GSM Fundamentals Huawei

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GSM Fundamentals
GBSS Training Team
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. All rights reserved
Page 2
After the completion of this course, the trainees
should understand the following contents:
Basic idea of GSM system
Features of GSM
The structure of the GSM system.
Certain numbers that refer to BSS
Handovers, frequency hopping and location
updates
Propagation Mechanisms
The idea of EDGE and GPRS
Page 3
BSS Feature Description
BSS Signaling Analysis Manual
BSC Technical Manual
Page 4
Chapter 1 GSM System Overview
Chapter 2 Features of GSM
Chapter 3 GSM Network Structure
Chapter 4 Service Area and Number Planning
Chapter 5 Handover and Frequency hopping
Chapter 6 Location Update
Chapter 7 Propagation Mechanisms
Chapter 8 GPRS & EDGE Introduction
Page 5
GSM system overview
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a set of
recommendations and specifications for a digital cellular telephone
network (known as a Public Land Mobile Network, or PLMN).
These recommendations ensure the compatibility of equipment from
different GSM manufacturers, and interconnectivity between different
administrations, including operation across international boundaries.
GSM networks are digital and can cater for high system capacities.
They are consistent with the world-wide digitization of the telephone
network, and are an extension of the Integrated Services Digital
Network (ISDN), using a digital radio interface between the cellular
network and the mobile subscriber equipment.
Page 6
The GSM system is a frequency- and time-division cellular system,
each physical channel is characterized by a carrier frequency and a
time slot number
Cellular systems are designed to operate with groups of low-power
radios spread out over the geographical service area. Each group of
radios serve MSs presently located near them. The area served by
each group of radios is called a CELL
Uplink and downlink signals for one user are assigned different
frequencies, this kind of technique is called Frequency Division
Duplex (FDD)
Data for different users is conveyed in time intervals called slots ,
several slots make up a frame. This kind of technique is called
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
GSM system overview
Page 7
CELLULAR TELEPHONY
A cellular telephone system links mobile subscribers into the public telephone system or to
another cellular subscriber.
Information between the mobile unit and the cellular network uses radio communication.
Hence the subscriber is able to move around and become fully mobile.
The service area in which mobile communication is to be provided is divided into regions
called cells.
Each cell has the equipment to transmit and receive calls from any subscriber located within
the borders of its radio coverage area.

Radio
Mobile subscriber
Cell
GSM system overview
Page 8
Standard Protocol for GSM take effect
System was named as Global System for
Mobile Communication
GSM system began to provide service in Europe(2G)
Provide services for the whole world
Micro Cell Technique is used in GSM system
1989
1991
1992
1994
1996
GSM History and Overview
Page 9
A certain radio coverage area formed by a set of transceivers that connected to a set of
antennas is called a CELL.
Macro Cell
In the beginning , High-Power BTSs are adopted to provide services. The BTS covers a
wider area , but its frequency utilization is not efficient. So , it can only provide a few
channels for subscribers.
Micro Cell
Later the Low-Power BTS joins the system for getting a better service area with high
capacity . At the same time it adopts the frequency reuse technique to improve the
efficiency of the frequency utilization and also the whole capacity of the network.
Macro Cell and Micro Cell
Cell Definitions
Page 10
Multiple Access Technique allows many subscribers to
use the same communication medium.
There are three kinds of basic Multiple Access Technique :
1) FDMA
2) TDMA and
3) CDMA.
GSM system adopt FDD-TDMA (FDMA and TDMA
together).

Multiple Access Technique
Page 11
FDMA
FDMA uses different frequency channels
to accomplish communication.
The whole frequency spectrum available is
divided into many individual channels (for
transmitting and receiving) every
channel can support the traffic for one
subscriber or some control information.

Frequency
Time
Page 12
TDMA accomplishes the
communication in different
timeslot.
A carrier is divided into channels
based on time. Different signals
occupy different timeslots in
certain sequence , that is , many
signals are transmitted on the same
frequency in different time.
Time
Frequency
TDMA
Page 13
CDMA accomplishes the
communication in different code
sequences.
Special coding is adopted before
transmission, then different
information will lose nothing
after being mixed and
transmitted together on the same
frequency and at the same time.
Time
Frequency
CDMA
Page 14
GSM 900

Uplink

890 915 935 960MHz
Downlink
GSM systems use radio frequencies between 890-915 MHz for receive and between 935-960
MHz for transmit.
RF carriers are spaced every 200 kHz, allowing a total of 124 carriers for use.
An RF carrier is a pair of radio frequencies, one used in each direction.
Transmit and receive frequencies are always separated by 45 MHz.
Frequency Spectrum
Page 15
UPLINK FREQUENCIES DOWNLINK FREQUENCIES
890 915 935 960
880 925
UPLINK AND DOWNLINK FREQUENCY SEPARATED BY 45MHZ
EGSM has 10MHz of bandwidth on both transmit and receive.
Receive bandwidth is from 880 MHz to 890 MHz.
Transmit bandwidth is from 925 MHz to 935 MHz.
Total RF carriers in EGSM is 50 more then GSM.

Extended GSM(EGSM)
Frequency Spectrum
Page 16
Base Station Receive

1710 1785 1805 1880MHz
Base Station Transmit
DCS 1800
DCS1800 systems use radio frequencies between 1710-1785 MHz for receive and
between 1805-1880 MHz for transmit.
RF carriers are spaced every 200 kHz, allowing a total of 373 carriers.
Transmit and receive frequencies are always separated by 95 MHz.
Frequency Spectrum
Page 17
Frequency Spectrum
Page 18
Page 19
INCREASED CAPACITY
The GSM system provides a greater subscriber capacity than analogue systems.
GSM allows 25 kHz per user, that is, eight conversations per 200 kHz channel pair (a
pair comprising one transmit channel and one receive channel).
Digital channel coding and the modulation used makes the signal resistant to
interference from cells where the same frequencies are re-used (co-channel
interference).
This allows increased geographic reuse by permitting a reduction in the number of
cells in the reuse pattern.
Features of GSM
Page 20
AUDIO QUALITY
Digital transmission of speech and high performance digital signal processors provide good
quality speech transmission.
Since GSM is a digital technology, the signals passed over a digital air interface can be protected
against errors by using better error detection and correction techniques.
In regions of interference or noise-limited operation the speech quality is noticeably better than
analogue.
USE OF STANDARDISED OPEN INTERFACES
Standard interfaces such as C7 and X25 are used throughout the system. Hence different
manufacturers can be selected for different parts of the PLMN.
There is a high flexibilty in where the Network components are situated.
Features of GSM
Page 21

IMPROVED SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
GSM offers high speech and data confidentiality.
Subscriber authentication can be performed by the system to check if a
subscriber is a valid subscriber or not.
The GSM system provides for high degree of confidentiality for the
subscriber. Calls are encoded and ciphered when sent over air.
The mobile equipment can be identified independently from the mobile
subscriber. The mobile has a identity number hard coded into it when it is
manufactured. This number is stored in a standard database and whenever
a call is made the equipment can be checked to see if it has been reported
stolen.
Features of GSM
Page 22

CLEANER HANDOVERS
GSM uses Mobile assisted handover technique.
The mobile itself carries out the signal strength and quality measurement of its
server and signal strength measurement of its neighbors.
This data is passed on the Network which then uses sophisticated algorithms to
determine the need of handover.
SUBSCRIBER IDENTIFICATION
In a GSM system the mobile station and the subscriber are identified
separately.
The subscriber is identified by means of a smart card known as a SIM.
This enables the subscriber to use different mobile equipment while retaining
the same subscriber number.
Features of GSM
Page 23

ENHANCED RANGE OF SERVICES
Speech services for normal telephony.
Short Message Service for point ot point transmission of text
message.
Cell broadcast for transmission of text message from the cell to all
MS in its coverage area. Message like traffic information or
advertising can be transmitted.
Fax and data services are provided. Data rates available are 2.4 Kb/s,
4.8 Kb/s and 9.6 Kb/s.
Supplementary services like number identification , call barring, call
forwarding, charging display etc can be provided.
Features of GSM
Page 24
FREQUENCY REUSE
There are total 124 carriers in GSM900 (additional 50 carriers are available in EGSM band).
Each carrier has 8 timeslots and if 7 can be used for traffic then a maximum of 868 ( 124 X 7 )
calls can be made. This is not enough and hence frequencies have to be reused.
The same RF carrier can be used for many conversations in several different cells at the same
time.
6
4
3
7
2
The radio carriers available are allocated according to a regular
pattern which repeats over the whole coverage area.
The pattern to be used depends on traffic requirement and spectrum
availability.
Some typical repeat patterns are 4*3,3*3, 7*3 etc.
The different Subscribers can use the same frequency in different
places.
The quality of communication must be ensured.
5
1
2
1
Features of GSM
Page 25
4 site X 3 cells reuse
1
8
9
2
10
4
6
5
3
7
11
12
R
Frequency Reuse
Page 26
Cell Types
Omni
1
120
degree
1
2
3
Omni-directional Cell
120 Degree Cell
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Page 28
GSM /GPRS BSS
BTS
BSC
BTS
BSC
PCU

SS7
SMS system
PSTN
ISDN
Internet,
Intranet
MSC/VLR GMSC
HLR/AUC
SGSN
CG
BG
GGSN
GPRS Backbone
Other PLMN
MS
MS
OMC
GSM-GPRS Network Component
Page 29
GSM /GPRS BSS
BTS
BSC
BTS
BSC
PCU

SS7
SMS system
PSTN
ISDN
Internet,
Intranet
MSC/VLR GMSC
HLR/AUC
SGSN
CG
BG
GGSN
GPRS backbone
Other PLMN
A
Gb
Gi
Gp
C/D/Gs
Gr/Gs/Gd/Ge
Gc
Ga
Abis
Um
MS
MS
OMC
I nterface Between Different Entities
Page 30
Mobile StationMS
An MS is used by a mobile subscriber to communicate with the mobile
network. Several types of MSs exist, each allowing the subscriber to make and
receive calls.
The range or coverage area of an MS depends on the output power of the
output. Different types of MSs have different output power capabilities and
consequently different ranges.
GSM MSs consist of
A mobile terminal
A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
In GSM the subscriber is separated from the mobile terminal. Each
subscribers information is stored as a smart card SIM. The SIM can be
plugged into any GSM mobile terminal. This brings the advantages of security
and portability of subscribers.
Page 31
Mobiles are classified into five classes
according to their power rating.
CLASS POWER OUTPUT
1 20W
2 8W
3 5W
4 2W
5 0.8W
SIM
Mobile StationMS
Page 32
BTS
BSC
TC/SM
BSS
MSC
The Base Station Controller
BSC
The Base Transceiver Station
BTS
The Trans-coder TC and Sub
multiplexer (SM)

Base Station Subsystem-BSS
Page 33
The BSS is the fixed end of the radio interface that provides control and radio coverage
functions for one or more cells and their associated MSs.
It is the interface between the MS and the MSC.
The BSS comprises one or more Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), each containing the radio
components that communicate with MSs in a given area, and a Base Site Controller (BSC)
which supports call processing functions and the interfaces to the MSC.
Digital radio techniques are used for the radio communications link, known as the Air
Interface, between the BSS and the MS.
The BSS consists of three basic Network Elements (NEs).
Transcoder (XCDR) or Remote transcoder (RXCDR) .
Base Station Controller (BSC).
Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) assigned to the BSC.

Base Station Subsystem-BSS
Page 34
The speech transcoder is the interface between the 64 kbit/s PCM channel in the land network and
the 13 kbit/s channel used on the Air Interface.
This reduces the amount of information carried on the Air Interface and hence, its bandwidth.
If the 64 kbits/s PCM is transmitted on the air interface without occupation, it would occupy an
excessive amount of radio bandwidth. This would use the available radio spectrum inefficiently.
The required bandwidth is therefore reduced by processing the 64 kbits/s PCM data so that the
amount of information required to transmit digitized voice falls to 13kb/s.
The XCDR can multiplex 4 traffic channels into a single 64 kbit/s timeslot. Thus a E1/T1 serial
link can carry 4 times as many channels.
This can reduce the number of E1/T1 leased lines required to connect remotely located
equipment.
When the transcoder is between the MSC and the BSC it is called a remote transcoder (RXCDR).

Transcoder
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30 Timeslots
1 traffic channel / TS
64 Kbps / TS
4 E1 lines = 30 X 4
=120 Timeslots
Each Timeslot =16 X 4
= 64 Kb/s
30 timeslots = 30 x 4
=120 traffic channels
MSC XCDR BSC
0 1 2 31 16
Transcoded information from four calls
Transcoder
Page 36

The BSC network element provides the control for the BSS.
It controls and manages the associated BTSs, and interfaces with the Operations and
Maintenance Centre (OMC).
The purpose of the BSC is to perform a variety of functions. The following comprise the
functions provided by the BSC:
Controls the BTS components.-
Performs Call Processing.
Performs Operations and Maintenance (O & M).
Provides the O & M link (OML) between the BSS and the OMC.
Provides the A Interface between the BSS and the MSC.
Manages the radio channels.
Transfers signaling information to and from MSs.

Base Station Controller-BSC
Page 37

The BTS network element consists of the hardware
components, such as radios, interface modules and antenna
systems that provide the Air Interface between the BSS and the
MSs.
The BTS provides radio channels (RF carriers) for a specific
RF coverage area.
The radio channel is the communication link between the MSs
within an RF coverage area and the BSS.
The BTS also has a limited amount of control functionality
which reduces the amount of traffic between the BTS and BSC.

Base Tran receiver Station-BTS
Page 38
MSC BSC BTS12
BTS1
BTS2
BTS4
BTS3 BTS11
BTS13 BTS14
BTS5
BTS6
BTS7
BTS8
BTS9
BTS11
Open ended Daisy Chain
Daisy Chain with
a fork. Fork has a
return loop back
to the chain
Star
Daisy Chain with
a fork. Fork has a
return loop back
to the chain
BTS Connectivity
Page 39
BTS
BSC
TC/SM
BSS
MSC
Packet data switching
Bridge between SGSN
and BSC
Provide Pb and Gb
interface
GPRS
Backbone
PCU
SGSN
Packet Control Unit - PCU
Page 40
Mobile-service Switching Center MSC
Home Location Register HLR
Visitor Location Register VLR
Equipment Identity Register EIR
Authentication Center AUC
Echo Cancellor EC
AUC
HLR
MSC/VLR
PSTN
NSS
EIR OMC
BSS
EC
Network Switching System
Page 41
The Mobile services Switching Centre (MSC) co-ordinates the setting up of calls to
and from GSM users.
It is the telephone switching office for MS originated or terminated traffic and
provides the appropriate bearer services, teleservices and supplementary services.
It controls a number of Base Station Sites (BSSs) within a specified geographical
coverage area and gives the radio subsystem access to the subscriber and equipment
databases.
The MSC carries out several different functions depending on its position in the
network.
When the MSC provides the interface between PSTN and the BSS in the GSM
network it is called the Gateway MSC.
Some important functions carried out by MSC are Call processing including control
of data/voice call setup, inter BSS & inter MSC handovers, control of mobility
management, Operation & maintenance support including database management,
traffic metering and man machine interface & managing the interface between GSM
& PSTN N/W.

Mobile-service Switching Center - MSC
Page 42
The HLR contains the master database of all subscribers in the PLMN.
This data is remotely accessed by the MSCs and VLRs in the network. The data can also
be accessed by an MSC or a VLR in a different PLMN to allow inter-system and inter-
country roaming.
A PLMN may contain more than one HLR, in which case each HLR contains a portion of
the total subscriber database. There is only one database record per subscriber.
The subscribers data may be accessed by the IMSI or the MSISDN.
The parameters stored in HLR are
Subscribers ID (IMSI and MSISDN )
Current subscriber VLR.
Supplementary services subscribed to.
Supplementary services information (eg. Current forwarding address ).
Authentication key and AUC functionality.
TMSI and MSRN
Home Location Register - HLR
Page 43
The Visited Location Register (VLR) is a local subscriber database, holding
details on those subscribers who enter the area of the network that it covers.
The details are held in the VLR until the subscriber moves into the area
serviced by another VLR.
The data includes most of the information stored at the HLR, as well as more
precise location and status information.
The additional data stored in VLR are
Mobile status ( Busy / Free / No answer etc. )
Location Area Identity ( LAI )
Temporary Mobile Subscribers Identity ( TMSI )
Mobile Station Roaming Number ( MSRN )
The VLR provides the system elements local to the subscriber, with basic
information on that subscriber, thus removing the need to access the HLR
every time subscriber information is required.
Visitor Location Register -VLR
Page 44
The AUC is a processor system that
perform authentication function.
It is normally co-located with the HLR.
The authentication process usually takes
place each time the subscriber initializes
on the system.
Each subscriber is assigned an
authentication key (Ki) which is stored in
the SIM and at the AUC.
Authentication Centre - AUC
Page 45
IMEI is Checked In White List
IMEI is Checked in Black/Grey List
If NOT found
EIR focus on the
equipment , not the
subscriber!!
White List: All Valid
assigned IDs
Black List: Service
allowed but noted
Grey List: Service
denied
Equipment I dentity Register - EI R
Page 46
The OMC controls and monitors the Network elements within a region.
The OMC also monitors the quality of service being provided by the Network.
The following are the main functions performed by the OMC-R
The OMC allows network devices to be manually removed for or restored to
service. The status of network devices can be checked from the OMC and tests
and diagnostics invoked.
The alarms generated by the Network elements are reported and logged at the
OMC. The OMC-R Engineer can monitor and analyse these alarms and take
appropriate action like informing the maintenance personal.
The OMC keeps on collecting and accumulating traffic statistics from the
network elements for analysis.
Software loads can be downloaded to network elements or uploaded to the
OMC.
Operation and maintenance Centre for Radio OMC-R
Page 47
OS
MMI
DB
Event/Alarm
Management
Security
Management
Configuration
Management
Performance
Management
Fault
Management
OMC Functional Architecture
Page 48
Different
I nterfaces
in
GSM
Page 49

The terrestrial interfaces comprises all the connections between the GSM
system entities ,apart from the Um or air interface.
The terrestrial interfaces transport the traffic across the system and allows the
passage of thousands of data messages to make the system function.
The standard interfaces used are
2 Mb/s
Signaling System (C7 or SS7)
Packet Switched Data
Abis using the LAPD protocol (Link Access Procedure D )
Terrestrial I nterface
Page 50
Each interface specified in GSM has a name associated with it.

I nterface Names
NAME INTERFACE
Um MS ----- BTS
Abis BTS ----- BSC
Ater BSC ----- TRC
A MSC ------ BSC
B MSC ------ VLR
C MSC ------ HLR
D VLR ----- HLR
E MSC ------ MSC
F MSC ------ EIR
G VLR ------ VLR
H HLR ------ AUC
Page 51
This interface carries the traffic from the PSTN to the MSC, between MSCs, from
the MSC to the BSCs and from the BSCs to the BTSs.
It represents the physical layer in the OSI model.
Each 2 Mb/s link provides 30 traffic channels available to carry speech ,data or
control information.
Typical Configuration
TS 0 TS 1-15 TS 16
TS 17 - 31
TS 0 - Frame allignment/ Error checking/ Signalling/ Alarms
TS 1-15 , 17-31 - Traffic
TS 16 - Siganlling
2 Mbits/s Trunk 30-Channel PCM
Page 52
Page 53

PLMN service area
......
Service Area

MSC service area...
Location area...
cell
PLMN service area PLMN service area
MSC service area...
Location area...
cell
Service Area
Page 54
Location Area Identification
The LAI is the international code for a location area.
MCC: Mobile Country CodeIt consists of 3 digits .
For example: The MCC of China is "460"
MNC: Mobile Network CodeIt consists of 2 digits .
For example: The MNC of China Mobile is "00"
LAC: Location Area CodeIt is a two bytes hex code.
The value 0000 and FFFF is invalid.
For example: 460-00-0011
MCC
MNC LAC
LAI
Page 55
CGI
The CGI is a unique international identification for a cell
The format is LAI+CI
LAI: Location Area Identification
CI: Cell Identity. This code uses two bytes hex code to identify
the cells within an LAI.
For example : 460-00-0011-0001
CGI: Cell Global Identification
Page 56
BSI C
NCC: PLMN network color code. It comprises 3 bit. It
allows various neighboring PLMNs to be
distinguished.
BCC: BTS color code. It comprises 3 bit, used to
distinguish different cells assigned the same
frequency!
NCC BCC
BSIC
BSICBase Station Identification Color Code)
Page 57
CC: Country Code. For example: The CC of China is "86".
NDC: National Destination Code. For example: The NDC of China
Telecom is 139, 138, 137, 136, 135.
SN: Subscriber Number. Format:H0 H1 H2 H3 ABCD
Example: 86-139-0666-1234
MSI SDN
CC
NDC SN
National (significant)
Mobile number
Mobile station international
ISDN number
Page 58
MCC: Mobile Country CodeIt consists of 3 digits .
For example: The MCC of China is "460"
MNC: Mobile Network CodeIt consists of 2 digits .
For example: The MNC of China Telecom is "00"
MSIN: Mobile Subscriber Identification Number. H1H2H3 S ABCDEF
For example: 666-9777001
NMSI: National Mobile Subscriber IdentificationMNC and MSIN
form it together.
For Example of IMSI : 460-00-666-9777001
Not more than 15 digits
3 digits 2 digits
IMSI
MCC MNC
MSIN
NMSI
I MSI
Page 59
TMSI
The TMSI is assigned only after successful subscriber
authentication.
The VLR controls the allocation of new TMSI numbers and
notifies them to the HLR.
TMSI is used to ensure that the identity of the mobile subscriber
on the air interface is kept secret.
The TMSI consists of 4 bytes( 8 HEX numbers) and determined by
the operator.
TMSI: Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identification)
Page 60
I MEI
TAC FAC SNR
SP
IMEI
IMEI: International Mobile Station Equipment Identification
TAC: Type approval code, 6 bit, determined by the type approval center
FAC: Final assembly code, 2 bit, It is determined by the manufacturer.
SNR: Serial number, 6 bits, It is issued by the manufacturer of the MS.
SP: 1 bit , Not used.
Check the IMEI in your MS : *#06#
Page 61
Page 62
The GSM handover process uses a mobile assisted technique for accurate and
fast handovers, in order to:
Maintain the user connection link quality.
Manage traffic distribution
The overall handover process is implemented in the MS,BSS & MSC.
Measurement of radio subsystem downlink performance and signal strengths
received from surrounding cells, is made in the MS.
These measurements are sent to the BSS for assessment.
The BSS measures the uplink performance for the MS being served and also
assesses the signal strength of interference on its idle traffic channels.
Initial assessment of the measurements in conjunction with defined thresholds
and handover strategy may be performed in the BSS. Assessment requiring
measurement results from other BSS or other information resident in the
MSC, may be perform. in the MSC.
Handover
Page 63
The MS assists the handover decision process by performing
certain measurements.
When the MS is engaged in a speech conversation, a portion
of the TDMA frame is idle while the rest of the frame is
used for uplink (BTS receive) and downlink (BTS transmit)
timeslots.
During the idle time period of the frame, the MS changes
radio channel frequency and monitors and measures the
signal level of the six best neighbor cells.
Measurements which feed the handover decision algorithm
are made at both ends of the radio link.

Handover
Page 64

At the MS end, measurements are continuously signalled, via the
associated control channel, to the BSS where the decision for handover
is ultimately made.
MS measurements include:
Serving cell downlink quality (bit error rate (BER) estimate.
Serving cell downlink received signal level, and six best neighbor
cells downlink received signal level.
The MS also decodes the Base Station ID Code (BSIC) from the six
best neighbor cells, and reports the BSICs and the measurement
information to the BSS.

MS END
Handover
Page 65

The BTS measures the uplink link quality, received signal level, and MS
to BTS site distance.
The MS RF transmit output power budget is also considered in the
handover decision.
If the MS can be served by a neighbor cell at a lower power, the
handover is recommended.
From a system perspective, handover may be considered due to loading
or congestion conditions. In this case, the MSC or BSC tries to balance
channel usage among cells.
BTS END
Handover
Page 66
Handover takes place in the same cell from one timeslot to another timeslot of the same
carrier or different carriers( but the same cell).
Intra-cell handover is triggered only if the cause is interference.
Intra-cell handover can be enabled or disabled in a cell.

Intra-Cell Handover
BSC
BTS
Call is handed
from timeslot 3 to timeslot 5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Handover Types
Page 67
Handover takes place between different cell which are controlled by the same BSC.

Intra-BSC Handover
BSC1
BTS1
Call is handed from timeslot 3
of cell1 to timeslot 1 of cell2 .
Both the cells are controlled
by the same BSC.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Page 68
Handover takes place between different cell which are controlled by the different BSC.
Inter-BSC Handover
BSC1
BTS1
by the different BSC.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
BSC2
MSC
BTS2
Page 69
Handover takes place between different cell which are controlled by the different BSC and
each BSC is controlled by different MSC.

Inter-MSC Handover
BSS1
BTS1
by the different BSC, each BSC
being controlled by different MSC.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
BSS2
MSC1
BTS2
MSC2
Page 70
Information is
transmitted
by different frequencies
at
different timeslot

Voice
Modulated
RF signal
f
1
f
2
f
3
f
4
f
1
Frequency Hopping
Page 71
I ntroduction to Frequency Hopping

Can be used to improve the quality of the network
Also can be used to increase the capacity of the Network
thereby reducing the number of sites required for
CAPACITY.
The way it works:
Each burst is transmitted on a different frequency
Both mobile and base station follow the same hopping
sequence

Page 72

I ntroduction to Frequency Hopping
Fading
Causes quality deterioration
Is frequency dependent
FH diversifies the impact of fading and improves quality.
The immunity to fading increases by exploiting its frequency selectivity, because using
different frequencies the probability of being continuously affected by fading is reduced, so
the transmission link quality is improved.
This improvement is much more noticeable for slow moving mobiles.

Page 73
I ncreased immunity to Fading
In a cellular urban environment in most cases multipath propagation will be
present and, as a consequence of that, important short term variations in the
received level are frequent . This is called Raleigh fading which results in
quality degradation because some of the information will be corrupted.
For a fast moving mobile, the fading situation can be avoided from one burst
to another because it also depends on the position of the mobile so the
problem is not so serious.
For a stationary one the reception may be permanently affected resulting in
a very bad quality, even a drop call.
Once the information is received by the mobile or the base station, the only
way to cope with the disturbance produced by the fading (errors in the
information bits) are the decoding and de-interleaving processes, with an
effectiveness limited by the number of errors they have to deal with.

Page 74
I ncreased immunity to Fading

Interference
A result of frequency reuse & irregular terrain and sites.
FH diversifies the impact of interference and improves quality
The situation of permanent interference coming from neighbour
cells transmitting the same or adjacent frequencies is avoided
using Frequency Hopping because the calls will spend the time
moving through different frequencies not equally affected by
interfering signals. This effect is called Interference Averaging.
Page 75
Types of Hopping
Base Band Hopping (BBH)
The radio units transmit always the same frequency.
Number of frequencies for hopping = Number of carriers
The radio units are always transmitting a fixed frequency and
frequency hopping is performed by moving the information for
every call among the available radio units in a cell on a per
burst basis.
In reception the call is always processed by the same radio unit
(the one where the call started).
The number of frequencies to hop over is limited by the
number of radio units equipped in the cell.
The BCCH carrier can hop in timeslots 1 to 7.
Page 76
Types of Hopping
Synthesiser Frequency Hopping (SFH)
The radio units change (retune) the frequency every
burst.
The call always stays in the same radio unit.
Number of frequencies for hopping > Number of
carriers.
The radio units can hop over a range of different
frequencies.
Hybrid combiners are required in the base station
(Cavity Combiners can not be used with SFH).
The BCCH carrier can never hop.

Page 77
Page 78
MSC should always know the location of the MS so that it can contact it by sending pages
whenever required.
The mobile keeps on informing the MSC about its current location area or whenever it
changes from one LA to another.
This process of informing the MSC is known as location updating.
The new LA is updated in the VLR.
LAI = MCC + MNC + LAC
MCC MNC LAC
3 digits
1-2 digits Max 16 bits
MCC = Mobile country code.
MNC = Mobile Network Code.
LAC = Location area code. Identifies a location area within a GSM PLMN network. The
maximum length of LAC is 16 bits. Thus 65536 different LA can be defined in one GSM
PLMN.
Location Update
Page 79
Normal location update
Periodic location update
IMSI attach

Normal Location Update

Mobile powers on and is idle.
Reads the LAI broadcast on the BCCH.
Compares with the last stored LAI and if it is different does a location
update.

Location Update Types
Page 80
IMSI Attach
Saves the network from paging a MS which is not active in the system.
When MS is turned off or SIM is removed the MS sends a detach signal to the
Network. It is marked as detached.
When the MS is powered again it reads the current LAI and if it is same does a
location update type IMSI attach.
Attach/detach flag is broadcast on the BCCH sys info.

Periodic Location Update
Many times the MS enters non-coverage zone.
The MSC will keep on paging the MS thus wasting precious resources.
To avoid this the MS has to inform the MSC about its current LAI in a set period
of time.
This time ranges from 0 to 255 deci-hours.
Periodic location timer value is broadcast on BCCH sys info messages.
Page 81
Page 82

Reflection
Occurs when a wave impinges upon a smooth surface.
Dimensions of the surface are large relative to .
Reflections occur from the surface of the earth and from buildings and walls.
Diffraction (Shadowing)
Occurs when the path is blocked by an object with large dimensions relative to
and sharp irregularities (edges).
Secondary wavelets propagate into the shadowed region.
Diffraction gives rise to bending of waves around the obstacle.
Scattering
Occurs when a wave impinges upon an object with dimensions on the order of
or less, causing the reflected energy to spread out orscatter in many directions.
Small objects such as street lights, signs, & leaves cause scattering.
Page 83

Multiple Waves Create Multipath
Due to propagation mechanisms, multiple waves arrive at the receiver
Sometimes this includes a direct Line-of-Sight (LOS) signal
Multipath
Page 84

Multipath Propagation
Multipath propagation causes large and rapid fluctuations in a signal
These fluctuations are not the same as the propagation path loss.
Multipath causes three major things
Rapid changes in signal strength over a short distance or time.
Random frequency modulation due to Doppler Shifts on different
multipath signals.
Time dispersion caused by multipath delays
These are called fading effects
Multipath propagation results in small-scale fading.
Multipath
Page 85

The communication between the base station and mobile station in mobile systems is mostly
non-LOS.
The LOS path between the transmitter and the receiver is affected by terrain and obstructed by
buildings and other objects.
The mobile station is also moving in different directions at different speeds.
The RF signal from the transmitter is scattered by reflection and diffraction and reaches the
receiver through many non-LOS paths.
This non-LOS path causes long-term and short term fluctuations in the form of log-normal
fading and Raleigh and Rican fading, which degrades the performance of the RF channel.
What is Fading?
S
i
g
n
a
l

P
o
w
e
r

(
d
B
m
)

Large scale fading component
Small scale fading
component
Page 86

This phenomenon is due to multipath propagation of the signal.
The Raleigh fading is applicable to obstructed propagation paths.
All the signals are NLOS signals and there is no dominant direct path.
Signals from all paths have comparable signal strengths.
The instantaneous received power seen by a moving antenna becomes a random variable
depending on the location of the antenna.

Rayleigh fading
Page 87

This phenomenon is due to multipath propagation of the signal.
In this case there is a partially scattered field.
One dominant signal.
Others are weaker.

Ricean fading
Page 88
Receive diversity provides an effective technique for both overcoming the impact of
fading across the radio channel and increasing the received signal to interference ratio.

The former is achieved by ensuring uncorrelated (i.e. low enough correlated) fading
between antenna branches i.e. not all antennas experience fades at the same time.

Diversity
Building
Building
Building
Page 89

In a typical cellular radio environment, the communication
between the cell site and mobile is not by a direct radio path
but via many paths.
The direct path between the transmitter and the receiver is
obstructed by buildings and other objects.
Hence the signal that arrives at the receiver is either by
reflection from the flat sides of buildings or by diffraction
around man made or natural obstructions.
When various incoming radio waves arrive at the receiver
antenna, they combine constructively or destructively, which
leads to a rapid variation in signal strength.
The signal fluctuations are known as multi-path fading.

Need of Diversity
Page 90
Time diversity
Coding, interleaving
Frequency diversity
Frequency hopping
Space diversity
Multiple antennas
Polarization diversity
Dual-polarized antennas
Multi-path diversity
Equalizer
t
f
Kind of Diversity
Page 91

Interference is the sum of all signal contributions that are neither noise not the wanted signal.
I nterference
Page 92

Interference is a major limiting factor in the performance of cellular systems.
It causes degradation of signal quality.
It introduces bit errors in the received signal.
Bit errors are partly recoverable by means of channel coding and error correction
mechanisms.
The interference situation is not reciprocal in the uplink and downlink direction.
Mobile stations and base stations are exposed to different interference situation.
Effects of I nterference
Source of I nterference
Another mobile in the same cell.
A call in progress in the neighboring cell.
Other base stations operating on the same frequency.
Any non-cellular system which leaks energy into the cellular frequency
band.

Page 93

TYPES OF I NTERFERENCE
There are two types of system generated interference
Co-channel interference
Adjacent channel interference

Co-Channel Interference
This type of interference is the due to frequency reuse , i.e. several cells use the same set of
frequency.
These cells are called co-channel cells.
Co-channel interference cannot be combated by increasing the power of the transmitter. This is
because an increase in carrier transmit power increases the interference to neighboring co-channel
cells.
To reduce co-channel interference, co-channel cells must be physically separated by a minimum
distance to provide sufficient isolation due to propagation or reduce the footprint of the cell.
Page 94

Adjacent-Channel Interference

Interference resulting from signals which are adjacent in
frequency to the desired signal is called adjacent channel
interference.
Adjacent channel interference results from imperfect
receiver filters which allow nearby frequencies to leak into
the passband.
Adjacent channel interference can be minimized through
careful filtering and channel assignments.
By keeping the frequency separation between each channel
in a given cell as large as possible , the adjacent
interference may be reduced considerably.
Page 95
Page 96
General packet radio service-GPRS
The first phase of GSM network architecture enhancements
that allow mobiles to connect to IP or X.25 networks.
Characteristics of GPRS:
Packet-switched
Data rate: 9Kbps ~ 150Kbps
New functionalities: point-to-point data transferring,
routing, logical link management, radio resource
management
Modulation: GMSK
Page 97
Characteristics
Uses 200kHz carrier/multi-slot operation, time slot
structure
Modulation: 8PSK(8-phase Shift Keying)
modulation(3bits per modulated symbol) <->
apposed to the 1-bit per symbol GMSK in
GSM/GPRS
Data rates: 384Kbps
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
Page 98
57.6 kbps

115 kbps
384 kbps
2 Mbps
GSM
HSCSD
GPRS
EDGE
IMT-2000
9.6 kbps
2G
2.5G
3G
GSM Development Evolution
Page 99
The basic idea of GSM
The features of GSM
The structure of GSM
Certain service area and numbers
Handover, Frequency hopping and
Location Updates.
Evolution of GSM
www.huawei.com
Thank You

GSM Fundamentals Huawei

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