM by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and is also adopted for D-AMPS (IS-136) evolution by the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium (UWCC). This paper discusses a number of important aspects of introducing EDGE in an existing GSM system, such as the modifications needed in the GSM architecture and equipment, and the impact on radio network planning. Radio network simulations have been performed with a mix of GSM/GPRS users and enhanced GPRS (EGPRS) users, and the results indicate that EDGE can share the same spectrum as GSM/GPRS with good quality for both types of users. The quality is further improved by use of quality based power control.