The Pathway of GSM to 3G Systems in Nigeria.

GSM is playing a vital role in bringing great changes in the telecommunication sector in Nigeria and the world at large. The GSM has brought communication to the doorstep of every Nigerians. The clarity nature of the voice communication, which is the major application on the GSM, has made it more acceptable than the landline. Recently, the interest of Nigerians in accessing their e-mails and browsing of the Internet while on the move has increased due to the introduction of GPRS to the network. This GPRS is limited in the number of data that can be accessed at a time. Many Nigerian GSM operators are now Jostling to improve or upgrade their Network to 3G, which promise better quality of service and customer’s satisfaction. In this paper, the GSM technology is reviewed. The major upgrade to the GSM technology that has made the deployment of higher technology like GPRS, EDGE possible is analyzed. The deployment of GSM and its upgrade through the GPRS to EDGE and UMTS, which is the major 3G technology that is compatible with the GSM, is presented here. The evolution scenarios that can minimize cost and bring users satisfaction are also stated