Recently, there has been much buzz about ABC, however, a clear statement of the concepts involved is still missing. In fact there are many questions waiting for an answer. The first and most important regards the meaning of best. In fact, which is the best solution strictly depends on the application scenario, on the requirements and on the perspective (e.g., the best in the user perspective does not necessarily coincide with the best in the network operator perspective!).

The “Always Best Connected” concept, or ABC as it is also known, was traditionally the vision behind vertical handoff technologies from GSM, EDGE, GPRS or UMTS accesses and networks to unlicensed spectrum technologi

From the above discussion, one conclusion that can be drawn is that the Always Best Connected vision can be seen as a controversial concept, unless the underlying technological and business assumptions become clearer. In any case, integrating multi-access networks creates many challenges that should be confronted as a basic step for the next generation networks’ success.

ABC encompasses a vision which may be defined differently by different players. Interpretations and viewpoints will vary as function of the ‘interest’ of the player. Some of the definitions of ABC include the following, each of which is still quite loose, being open to very different interpretations:

Nokia has released a dual-mode PC-CARD, that supports GPRS and WLAN out of the box [e.g., NOKIA D211]. Its operation follows the same principles as Ericsson’s, i.e. it extends the GPRS subscriber base to cover those in public WiFi hotspots.

· “To choose the best available access and device and to change when something better becomes available”.

Some topics in this essay:
ABC Throughout, Internet UMTS, GPRS UMTS, GPRS WLANs, ABC Operator’s, ABC User’s, HACNoSI HACSI, , Connected ABC, NOKIA D211, wireless access, simultaneous multiple, simple interface, operator control, abc concept, gprs umts, network access, access network, system components, network infrastructure,