Adama Science and Technology University

School of Electrical Engineering and Computing

Department of CSE

Wireless Mobile Networks

(CSE5309-Major Elective Course)

Chapter 6: Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)

Overview of
Cellular communication Systems
• 1G: Basic mobile telephony service
– Based on analog cellular technology
– American Mobile Phone (AMPS) and NMT in Europe
• 2G: mobile telephony services for mass users with encryption and efficient utilization of the radio
spectrum
– Digital cellular technology
– GSM and CDMA
• 2.5G: Mobile Internet/data services together with voice services
– Packet switching technology adding into 2G
– Providing mobile data services over 2G networks
– GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and EDGE
• 3G: enhanced 2.5G services with improved mobile internet services and emerging new applications
– CDMA2000 and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System)
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 GSM Overview
▪ Formerly: Groupe Spéciale Mobile (founded 1982)
▪ Now: Global System for Mobile Communication
▪ Pan-European standard (ETSI, European Telecommunications Standardization
Institute)
▪ Goal : was to provide a mobile phone system that allows users to roam throughout
Europe and provides voice services compatible to ISDN and other PSTN systems.
▪ Today many providers all over the world use GSM (219 countries in Asia, Africa,
Europe, Australia, America)
▪ more than 4 billion subscribers in more than 700 networks
▪ more than 80% of all digital mobile phones use GSM
▪ Today more people use mobile phone system than the fixed telephones!

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GSM Technologies
• A 2G cellular network (a digital network for voice communication)
• Circuit switching for voice (mainly)/data (limited) transmission rate
– Connection-oriented service: establish a communication path (channel) for point-to-point
communication
• Multiplexing
– Frequency division multiplexing (FDM) plus Time division multiplexing (TDM)
– Uses 124 channels per cell, each channel can support 8 users through TDM (992 users max)
– Some channels are used for control signals, etc
• Mobility management
– Two-tier architecture: HLR and VLR
– Location area for location update together with paging for searching
• Services
– Mainly for voice communication
– Data communication is very limited (i.e., 9.6kbit/s) and supporting SMS
Performance Characteristics of GSM
Comparing with 1G cellular network
• Communication
– Mobile communication for voice and data services
• Total mobility
– International access, chip-card enables use of access points of different providers (roaming services)
• Worldwide connectivity
– One number, the network handles localization and interoperability
• High capacity
– Better frequency efficiency (frequency reuses), 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
– encryption, authentication via chip-card and PIN
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GSM Services

➢Voice
➢Messaging
➢Entertainment
➢Location based
➢Video

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 GSM Services : Voice
• Voicemail- like a traditional answer machine.
• Call Waiting
• Call Hold
• Call Forwarding
– the option of diverting incoming calls to another number.
• Call Barring /Restrictions
– to restrict incoming or outgoing calls
• Call conference
• Push-to-Talk over Cellular(PoC/PTT)
– allow people to use their phones as walkie-talkies, merely pushing a button to talk to
another user or group of users.

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GSM Services : Messaging
• SMS (Short Messaging Service)
– up to 160 characters long
– Billions of text messages are sent worldwide every week.
– It is estimated that a worldwide total of 1 trillion text messages were sent in 2005.
– users subscribe to services that send news, sport and entertainment content to a
mobile phone in the form of an SMS.
• MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
– additional media types: text, picture, audio, video, or a combination of all four.
– phone that is running over a GPRS or 3GSM network is required.

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GSM Services : Messaging (2)
• Instant Messaging
– an IP-based (Internet Protocol) application that can provide real-time written
communication between people using a PC or Laptop.
• Email
– 2.5G (GPRS) and 3G network
– There are a wide variety of handsets available today that support wireless push email
services.
– With push email, emails are sent directly to the mobile device as soon as the email server
receives them rather than waiting for the user or email client to request the email.

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GSM Services : Entertainment
• TV/Video
– real-time streaming over 3G networks
– dedicated mobile broadcast networks. (common in Asia)
• Music
• Gaming
– Games Downloaded
2005: 75.9 million
2007: 162.5 million
2009: 262.7 million
2010: 299.4 million
– Java already has over 88% of the market
• Mobile Internet access
– 2G provides limited text-based web browsing services with low-resolution graphics. 3G is better
– .mobi top-level domain
• used by Sites intended for mobile device use.
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GSM Services : Location Based Services

• LBS provide personalized services to the user on request, based on their current position
nearby restaurants, hotels or other location-specific content such as maps.
• Cell-ID
– identifying which base station the user is currently connected
– is accurate to an area of between 200 meters and 1 kilometer.
• GPS
– needs a chip inside the phone, adding to cost, weight and power requirement, suffer delays
(sometimes more than a minute)

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GSM Services: Video

• Video phone
– Built-in video camera for capturing videos in 3G
– Full interoperability of various video phones.
• Emergency number
– common number throughout Europe (112)
– mandatory for all service providers; free of charge;
– connection with the highest priority (preemption of other connections is possible)

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Architecture of the GSM System
• GSM is a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network)
– Main components
• MS (Mobile Station)
• BS (Base Station)
• MSC (Mobile Switching Center)
• LR (Location Register)
– Subsystems
• RSS (Radio Subsystem): covers all radio aspects
• NSS (Network and Switching Subsystem): call forwarding, handover,
switching
• OSS (Operation Subsystem): management of the network

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Components

switching center Database

Mobile
Station

Base Management
Transceiver
Station

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

VLR MSC MSC

VLR

BSC

BSC

RSS

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GSM: radio
subsystem
network and switching
subsystem
fixed
partner networks
system architecture MS MS
ISDN
PSTN
Um MSC

BTS Abis
BSC EIR
BTS

SS7
HLR

BTS VLR
BSC ISDN
BTS MSC
A PSTN
BSS IWF
16 PSPDN
CSPDN
 radio network and switching
subsystem subsystem

MS MS

• Components
Um – MS (Mobile Station)
Abis – BSS (Base Station Subsystem):
BTS consisting of
BSC MSC
BTS • BTS (Base Transceiver Station):
sender and receiver
• BSC (Base Station Controller):
controlling several transceivers

• Interfaces
BTS
A – Um : radio interface
BSC MSC – Abis : standardized, open interface with
BTS 16 kbit/s user channels
BSS – A: standardized, open interface with
64 kbit/s user channels

System architecture: radio subsystem 17

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,
– mapping of radio channels (Um) onto terrestrial channels (A interface)
• BSS = BSC + sum(BTS)
– Mobile Stations (MS)
• MS=ME(mobile Equipment ) + SIM( subscriber identity module)

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Mobile Station ( MS )

• Terminal for the use of GSM services

• Mobile Equipment (ME)
– represents physical terminals, such as a mobile or PDA.
• Subscribers identity module (SIM)
– Stores all user specific data(Static)
– i.e Card-type, subscribed service, personal identity number(PIN) ,PIN unblocking key
(PUK), International mobile subscriber identity(IMSI) ,phone book.
• MS=ME + SIM

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 GSM frequency bands

Type Channels Uplink [MHz] Downlink [MHz]

GSM 850 128-251 824-849 869-894

GSM 900 0-124, 955- 876-915 921-960
classical 1023 890-915 935-960
extended 124 channels 880-915 925-960
+49 channels
GSM 1800 512-885 1710-1785 1805-1880
GSM 1900 512-810 1850-1910 1930-1990
GSM-R 955-1024, 0- 876-915 921-960
exclusive 124 876-880 921-925
69 channels
- Please note: frequency ranges may vary depending on the country!
- Channels at the lower/upper edge of a frequency band are typically not used
 O2 (GSM-1800) Germany

T-Mobile (GSM-900/1800) Germany

Example coverage of GSM networks (www.gsmworld.com)

AT&T (GSM-850/1900) USA Vodacom (GSM-900) South Africa

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ETMTN (GSM-900) Ethiopia

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GSM: Cellular Network possible radio coverage of the cell

segmentation of the area into cells

idealized shape of the cell

cell

• use of several carrier frequencies

• not the same frequency in adjacent cells (frequency reuses by space multiplexing)
• cell sizes vary from some 100 m up to 35 km depending on user density, geography, transceiver
power etc.
– Macrocell(3 to 35 km), Microcell(100m to 1 km), Picocell(10m to 100m)
• 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
 System architecture:
network and switching subsystem

network fixed partner

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

HLR • HLR (Home Location Register)

• VLR (Visitor Location Register)
• EIR (Equipment Identity Register)
VLR
• Protocol
• SS7 (signaling system no. 7)
ISDN
MSC
IWF PSTN
PSPDN
CSPDN
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Network and switching subsystem ( NSS)
• NSS is the main component of the public mobile network GSM
– Switching, Hand over
– mobility management ( localization )
• 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
– 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
25 in the domain of the VLR
Mobile Services Switching Center

• The MSC (mobile services switching center) plays a central role in GSM
– switching functions ( b/n BSC)
– Hand over functions for mobility support
– management of network resources
– interworking functions via Gateway MSC (GMSC)
– integration of several databases.
– 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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 GSM: elements and interfaces

radio cell
BSS
MS MS

Um radio cell

RSS BTS MS

BTS

Abis

BSC BSC
A

MSC MSC

NSS signaling
VLR VLR
ISDN, PSTN
HLR GMSC
PDN
IWF
O

OSS
EIR AUC OMC
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 Operation subsystem ( OSS)
• enables centralized management and maintenance of all GSM subsystems
• Components
– Authentication Center (AUC)
• Used to protect user identity and data transmission.
• authentication parameters and Encryption keys are generated and stored
• May be situated in special protected part of the HLR
– Equipment Identity Register (EIR)
• registers GSM mobile stations devices
• Black list(stolen or locked ), Gray list( malfunctioning MS)
• White list (Valid devices)
– Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC)
• control and monitor radio subsystem and the network subsystem entities via the O interface
• Traffic monitoring , status report of the network entities
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Localization and calling

• To always know where a user currently is , GSM performs periodic location updates
even if the MS is not in use( as long as it is logged on to the GSM network ).
• HLR always contains info about the current location
• VLR of the MSC informs the HLR about the location change

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Localization…
• To locate the MS several numbers are needed
– Mobile subscriber international ISDN number (MSISDN)
• Phone number E.g. +251917111213
– country code (CC)……… (+251) Ethiopia
– National Destination code(NDC)…. ( 917 ) Tepi
– Subscriber number (SN)………………..(111213) individual
– International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)
• Used by the network provider
– Mobile country code (MCC)
– Mobile network code (MNC)-code of network provider
– Mobile subscriber identification number (MSIN)

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Mobile Terminated Call(MTC)
• 1: calling a GSM subscriber
4
• 2: forwarding call to GMSC HLR
5
VLR

• 3: signal call setup to HLR 8 9

3 6 14 15
• 4, 5: request MSRN from VLR
calling 7
• 6: forward responsible station 1
PSTN
2
GMSC MSC
MSC to GMSC
10 10 13 10
• 7: forward call to 16
• current MSC BSS BSS BSS
• 8, 9: get current status of MS 11 11 11

• 10, 11: paging of MS

11 12
• 12, 13: MS answers 17
• 14, 15: security checks MS
• 16, 17: set up connection
Mobile Originated Call(MOC) VLR

• 1, 2: connection request 3 4
• 3, 4: security check 6 5
PSTN GMSC MSC
• 5-8: check resources (free circuit) 7 8
• 9-10: set up call 2 9
1
MS BSS
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MTC/MOC
MS MTC BTS MS MOC BTS
paging request
channel request channel request
immediate assignment immediate assignment
paging response service request
authentication request authentication request
authentication response authentication response
ciphering command ciphering command
ciphering complete ciphering complete
setup setup
call confirmed call confirmed
assignment command assignment command
assignment complete assignment complete
alerting alerting
connect connect
connect acknowledge connect acknowledge
data/speech exchange data/speech exchange
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GSM Roaming

• The ability for a cellular customer to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and
receive data, or access other services when traveling outside the geographical coverage
area of the home network, by means of using a visited network.
• Roaming Agreements between network operators required .
– National Roaming(visited network in the same country as the home network)
– International Roaming( visited network is outside the home country)

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How Roaming Works
• Subscribe for the roaming service
• roaming agreement is needed b/n operators .
• Phone support the radio frequency
– e.g. 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz
• Switch on your phone in the foreign network.
• Note that when roaming you have to pay both for calls that you make and receive.

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GSM coverage and network info ETHIOPIA

• Network Information
• Operator: Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation Also known as: ETMTN
– Currently : Ethiotelecom
• Technology: GSM
• Frequency: 900
• Launch Date: APR 1999
• Services
– Short Message Service
Source :www.mobileworldlive .com

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 Roaming Partners: ETMTN

• A Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria,

Azerbaijan, B Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia Herzegovina,
Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, C Cameroon, Canada, Chad,
China, Comoros, Congo, Cote D Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, D
Denmark, Djibouit E Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, F Finland, France, G Gabon,
Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, H Hong Kong,
Hungary, I Iceland India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, J Jamaica,
Japan, Jordan, K Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, L Latvia,
Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, M
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali ,Malta Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco,
Mozambique, N Namibia, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, O Oman, P Pakistan,
Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Q Qatar, R
Romania, Russia, Rwanda, S Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra
Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria,T Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and
Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, U Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab
Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Y Yemen, Z
Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Hand over

• Hand off is used to provide continuity of services while a mobile unit moves from one cell to
another.
• hand off is necessary due to the limited power of the MS and BTS
• Reason for hand over
– > Low signal strength ( out of cell range )
– > Load balancing (too high in one cell)

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Hand over…

• Hand off parameters (measurements)

– word error indicator( WEI)
• Demodulation error
– Received signal strength indicator (RSSI)
– Quality indicator (QI)
• Quality with respect to interference
• The handoff algorithm will be based on the value of this parameters .(threshold value )

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Types of handover

• In general there are 3 types of handovers for cellular network.

– Mobile controlled hand over (MCHO)
• Mobile unit measures the parameters and make handover decision by itself .
– Network controlled hand over (NCHO)
• Base station measures the parameters and makes the handover decision.
– Mobile Assisted hand over (MCHO)
• Mobile unit measures the parameters and sends the values to the network.
• Then the base station makes the hand over decision.
• Used by GSM.

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4 types of GSM handover

1
2 3 4
MS MS MS MS

BTS BTS BTS BTS

1. Intracell HO : frequency change

BSC BSC BSC
2. Intercell /Intra-BSC HO
3. Inter-BSC/Intra-MSC HO MSC MSC
4. Inter-MSC HO
Handover decision

receive level receive level

BTSold BTSnew

HO_MARGIN

MS MS
BTSold BTSnew
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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GSM Evolution review

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High-speed circuit-switched data (HSCSD)
• HSCSD is a new high-speed implementation of GSM data techniques.
• It uses four radio channels simultaneously.
• It is capable enough to allow users to access the Internet via the GSM
network at much higher data rates than at present.
• Data rates can be transmitted at 38.4Kbps or even faster over GSM networks.

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General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
• 2.5G
• A packet-switched wireless protocol with transmission rates from 115Kbps to 171Kbps.
• It will be the first service available to offer full instant wireless access to the Web.
• A main benefit is that users are always connected online, and will be charged only for the
amount of data that is transported.
• For GSM providers, this new technology will increase data rates of both circuit switching (High
Speed Circuit Switched Data [HSCSD]) and packet switching (GPRS) by a factor of 10 to 15 times.
• GPRS extends the GSM Packet circuit switched data capabilities and makes the following services
possible:
– "Always on" internet access
– Multimedia messaging service (MMS)
– Push to talk over cellular (PoC/PTT)
– Instant messaging (IM)
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 Evolution of GSM…
• EDGE (Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution)
– 2.5 G , also known as Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS)
– A higher bandwidth version of GPRS with speeds of up to 384Kbps, or twice that available
from GPRS alone.
– It has been evolved from GSM, which is the prevailing standard throughout Europe and the
Asia Pacific region.
– For GSM providers, this new technology will increase data rates of both circuit switching
(HSCSD) and packet switching (GPRS) by a factor of 20 to 30 times.
– More advanced upgrade to GSM than GPRS.
• Additional new hardware and software at base stations.
• Supports a technology path to 3G.
• Uses new modulation schemes (8-PSK) that is used in addition to GSM’s standard
(GMSK(Gaussian minimum-shift keying) )
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Evolution of GSM…
• UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems)
• UMTS will allow a future mass market for high-quality wireless multimedia communications that
will approach two billion users worldwide by the year 2010.
• This new technology will deliver low-cost, high-capacity wireless communications, offering data
rates of 1Mbps to 2Mbps with global roaming and other advanced UMTS services.
– 3G
– 144kbps for vehicular access
– 384 kbps for wide-area coverage (pedestrian)
– 2 Mbps for local coverage (stationary)
– WCDMA (wideband CDMA)
– Adopted by Europe and Japan

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Evolution of GSM…
• CDMA2000 1X
– 3G
– use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile
phones and cell sites.
– up to 153 kbps
• CDMA2000 1xEV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized)
– 3G
– broadband Internet access
– Uses CDMA/TDMA
– up to 3Mbps

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 of Chapter S
nd i

x
Thank You for Your
Attention

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