GSM System

Prof. S.-I. Sou EE, NCKU Fall, 2008

Outlines
Introduction GSM Architecture Air Interface Location Tracking and Call Setup Mobility Management Summary

GSM Architecture

GSM Architecture

MAP interface

Mobile Station (MS)

Also called Mobile Terminal (MT) The MS consists of two parts:
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Mobile Equipment (ME)

SIM

A SIM contains subscriber-related information

A list of abbreviated and customized short dialing numbers Short message Names of preferred Networks to provide service

Personal Identity Number (PIN) . SIM information can be modified:

By the subscriber either by keypad or a PC using an RS232 connection By sending codes through short messages (network operators)
6

Mobile Equipment (ME)

ME: non-customer-related hardware and software specific to the radio interface ME can not be used if no SIM is on the MS.
Except for emergency calls

The SIM-ME design supports portability:

The MS is the property of the subscriber. The SIM is the property of the service provider.

Base Station System (BSS)

The Base Station System (BSS) connects the MS and NSS. BSS contains
Base transceiver station (BTS) Base station controller (BSC)

NSS (1/2)
Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS)
Telephone switching functions Subscriber profiles Mobility management

Components in NSS:
MSC: provide basic switching function Gateway MSC (GMSC): route an incoming call to an MSC by interrogating the HLR directly.

NSS (2/2)
Components in NSS (continuous):
HLR and VLR maintain the current location of the MS. Authentication Center (AuC) is used in the security management. Equipment Identity Register (EIR) is used for the registration of MS equipment.

10

Mobility Databases
The hierarchical databases used in GSM.
The home location register (HLR) is a database used for MS information management. The visitor location register (VLR) is the database of the service area visited by an MS.

HLR VLR 1 MSC 1 MSC 2

11

VLR 2

Home Location Register (HLR)

An HLR record consists of 3 types of information:
Mobile station information
IMSI (used by the MS to access the network) MSISDN (the ISDN numberPhone Number of the MS)

Location information
ISDN number of the VLR (where the MS resides) ISDN number of the MSC (where the MS resides)

Service information
service subscription service restrictions supplementary services

12

Visitor Location Register (VLR)

The VLR information consists of three parts:
Mobile Station Information
IMSI MSISDN TMSI

Location Information
MSC Number Location Area ID (LAI)

Service Information
A subset of the service Information stored in HLR

13

Registration

MS powers on. By using FCCH and SCH to synchronize with the BTS. From BCCH, the MS gets the cell global identity (CGI).
BS 1

MS registers with the MSC.

BS 2

BS 3

14

GSM Call Origination

15

GSM Call Termination

MS
PCH(page MS) RACH(request signaling channel) AGCH(assign signaling channel) SDCCH(respond to paging)

BSS

SDCCH message exchanges for call setup

16

Location Tracking and Call Setup

17

Location Area
Location area (LA) is the basic unit for location tracking. Location Area Identification (LAI)

MSC
LA 2

MSC MSC
LA 3

LA 1
18

Key Terms
GSM uses some identifiers
Mobile system ISDN (MSISDN) Mobile Station Roaming Number (MSRN) International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI) International Mobile station Equipment Identity (IMEI) Location Area Identity (LAI) Cell Global Identity (CAI)

19

MSISDN
Mobile System ISDN
MSISDN uses the same format as the ISDN address (based on ITU-T Recommendation E.164). HLR uses MSISDN to provide routing instructions to other components in order to reach the subscriber.

Total up to 15 digits Country code (CC) National destination code (NDC) Subscriber number (SN)
20

MSRN
Mobile Station Roaming Number The routing address to route the call to the MS through the visited MSC.
MSRN=CC+NDC+SN

21

IMSI
International Mobile Subscriber Identity
Each mobile unit is identified uniquely with an IMSI. IMSI includes the country, mobile network, mobile subscriber. Total up to 15 digits

3 digits

1- 2 digits

Up to 10 digits

Mobile country Mobile network Mobile subscriber code (MCC) code (MNC) identification code (MSIC)
22

TMSI
Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identify
TMSI is an alias used in place of the IMSI. This value is sent over the air interface in place of the IMSI for purposes of security.

23

IMEI
International Mobile Station Equipment Identity
IMEI is assigned to the GSM at the factory. When a GSM component passes conformance and interoperability tests, it is given a TAC. Up to 15 digits

3 digits Type approval code (FAC)

2 digits

Up to 10 digits

Final assembly Serial number (MSIC) code (FAC) Spare 1 digit

24

LAI
Location Area Identity
LAI identifies a location area (LA). When an MS roams into another cell, if it is in the same LAI, no information is exchanged. Total up to 15 digits

3 digits

1-2 digits

Up to 10 digits

Mobile country Mobile network Location area code (LAC) code (MCC) code (MNC)
25

CGI
Cell Global Identity CGI = LAI + CI = MCC + MNC + LAC + CI
CI : Cell Identity

26

Identifiers and Components

MSISDN MSRN IMSI TMSI LAI CGI MSC
27

HLR

VLR/MSC

BSC

BTS

MS

The Mobile Call Termination (Delivery) Procedure

IMSI MSISDN
1 1
Cloud Other Cloud Cloud Switches

IMSI HLR
2 1 2

GMSC

VLR

MSRN
3

MSRN

MSISDN

PSTN

Cloud Other Cloud Cloud Switches

MSC

28

GSM Location Update

29

MS Registration Process

deregistration VLR
5

HLR 3

HLR location update IMSI

New VLR

TMSI
Old VLR 2

MSs IMSI
1 4

new TMSI

TMSI

30

Periodically Registration
The MS periodically send registration messages to the network. The period is 6 minutes to 24 hours. Periodic registration is useful for fault-tolerance purposes.

31

Location Update Concept

Registration: the location update procedure initiated by the MS:
Step 1. BS periodically broadcasts the LA address. Step 2. When an MS finds the LA of BS different from the one stored in it memory, it sends a registration message to the network. Step 3. The location information is update.

32

GSM Basic Location Update Procedure

In GSM, registration or location update occurs when an MS moves from one LA to another. Three cases of location update:
Case 1. Inter-LA Movement Case 2. Inter-MSC Movement Case 3. Inter-VLR Movement

33

Inter-LA Movement (1/2)

Two LAs belong to the same MSC. Four major steps:
Step 1. MS sends a location update request message (MSBTSMSC) .
Parameters included: Previous LA, previous MSC and previous VLR. IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) is used to identify MS. However, the MS identifies itself by the Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI). TMSI is used to avoid sending the IMSI on the radio path. TMSI is temporary identity is allocated to an MS by the VLR at inter-VLR registration.
34

Inter-LA Movement (2/2)

The Process continues:
Step 2. The MSC forwards the location update request to the VLR by a TCAP message, MAP_UPDATE_LOCATION_AREA.
Parameter includes: Address of the MSC, TMSI, previous Location Area Identification (LAI), target LAI, Other related information

Steps 3 and 4.
Part I. The VLR find that both LA1 and LA2 belong to the same MSC. Part II. The VLR updates the LAI field of the MS. Part III. The VLR replies an ACK to the MS through the MSC.
35

Inter-MSC Registration

36

Inter-MSC Movement (1/2)

The two LAs belong to different MSCs of the same VLR. The process is:
Steps 1 and 2. MS sends a location update request message (MSBTSMSC) . Step 3.
Part I. VLR1 finds that the LA1 and LA2 belong to MSC1 and MSC2, respectively. Two MSCs are connected to VLR1. Part II. VLR1 updates the LAI and MSC fields of MS. Part III. The VLR1 derives the HLR address of the MS from the MSs IMSI.
37

Inter-MSC Movement (2/2)

The process continues:
Step 3.
Part IV. The VLR1 sends the MAP_UPDATE_LOCATION to the HLR. Parameter includes: IMSI, target MSC Address, VLR Address, other related information

Step 4. HLR updates the MSC number field of the MS. An acknowledgement is sent to VLR1. Steps 5 and 6. The acknowledgement is forwarded to the MS.

38

Inter-VLR Registration Message Flow

39

Inter-VLR Movement (1/2)

Two LAs belong to MSCs connected to different VLRs. The process is:
Step 1. MS sends a location update request. MSC2 sends MAP_UPDATE_LOCATION_AREA to VLR 2 with MSs TMSI. Steps 2 and 3.
VLR2 does not have the record of MS. VLR2 identifies the address the VLR1 and sends MAP_SEND_IDENTIFICATION (with TMSI) to VLR1. VLR1 sends IMSI to VLR2.
40

Inter-VLR Movement (2/2)

The process continues:
Steps 4 and 5.
VLR2 creates a VLR record for the MS. VLR2 sends a registration message to HLR. HLR updates the record of the MS. HLR sends an acknowledge back to VLR2.

Step 6.
VLR2 generates a new TMSI and sends it to the MS.

Steps 7 and 8.
The obsolete record of the MS in VLR1 is deleted.

41

GPRS
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) A packet-switched protocol GPRS radio link protocol
To guarantee fast call setup procedure and lowbit error rate for data transfer between the MSs and the BSs

A new infrastructure is introduced to GPRS for the packet services.

42

GPRS Architecture
TE

MSC

HLR
Signaling link

MS TAF

r adi o i nt er f ace SGSN BSS GGSN

PSTN PSDN ISDN

HLR : Home Location Register VLR : Visitor Location Register M SC : Mobile Switching Center BSS : Base Station Subsystem TAF : Terminal Adaption Function

SGSN : Serving GPRS Support Node GGSN : Gateway GPRS Support Node TE : Terminal Equipment PSTN : Public Switched Telephone Network PSDN : Public Switched Data Network

43