Network Color Codes

In a GSM network, there can be configurations where the mobile station is able to capture more than one beacon channel (BCCH: Broadcast Control Channel using a gi!en fre"uenc#$ %his ma# happen when fre"uenc# planning must be done with !er# few fre"uencies, or at national boundaries$ &or instance, when the radio spectrum a!ailable to a gi!en operator is limited to, sa#, ' MH(, fre"uenc# planning must cope with at most )* fre"uencies$ %he best beacon fre"uenc# allocation scheme ma# not be able to a!oid o!erlapping co!erage, and a mobile station will in some cases recei!e two beacon channels with the same fre"uenc#$ + similar situation is also fre"uent along national boundaries$ ,hereas inside a countr#, the fre"uenc# allocation of different operators are separate and distinct, two -ublic .and Mobile /etwork operators on each side of the border ma# ha!e some fre"uencies in common$ In turn, a mobile station will be in a position to recei!e the same beacon fre"uenc# transmitted b# two base stations of different -.M/s$ %he purpose of the color codes is to pro!ide a method for the mobile station to distinguish between two different cells, in the same or different networks, using the same beacon fre"uenc#$ %wo cell0identit# parameters are pro!ided in GSM: the Base Station Color code (BCC and the /etwork Color Code (/CC $ %he two combined make up the Base Station Identit# Code (BSIC , which is broadcast on the S#nchroni(ation Channel (SCH $ ,ithin the same network, the identification can be done on the basis of the Base Station Color Code$ %he allocation of this code is purel# a network operator choice$ ,here networks o!erlap, the uni"ue network identification is achie!ed using the /etwork Color Code$ /CCs are not allocated b# a central bod#1 -.M/ operators must agree on which /CCs are to be used$