Application-transparent Adaptation in Wireless Systems beyond 3g

The forthcoming wireless systems beyond 3G are heralded to trigger dramatic changes in the way that mobile services are being developed and delivered. User expectations are expected to raise to a significantly higher level, towards the demand for terminal-, networkand location-aware provision of ubiquitous, personalized multimedia services. Adaptability, a feature that did not attract particular attention from system and service developers of services in the pre-3G era, is widely recognized as a critical factor for realizing this vision. The present paper discusses adaptation of end-user services provided over next generation mobile systems, identifies relevant important issues and introduces a mechanism for deployment–time, application-transparent adaptation.