OXFORD, United Kingdom—Orange, one of the leading innovators of cell-phone services, has confirmed that it will delay the introduction of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)-based technology, originally due in the fourth quarter, until sometime early next year. The company has blamed the delay on cell-phone manufacturers, claiming that it is unhappy with the quality of available GPRS handsets.
Orange, a long-term advocate of High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) high-speed data technology, said it would now actively promote this circuit-switched service, which it claims can offer speeds of up to 38.4 kilobits per second (kbps), as a viable alternative to the trouble-prone GPRS. The company confirmed that while it had conducted trials of GPRS with selected subscribers, it would wait until “capable” GPRS cell phones are available in quantity.
Existing users of GPRS cell phones have complained about the small screens for viewing data and poor navigational design, while operators are said to be still experiencing billing problems and struggling to effectively manage the network implications of the “always-on” feature of GPRS.
