INTRODUCTION TO WIRELESS AND

MOBILE NETWORKS

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Cellular Networks - GSM

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 Overview

• 6 Billion mobile phone users (end of 2011) *

• The world population is 7 Billion!

https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2017.pdf

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 Global Wireless Services and Network Evolution

First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation

Advanced Wireless Integrated Voice/Data Tele-Presenting

Voice Services & Wireless/Wireline
Mobile Telephone Distance Learning
Service Wireless Data Multimedia Services
Intelligent Agent
Services

?
Location Services Services

Broader Bandwidth Channels

with High Spectrum Efficiency
Digital Cellular
Analog Cellular Technology Advanced Network/Software Knowledge-Based
Technology Architectures Network Operations
Microcellular & Advanced Coding & Signal
Macrocellular Picocellular Processing Techniques Unified Service
Technology Technologies
Intelligent Antennas Networks
Wideband Radios

Mid-80s Mid-90s Year 2000+ Year 2010 ?

AMPS GSM W-CDMA

USDC IS-54/ 136 TDMA UWC-136
ETACS IS-95/ cdmaOne cdma2000 Source: IEEE Communications Magazine
PDC
DECT

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 Major 3G Standards Organizations

Standard Organization Region

International Telecommunications International

Union (ITU)
European Telecommunications Europe
Standard Institute (ETSI)
Telecommunications Industry North America
Association (TIA)
Association of Radio Industries and Japan
Business (ARIB)
American National Standard North America
Institute (committee TIPI)

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 Block diagram of a cellular system

MSC: Mobile Switching Center

PSTN: Public Switched Telephone Network

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 Communication signaling in 1G systems

Reverse=uplink
Forward=downlink

All first generation cellular systems use FM modulation. A typical example of 1G is AMPS. The
system control resides in MSC. MSC maintains all mobile related information and controls each
mobile handoff. MSC performs all of the network management functions.

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Block diagram of a 1G cellular radio network

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 SS7 and Network Architecture of 1G

Long distance voice traffic is carried on the

PSTN.
SS7: Signaling System No. 7 that is used to interconnect most of the cellular MSCs
in the US
TDN: Temporary directory number
IS-41 is a network protocol standard
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 Signaling System No. 7 (SS7)

• A high-speed and high-performance packet-based communications

protocol
• SS7 implements out-of-band signaling protocols, carried in a separate
signaling channel,
– Signalling and voice lines are seperated
• The term signaling refers to the exchange of control information
associated with the establishment of a telephone call on a
telecommunications circuit.
– Ex. Dialed number
• SS7 can communicate significant amounts of information when
setting up a call, during the call, and at the end of the call.
– call forwarding (busy and no answer), voice mail, call waiting, conference calling,
calling name and number display, call screening,

• http://www.ss7-training.net/

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 First Generation (1G) Wireless Networks

• AMPS
• first deployed in 1983 with a total of 40 MHz of spectrum in
the 800 MHz band
• in 1989, an additional 10 MHz was added
• mobile to base station = 824 MHz ---- 849 MHz
• base station to mobiles = 869 MHz ---- 894 MHz
• uses 7-cell reuse pattern; N=7
• channel bandwidth= 30KHz
• SIR (signal to interference ratio) =18 dB
• voice modulation: FM

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AMPS

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 First Generation (1G) Wireless Networks

• ETACS (The European Total Access

Communication System)
– developed in the mid 1980s
– virtually identical to AMPS, except it is scaled to fit 25
KHz channel bandwidth (as opposed to 30 KHz)

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 First Generation (1G) Wireless Networks

ETACS: European Total Access Communication System, which was developed in the mid 1980s.

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 First Generation (1G) Wireless Networks

• N-AMPS (Narrowband AMPS)

– Motorola developed an AMPS-like system called N-AMPS
– provides 3 users in a 30 KHz AMPS channel using FDMA
and 10 KHz channels
– provides three times the capacity of AMPS at the
expense of reducing the S/(N+I) (i.e., SNIR) which
degrades the audio quality with respect to AMPS

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 First Generation (1G) Wireless Networks

• USDC (United States Digital Cellular)

– was standardized as Interim Standard 54 (IS-54) by
EIA/TIA
– was developed in the late 1980s to support more users in
a fixed spectrum allocation
– uses 45 MHz FDD scheme as AMPS
– employs TDMA
– offers as much as six times the capacity of AMPS

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17
• Second Generation Wireless
Networks
– GSM
– IS-95 (cdmaOne)

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 GSM

• formerly: Groupe Spéciale Mobile (founded 1982), but Pan-

European standard (ETSI, European Telecommunications
Standardisation Institute) published phase 1 of the GSM
specification in 1990
• now, called Global System for Mobile Communication

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 GSM

– simultaneous introduction of essential services in three phases

(1991, 1994, 1996) by the European telecommunication
administrations (Germany: D1 and D2)
and seamless roaming within Europe possible
– today many providers all over the world use GSM (more than
130 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, America)
– more than 5 billion subscribers

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 Performance characteristics of GSM

• Communication
– mobile, wireless communication; support for voice and data services
• Total mobility
– international access, chip-card enables use of access points of
different providers
• Worldwide connectivity
– one number, the network handles localization
• High capacity
– better frequency efficiency, smaller cells, more customers per cell
• High transmission quality
– high audio quality and reliability for wireless, uninterrupted phone
calls at higher speeds (e.g., from cars, trains)
• Security functions
– access control, authentication via chip-card and PIN

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 Disadvantages of GSM

• There is no perfect system!!

• no end-to-end encryption of user data
• no full ISDN bandwidth of 64 kbit/s to the user
• reduced concentration while driving
• electromagnetic radiation
• abuse of private data possible
• roaming profiles accessible
• high complexity of the system

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GSM System Architecture

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GSM System Architecture

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 GSM: Mobile Services

• GSM offers
– several types of connections
• voice connections, data connections, short message
service
– multi-service options (combination of basic
services)

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 Definitions for GSM

•Telecommunication service: a service offered by a

PLMN (public land mobile network) operator or service
provider to its customers in order to satisfy a specific
telecommunication requirement. It is divided into two
broad families:
– bearer services (bearer service is a type of
telecommunication service that provides the capability of
transmission of signals between access points)
– tele services (teleservice is a type of telecommunication
service that provides the complete capability for
communication between users according to standardized
protocols and transmission capabilities)

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 GSM: Mobile Services

• GSM defines three service domains

– Bearer Services (need OSI layers 1-3)
– Tele Services (may need OSI layers 1-7)
– Supplementary Services

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 GSM: Mobile Services

bearer services
MS
transit source/
TE MT GSM-PLMN network destination TE
R, S Um (PSTN, ISDN) network (U, S, R)

tele services
GSM-PLMN is the infrastructure needed for the GSM network.
MS: mobile station PLMN: Public land mobile network
TE: terminal PSTN: public switched telephone network
MT: mobile termination R,S,U: interfaces
S: interface for data transmission

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 Bearer Services

• Part of GSM Phase 2

• Data services: comprise all services that enable the transparent
transmission of data between the interfaces to the network
• telecommunication services that transfer data between access
points
• in GSM, bearer services are connection oriented and circuit- or
packet-switched
– data service (circuit switched)
• 300 - 1200 bit/s
– data service (packet switched)
• 300 - 9600 bit/s

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 Tele Services

• GSM mainly focuses on voice-oriented tele services

• All these basic services have to obey cellular
functions, security measurements etc.
• Offered services
– mobile telephony
primary goal of GSM was to enable mobile telephony
offering the traditional bandwidth of 3.1 kHz
– Emergency number
common number throughout Europe (112); mandatory for
all service providers; free of charge; connection with the
highest priority (preemption of other connections possible)

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 Tele Services II

• Additional services
– Non-Voice-Teleservices
• group 3 fax
• voice mailbox (implemented in the fixed network
supporting the mobile terminals)
• electronic mail (MHS, Message Handling System,
implemented in the fixed network)
• Short Message Service (SMS)
alphanumeric data transmission to/from the mobile
terminal using the signaling channel, thus allowing
simultaneous use of basic services and SMS

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 Supplementary services

• Services in addition to the basic services, cannot be

offered stand-alone
• Similar to ISDN services besides lower bandwidth
due to the radio link
• May differ between different service providers,
countries and protocol versions
• Important services
– identification: forwarding of caller number
– suppression of number forwarding
– automatic call-back
– conferencing with up to 7 participants
– locking of the mobile terminal (incoming or outgoing calls)

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 Architecture of the GSM system

• GSM is a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network)

– several providers setup mobile networks following the
GSM standard within each country
– components
• MS (mobile station)
• BS (base station)
• MSC (mobile switching center)
• LR (location register)

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 Architecture of the GSM system

– subsystems
• RSS (radio subsystem): covers all radio aspects
– RSS is also called BSS (Base Station Subsystem)
• NSS (network and switching subsystem): call
forwarding, handover, switching
• OSS (operation subsystem): management of the
network

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 GSM: elements and interfaces

radio cell
BSS
MS MS

Um radio cell

RSS BTS MS

BTS

Abis

BSC BSC
A

MSC MSC

NSS VLR VLR

signaling
ISDN, PSTN
HLR GMSC
PDN
IWF
O

OSS EIR AUC OMC

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 GSM: overview
OMC, EIR,
AUC
HLR
GMSC
NSS fixed network
with OSS

VLR MSC MSC

VLR

BSC

BSC

RSS

BSS
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 GSM: system architecture

radio network and switching fixed

subsystem subsystem partner networks

MS MS
ISDN
PSTN
Um MSC

BTS Abis
BSC EIR
BTS

SS7
HLR

BTS VLR
BSC ISDN
BTS MSC PSTN
A
BSS IWF
PSPDN
CSPDN

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 System architecture: radio subsystem

radio network and switching

subsystem subsystem • Components
– MS (Mobile Station)
MS MS – BSS (Base Station Subsystem):
consisting of
• BTS (Base Transceiver Station):
Um sender and receiver
Abis • BSC (Base Station Controller):
BTS
controlling several transceivers
BSC MSC
BTS
• Interfaces
– Um : radio interface
– Abis : standardized, open interface with
16 kbit/s user channels
A – A: standardized, open interface with
BTS
MSC 64 kbit/s user channels
BSC
BTS
BSS

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System architecture: network and switching subsystem

network fixed partner

subsystem networks
Components
! MSC (Mobile Services Switching Center):
ISDN ! IWF (Interworking Functions)
PSTN
MSC
! ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
! PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)
EIR ! PSPDN (Packet Switched Public Data Net.)
! CSPDN (Circuit Switched Public Data Net.)
SS7

HLR

VLR Databases
ISDN ! HLR (Home Location Register)
MSC PSTN
IWF
! VLR (Visitor Location Register)
PSPDN ! EIR (Equipment Identity Register)
CSPDN

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 Radio subsystem

• The Radio Subsystem (RSS) comprises the

cellular mobile network up to the
switching centers
• Components
– Base Station Subsystem (BSS):
• Base Transceiver Station (BTS): radio components including
sender, receiver, antenna - if directed antennas are used
one BTS can cover several cells
• Base Station Controller (BSC): switching between BTSs,
controlling BTSs, managing of network resources, mapping
of radio channels (Um) onto terrestrial channels (A
interface)
BSS = BSC + sum(BTS) + interconnection
– Mobile Stations (MS)
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 GSM: cellular network

segmentation of the area into cells

possible radio coverage of the cell

idealized shape of the cell

cell

• use of several carrier frequencies

• not the same frequency in adjoining cells
• cell sizes vary from some 100 m up to 35 km depending on
user density, geography, transceiver power etc.

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 GSM: cellular network

segmentation of the area into cells

possible radio coverage of the cell

idealized shape of the cell

cell

hexagonal shape of cells is idealized (cells overlap, shapes

depend on geography)
if a mobile user changes cells
! handover of the connection to the neighbor cell

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 Base Transceiver Station and Base Station Controller

• Tasks of a BSS are distributed over BSC and BTS

• BTS comprises radio specific functions
• BSC is the switching center for radio channels

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 Mobile station (I)

• Terminal for the use of GSM services

• A mobile station (MS) comprises several functional
groups
– MT (Mobile Terminal):
• offers common functions used by all services the MS offers
• corresponds to the network termination (NT) of an ISDN
access
• end-point of the radio interface (Um)

TE TA MT
Um
R S

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 Mobile station (II)

• Other functional groups in mobile station

– TA (Terminal Adapter):
• terminal adaptation, hides radio specific characteristics
– TE (Terminal Equipment):
• peripheral device of the MS, offers services to a user
• does not contain GSM specific functions
– SIM (Subscriber Identity Module):
• personalization of the mobile terminal, stores user
parameters

TE TA MT
Um
R S

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 Network and switching subsystem (I)

• NSS is the main component of the public mobile

network GSM
– switching, mobility management, interconnection to other
networks, system control
• Components
– Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC)
controls all connections via a separated network to/from a
mobile terminal within the domain of the MSC - several BSC
can belong to a MSC

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 Network and switching subsystem (II)

• The MSC (mobile switching center) plays a

central role in GSM
– switching functions
– additional functions for mobility support
– management of network resources
– interworking functions via Gateway MSC (GMSC)
– integration of several databases

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 Network and switching subsystem (III)

• Functions of a MSC
– specific functions for paging and call forwarding
– termination of SS7 (signaling system no. 7)
– mobility specific signaling
– location registration and forwarding of location information
– provision of new services (fax, data calls)
– support of short message service (SMS)
– generation and forwarding of accounting and billing
information

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 Network and switching subsystem (IV)

• Other Components of NSS

– Databases (important: scalability, high capacity, low delay)
• Home Location Register (HLR)
central master database containing user data, permanent
and semi-permanent data of all subscribers assigned to the
HLR (one provider can have several HLRs)
• Visitor Location Register (VLR)
local database for a subset of user data, including data
about all user currently in the domain of the VLR

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 Operation subsystem (I)

• The OSS (Operation Subsystem) enables centralized

operation, management, and maintenance of all
GSM subsystems
• Components
– Authentication Center (AUC)
• generates user specific authentication parameters on
request of a VLR
• authentication parameters used for authentication of
mobile terminals and encryption of user data on the air
interface within the GSM system

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 Operation subsystem (II)

• Other components of OSS

– Equipment Identity Register (EIR)
• registers GSM mobile stations and user rights
• stolen or malfunctioning mobile stations can be locked and
sometimes even localized
– Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC)
• different control capabilities for the radio subsystem and
the network subsystem

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 Mobile Terminated Call (MTC)

• 1: calling a GSM subscriber

• 2: forwarding call to GMSC
• 3: signal call setup to HLR
4
• 4, 5: request MSRN from VLR HLR
5
VLR
8 9
• 6: forward responsible 3 6 14 15
MSC to GMSC calling 7
PSTN GMSC MSC
station
• 7: forward call to 1 2
10 10 13 10
• current MSC 16
• 8, 9: get current status of MS BSS BSS BSS
11 11 11
• 10, 11: paging of MS
• 12, 13: MS answers 11 12
17
• 14, 15: security checks MS

• 16, 17: set up connection

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 Mobile Originated Call (MOC)

• 1, 2: connection request
• 3, 4: security check
• 5-8: check resources (free circuit) VLR

• 9-10: set up call 6 5

3 4

PSTN GMSC MSC

7 8
2 9
1
MS BSS
10

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 Handover

• GSM handover is hard-handover type.

– First, the old connection is disconnected, then the new
connection is established. Break-before-make
– It is done if the base station is moving away or the cell
capacity is full.
– Handover decision is made by BSC in line with the
information received from BTS and MS.
– Performed by Handover BSC or MSC

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 Four handover types

1
2 3 4
MS MS MS MS

BTS BTS BTS BTS

BSC BSC BSC

MSC MSC

1 Intra-cell
2 Inter-cell, intra-BSC
3 Inter-BSC, intra-MSC
4 Inter MSC

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 Handover decision

receive level receive level

BTSold BTSnew

HO_MARGIN

MS MS

BTSold BTSnew

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 Handover procedure

MS BTSold BSCold MSC BSCnew BTSnew

measurement measurement
report result

HO decision
HO required HO request
resource allocation
ch. activation

HO command HO request ack ch. activation ack

HO command HO command
HO access
Link establishment

HO complete HO complete
clear command clear command
clear complete clear complete

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