GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) is an open, digital cellular technology used for transmitting mobile voice and data services. GSM supports voice calls and data transfer speeds of up to 9.6 kbit/s, together with the transmission of SMS (Short Message Service).

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) on the other hand is a very widely deployed wireless data service which is available for GSM based networks. GPRS offers throughput rates of up to 40 kbit/s so that users have a similar access speed to a dial-up modem but with the convenience of being able to connect from almost anywhere. GPRS allows the use of basic data services such as e-mail on the move, multimedia messages and basic web portals. It also introduces a number of new IP-based nodes (SGSN and GGSN) and interfaces (Gn, Gp, Gi) into the network architecture as part of the GPRS Core.

EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) provides further enhancements to GSM networks, enabling up to three times the data capacity of GPRS, primarily due to improvements on the radio interface. Using EDGE, operators can handle three times more subscribers than GPRS as well as triple their data rate per subscriber. EDGE allows the delivery of more advanced mobile services such as the downloading of small video and music clips, multimedia messaging, Internet access and e-mail on the move.

GPRS and EDGE technologies have been designed to allow operators to provide basic IP based mobile data services using their GSM based radio networks. As more and more handsets including smartphone devices such as the iPhone support increased access to the mobile Internet, GPRS and EDGE technologies are empowering operators with the ability to offer more innovative multimedia services and greater network capacity and performance across their data networks.

The Now Factory's Sourceworks probe can be deployed on IP Interfaces in the GPRS core including Gn, Gp, and Gi interfaces. On the Gn/Gp interfaces, it provides full visibility of GTP-C and GTP-U transactions within the GTP Tunnel including complex correlation across control and user plane tunnels to present a sessionised view of all data traffic at a per subscriber, per application and per node level.

Sourceworks forms part of The Now Factory's Active Intelligence Platform (ASI) that dynamically produces in-depth subscriber intelligence across a host of different IP devices, networks and services. In combination with the Smartworks platform, Sourceworks enables a host of different business and operational applications including The Now Factory's Mobile Moments suite, which empowers mobile operators with the ability to holistically manage the subscriber data journey right across their UMTS/HSPA networks.

With The Now Factory's ASI platform, operators can:

• Manage service and network performance across multiple correlations of IP services, applications and devices.
• Deliver an optimal Quality of Experience (QoE) to all mobile data subscribers
• Align GPRS/EDGE network investments with revenue generation by identifying those network locations with the potential to generate the most revenue
• Launch innovative multimedia IP services and marketing campaigns based on actual subscriber behavior that drive greater penetration and subscriber loyalty