N-GEN Communications Web-based Seminars ©NGCS

Seminar - An Overview of Communications Technologies

Module 9 - Wireless Systems and Technologies                                                                                 Slide 25 of 80                                                                                                    ________________

Personal Communications Services (PCS) Network

                                    Second - Generation Network 

                                    PCS Services

                                    Personal Communications Number (PCN)

                                    Improved Performance Over Traditional Cellular Systems

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The concept of a Personal Communications Service is to provide personalized telecommunications services, to make or receive calls, from any location at any time. PCS provides wireless services utilizing  a common handset and a single telephone number, referred to as Personal Communications Number (PCN). A customer receives a single telephone number which is no longer associated with a physical location on the PSTN. The intelligence residing in the PCS network will be used to route calls to the individual regardless of the location. The PCS network does all the work in locating the subscriber unit when communication is desired. PCS offers improved performance over traditional cellular systems through the use of digital techniques and better compression technologies. PCS may use GSM or CDMA or D-AMPS technology.

The PCS network includes wire-line and wireless networks allowing communications between people and supporting personal mobility. The intent of one phone number per person was to offer "Follow Me" service for home, office, paging, and mobility communications. A Personal Agent, intelligence in the network, is programmed to route business calls, if urgent, to home and to forward them to a voice mail system.

PCS uses lower transmit power than AMPS cellular phones, so that PCS phones are smaller and lower-cost. PCS cells are smaller (several hundred meters in diameter) than the cells of traditional AMPS cellular service which are a kilometer or more in diameter.

Three technologies are used for PCS network: GSM, GSM-1900, also known as PCS 1900, and CDMA.

PCS services include voice mail, call waiting, text messaging and access to the World Wide Web.