10/1/2016

GSMInterfacesandProtocols(GlobalSystemforMobileCommunication(GSM))Part1

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GSMInterfacesandProtocols(GlobalSystemfor
MobileCommunication(GSM))Part1

2.5GSatSite
GSMbasestationthatworkswithIMScorenetworks

TheGSMspecificationsdefinetheinteractionbetweensystemcomponentsthroughwelldefinedinterfaces
andprotocols.Figure311showstheinterfacesbetweentheGSMfunctionalentities.Table33liststheGSM
interfaces.
Figure312showstheprotocolarchitectureusedfortheexchangeofsignalingmessagesoneachinterface.The
protocolsarelayeredaccordingtotheOSIReferenceModel.ItconsistsofthePhysicalLayer,DataLinkLayer,
andLayer3.ThisLayer3isnotthesameasdefinedinOSILayer3.InGSM,theLayer3functionsinclude
call,mobility,andradioresourcemanagement.IntheOSImodel,thesefunctionsareprovidedbythehigher
layers.GSMreusesafewestablishedprotocolssuchasCCS7MTP,TCAP,SCCP,ISUP,andISDNLAPD
protocols.TheMAPandBSSAParenewprotocolstosupportGSMspecificneeds.

Airinterface
TheairinterfacebetweentheMSandtheBTSiscalledUm.TheGSMairinterfaceisbasedontimedivision
multipleaccess(TDMA)withfrequencydivisionduplex(FDD).TDMAallowsmultipleuserstosharea
commonRFchannelonatimesharingbasis,whileFDDenablesdifferentfrequenciestobeusedinuplink(MS
toBTS)anddownlink(BTStoMS)directions.Mostoftheimplementationsuseafrequencybandof900MHz.
TheotherderivativeofGSMiscalledDigitalcellularsystem1800(DCM1800).

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Figure311GSMinterfaces.
TABLE33GSMInterfaces
Interface Description
Um
Abis
A
B
C
D
E
F
G

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H
Itusesafrequencybandof1800MHz.Table34liststheGSMfrequencybands.
Theusedfrequencybandisdividedinto200kHzcarriersorRFchannelsinboththeuplinkanddownlink
direction.EachRFchannelisthenfurthersubdividedintoeightdifferenttimeslots,i.e.,0to7,byTDMA
techniques.AsetoftheseeighttimeslotsisreferredasaTDMAframe.Eachframelasts4.615ms.Thephysical
channelsarefurthermappedtovariouslogicalchannelscarryingusertrafficandcontrolinformationbetween
theMSandtheBTS.Table35describesthelogicalchannelsandtheirusages.
ThefollowingsectiondescribestheUminterfaceprotocolsusedattheMSandtheBTSside.
Physicallayer.Layer1,whichisaradiointerface,providesthefunctionalityrequiredtotransferthebitstreams
overthephysicalchannelsontheradiomedium.Theservicesprovidedbythislayertothoseaboveinclude:
Channelmapping(logicaltophysical)
Channelcodingandciphering
Digitalmodulation
Frequencyhopping
Timingadvanceandpowercontrol
Datalinklayer.SignalingLayer2isbasedontheLAPDmprotocol,whichisavariationoftheISDNLAPD
protocol.ThemaintaskofLAPDmistoprovideareliablesignalinglinkbetweenthenetworkandthemobile
station.TheLAPDprotocolhasbeenmodifiedtoadaptinthemobileenvironment.Forexample,LAPDmuses
noflagsforframedelimitation.ThePhysicalLayeritselfdoestheframedelimitation.Thisway,scarceradio
resourcesarenotspentonflagbitsthebit.

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Figure312GSMprotocolstack.
TABLE34GSMFrequencyBands
System

Direction Frequencyband(MHz)

GSM900

Uplink

890815

Downlink 935960
GSM/DCS1800 Uplink

17101785

Downlink 18051880
Networklayer.SignalingLayer3takescareofsignalingproceduresbetweenanMSandthenetwork.It
consistsofthreesublayerswithdistinctsignalingprocedures.
Radioresourcemanagement(RR)
Mobilitymanagement(MM)
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Connectionmanagement(CM)
Radioresourcemanagement.Radioresourcemanagement(RR)comprisesproceduresrequiredtoestablish,
maintain,andreleasethededicatedradioconnections.TheRRsublayerfunctionsinclude:
Channelassignmentandrelease
Ciphering
Modificationofchannelmodes,e.g.,voiceanddata
Handoverbetweencells
Frequencyredefinitiontoenablefrequencyhopping
MSmeasurementreports
Powercontrolandtimingadvance
Paging
Radiochannelaccess
ThemobilestationalwaysinitiatesanRRsession.Forexample,theRRproceduresareinvokedtoestablish
anRRsessioninresponsetoapagingmessageortoestablishanoutgoingcall.AsshowninFigure313,the
RRmessagesaretransferredtoBSCtransparently,throughtheBTS.Table36listsRRmessages.
Mobilitymanagement.Themobilitymanagement(MM)sublayerhandlesfunctionsandproceduresrelatedto
mobilityofthemobileuser.Thisincludesproceduresfor:
Authentication
Locationregistrationandperiodicupdating
TABLE35LogicalTrafficandControlChannels
Trafficchannels(TCH)
TCH/Fcarriessubscriberinformation(speech/data)atarateof22.8Kbpswithaspeech
codingataround13Kbps.
TCH/Fcarriessubscriberinformationatarateof11.4Kbpswithaspeechcodingat
around7Kbps.
Broadcastcontrolchannels(BCH)
ThischannelisbroadcastbytheBTSandcarriesinformationforthefrequencycorrection
oftheMS.Itisusedindownlinkdirectiononly.

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ThischannelisbroadcastbytheBTSandcarriesinformationforframesynchronization
oftheMS.Inadditionitalsocarriesthebasestationidentitycode(BSIC).Itisusedin
downlinkdirectiononly.
ThischannelcarriesbroadcastinformationrelatedtotheBTSandthenetwork.The
informationincludesconfigurationdetailsofcommoncontrolchannels(CCH)described
below.
Itisusedindownlinkdirectiononly.
Commoncontrolchannels(CCH)
ThisisusedtopageanMS.Itisusedindownlinkdirectiononly.
TheMSusesthischanneltorequesttheallocationofaSDCCH.Itisusedinuplink
directiononly.
TheBTSallocatesaSDCCHorTCHinresponsetotheallocationrequestbytheMS
usingthischannel.Itisusedindownlinkdirectiononly.
Dedicatedcontrolchannels(DCH)
ThischannelisusedforcarryingsignalinginformationbetweentheBTSandaMS
beforeallocationofaTCH.Forexample,SDCCHisusedforcarryingsignaling
messagesrelatedtoupdatelocationandcallestablishment.Thisisabidirectional
channel.
ThischannelisalwaysusedinconjunctionwithaTCHoraSDCCH.TheMSandthe
BTSuseittomaintainanSDCCHoraTCH.Intheuplink,theMSsendsmeasurement
reportstotheBTSusingthischannel.Inthedownlink,theBTStransmitsinformationto
keepthemobileupdatedonrecentchangesinsystemconfiguration.
ThischannelisalwaysassociatedtoaTCHandisusedtotransfersignalingmessages
whenamobileisalreadyinvolvedinacall.

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Figure313Airinterfacesignalingprotocols.
Security
TMSIreallocation
IMSIdetach/attach
AsshowninFigure313,theCMlayerfromthetransmittingsideusestheMMlayertoestablishRR
connectionandthentransfersmessagestransparentlyacrosstothereceivingside,thatisMSC.Table36lists
MMmessages.
Connectionmanagement.Theconnectionmanagement(CM)sublayercontainsthefunctionsandprocedures
forcallcontrol.Thisincludesprocedurestoestablish,release,andaccessservicesandfacilities.TheCM
consistsofthreesublayers,namely,callcontrol(CC),supplementaryservices(SS),andshortmessageservices
(SMS).
ThecallcontrolsublayerprovidesproceduresforISDNcallcontrol.TheseproceduresarebasedonISDNcall
controlproceduresdefinedintheITUTQ.931specification.However,theminormodificationsaredoneto
adoptthesetomobileenvironment.
Thesupplementaryservicesublayerprovidestheprocedurestosupportnoncallrelatedsupplementaryservices
suchascallforwardingandcallwaiting.
TABLE36Layer3Messages

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RRmessages

MMmessages

CMmessages

Channelestablishment
messages

Registrationmessages

Callestablishment
messages

IMSIDETach

ALERTing

ADDitionalASSignment
INDication
LOCationUPDating

CALLCONFirmed

IMMediateASSignment
ACCept
IMMediateASSignment

LOCationUPDating

EXTended

REJect

IMMediateASSignment

LOCationUPDating

REJect

REQuest

CALLPROCeeding

CONnect

Connection

CONnect

managementmessages

ACKnowledge

PAGingREQuestType1

CMSERViceACCept

SETUP

PAGingREQuestType2

CMSERViceREJect

EMERGencySETUP

PAGingREQuestType3

CMSERViceREQuest

PROGRESS

Pagingmessages

CMSERViceABOrt

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PAGingReSPonse

Handovermessages

Callphasemessages

CMREeStablishment

MODify

REQuest
ASSignmentCoMmanD

Securitymessages

MODifyREJect

ASSignmentCOMplete

AUTHenticationREJect

MODifyCOMPlete

ASSignmentFAILure

AUTHentication

USERINFOrmation

HANDoverACCess

REQuest

HANDoverCoManD

AUTHentication

HOLD

ReSPonse
HANDoverCOMplete

IDENTityREQuest

HOLDREJect

HANDoverFAILure

IDENTityReSPonse

HOLDACKnowledge

PHYsicalINFOrmation

TMSIREALlocation

RETRIEVE

COMmand
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Cipheringmessages

TMSIREALlocation

RETRIEVEREJect

CoMPlete
CIPHeringMODeCoMmanD Othermessages

RETRIEVE
ACKnowledge

CIPHeringMODeCOMplete MMSTATUS

Callclearingmessages

Channelreleasemessages

DISConnect

ABORT

CHANnelRELease

RELease

PARTialRELease

RELeaseCOMplete

PARTialRELeaseCOMplete

Othermessages

Systeminformationmessages

CONGESTion
CONTROL

SYStemINFOrmationType1

STATUS

SYStemINFOrmationType2

STATUSENQuiry

SYStemINFOrmationType3

NOTIFY

SYStemINFOrmationType4

STARTDTMF

SYStemINFOrmationType5

STOPDTMF

SYStemINFOrmationType6

STARTDTMF

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SYStemINFOrmationType7

ACKnowledge

SYStemINFOrmationType8
SYStemINFOrmation

STOPDTMF

Type2bis

ACKnowledge

SYStemINFOrmation

STARTDTMFREJect

Type5bis
TABLE36Layer3Messages
RRmessages

MMmessages CMmessages

Othermessages
CHANnelREQuest
CHANnelMODeMODify
CHANnelMODeMODify
ACKnowledgment
CLASSmarkENQuiry
CLASSmarkCHANGE
FREQuency
REDEFinition
RRStatus
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MEASurementREPort
Theshortmessageservicesublayerprovidestheprocedurestosupporttheshortmessagetransferbetweenthe
MSandthenetwork.Table36listsCMmessages.
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