Personal Communication Service (PCS) Personal Communication Service (PCS) is digital wireless telephone service.

Understanding advances such as PCS in the telecommunications industry is important for several reasons. First, PCS (also known as Personal Communication Network (PCN) is part of the current trend toward a future of digital communications technology that will include digital television, digital MMDS (or wireless cable), digital cameras and digital video from Direct Broadcast Satellites (DBS). Secondly, in addition to the advent of digital technology, PCS is a new entrant in the wireless telecommunications industry that differs from current analog cellular telephone networks. Furthermore, besides cellular competitors, many analysts predict PCS will also compete in the local telephone market since a mobile PCS digital telephone provides the same voice quality as wireline telephone service. Therefore, PCS is likely to impact many people who have wireline local telephone service.

Personal communication It is a location independent communications. The emerging concept of personal communication services (PCS) and personal communication network(PCN) allows the users the freedom of communicating any type of information between any two points, regardless of where the users are physically: indoors, out-doors, in a car in a crowded area, in rural area, in a plane, at sea, at standstill or when travelling hundreds of miles per hour Implementation of PCS Cellular and cordless telephone system are a major step towards PCS.

However , scarcity of usable spectrum limits the PCS system in many ways. The requirement of spectrum for global PCS depends on: Type of technology used The services offered The usage demands made on the system

Technologies Considered for PCS Time division duplxed TDMA (TDMA-TDD) Frequency division duplexed TDMA (TDMA-FDD)
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Slow frequency doped TDMA (SFH-TDMA) Code division Multiple Access

The visions of PCS In a global sense a PCS should embrace the integration of many concepts,products,and systems into one interconnected,interworking network.Several different tetherless,or cordless,devices and wireline communications networks should be interconnected and optimized for their specific applications and environment

Need For Standardization

Efficient interconnection if sub networks will require standardization of interfaces and protocols.

Standards are required for-channel allocation, critical power levels, spectrum access mode and other physical parameters and signalling protocols at all levels.

Standards Standards help to ensure or promote the following:Wide variety of products and services to customers Interoperability between products and services made by different vendors Easier introduction of PCS products into the national market Healthy competitiveness among vendors, which in turn may lead to reduced cost and improved product quality Development and innovation according to common guidelines.

PCS DIFFERS FROM CELLULAR TELEPHONE SERVICE IN THREE WAYS FREQUENCY SPECTRUM BAND One technological difference between PCS and cellular systems is that each uses a different frequency spectrum band. Cellular operates in a lower frequency band than PCS. PCS uses a 2GHz (gigahertz) frequency band to transmit and receive signals whereas cellular operates in a 800Mhz (megahertz) frequency band, (Baldwin et al. 1996). DATA TYPE Because of the different and more efficient use of frequency, PCS is more flexible with other types of data such as text and graphics than a cellular telephone. PCS also has more capacity to provide data services than a cellular telephone network (Dodd 1998). CELL SIZE Since the size of a PCS cell is smaller than that of a cellular telephone network and the power of the antenna is lower, the size of a PCS handset can be smaller (pocket-sized) than that of a cellular handset. NETWORK STRUCTURE OF PCS The types of equipment needed for PCS to function include a PCS handset, a base station in each cell site and a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO). Each base station is connected to a MTSO by a microwave link or a landline.

The MTSO controls the switching between the public switched telephone network and the base station for calls between the wireline and PCS. The MTSO also processes data that is received from the base station controllers about the status of a mobile phone unit, switches calls to other cells and compiles billing data . Thus, as a user drives across a service area, their call is transferred (or handed-off) from one cell to another in order to maintain a strong signal for quality reception. Unlike a cellular telephone network in which a few cell sites (or base stations) are constructed miles apart, PCS requires many more cell sites that are constructed close to one another (between 1,000 and 2,000 feet apart)

CURRENT STATUS OF PCS: PCS PROVIDERS LAUNCH SERVICES IN 1996 The Sprint PCS alliance is the largest PCS provider in the U.S. covering 29 markets that can reach 145 million people nationwide. Sprint PCS is backed by Sprint Communications and two cable companies, Cox Communications Inc. and Comcast Corporation. AT&T Wireless is the second largest PCS provider in the U.S. covering 21 markets that can reach 107 million people nationwide. PCS PrimeCo, a joint venture between Bell Atlantic and AirTouch Communications, is the third largest PCS provider in the U.S. covering 11 markets that can reach 57 million people nationwide.

APPLICATION In regard to its services, PCS provides high quality voice transmission compared to analog cellular. PCS offers consumers special features such as caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, call blocking, three-way conference calling, paging and voice mail (Dodd 1998). All of these features are basic, built-in services, whereas digital cellular providers currently charge extra for these services. Other features of PCS include a soft-hands off while driving between cell sites resulting in fewer dropped calls and security techniques to combat cloning as well as protection from other people eavesdropping on (listening to) someones call without permission.

Cloning is a technique in which thieves use equipment to copy identification and serial numbers of mobile telephones and then steal airtime by making unauthorized calls using someones account. A disadvantage of PCS is its more limited ability to roam. However, some PCS providers are overcoming this problem by expanding their coverage nationwide. For example, no other company in the U.S. has more PCS licenses than Sprint PCS. As a result, the lack of roaming capabilities is becoming less problematic