CHAPTER 4

PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK & BASICS IN

CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS
1. PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK

PSTN is the aggregate of the world’s circuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by
national, regional or local telephone operators, providing infrastructure and services for public
telecommunication. The overview of the modern public switched telecommunications network is
presented in Figure 4.1.

Figure 1: PSTN Overview

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 1

Figure 1 presents a simplified diagram of a regional or national PSTN that has connections to the
global Internet and PSTN. The network contains the public land mobile network (PLMN), which
provides wireless access for cellular subscribers and is connected to the PSTN/ISDN network at
the trunk exchange level.

Internet users are connected to the global Internet via the hosts of their ISPs. Networks of national
ISPs are connected, and this interconnection is extended to the networks of ISPs of neighboring
countries, and these networks together make up the global Internet. Figure 1 shows two main
methods for accessing the Internet. A telephone or ISDN network is used for dial-up connections
and ADSL provides permanent higher rate Internet service.

Some different means of accessing telecommunications networks are also shown in Figure 1.
Digital PBX/PABX is connected to a local exchange with a 1,544/2,048-Kbps digital line that has
the capacity of 23/30 simultaneous calls. This connection is called the primary rate interface in the
case of ISDN. PBX/PABX is a dedicated small exchange that provides telephone serv- ice to the
personnel of a company. Analog PBX/PABX uses analog telephone lines, one for each
simultaneous external call. Each analog line (twisted pair) carries one telephone call with
signaling. This analog signaling is close to the ordinary analog subscriber loop signaling that we
described previously.

The corporate-wide PBX/PABX service can also be implemented with- out any equipment
investments in the company, that is, without physical PABX equipment. Network operators
provide a service called Centrex and for that the public exchange is programmed to behave as a
PBX/PABX. One of the subscriber lines is set to operate as a switchboard line and the others make
up a user group with abbreviated dialing and other PBX/PABX services.

For data communication via an analog network or digital network with analog subscriber
interfaces, a modem is required. The term modem comes from modulator/demodulator and it
transmits data through a speech channel in voice frequency tones. If a subscriber has ISDN service,
which is fully digital, no modem is needed and an end-to-end bidirectional 64- or 128-Kbps digital
circuit is available with the help of a network terminal that takes care of the digital bidirectional
transmission over the subscriber loop. For active Internet users who require continuous connection

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 2

or higher data rates, circuit-switched services are expensive because the cost is based on the
duration of the call and they do not provide high enough performance. An attractive access method
for these types of users is ADSL, which provides data rates up to a few megabits per second with
a fixed monthly fee.

In Figure 1 one office site of a company has high-data-rate access to its ISP. All employees have
access to the Internet via the company’s private LAN. Leased lines, which interconnect two offices
in Figure 1, are often the most economical solution for high-data-rate circuits that are needed, for
example, for LAN interconnections.

As we have seen, telecommunications networks contain a huge number of different complex

systems that are located in multiple sites. In the old days, when the structure of the network was
simple, most of the equipment sites had personnel to keep systems operational and they carried
out fault location and performed needed maintenance operations. Nowadays systems are so
numerous and so complicated that this way of network operations and maintenance is not possible
anymore and implementation of automated net- work management tools is mandatory for all
network operators.

2. Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISIDN) is a complete network frame work designed around
the concept of common channel signaling. While telephone users throughout the world rely on the
PSTN to carry conventional voice traffic, new end-user data and signaling services can be provided
with a parallel signaling network.

Common channel signaling (CCS) is a digital communications technique that provides

simultaneous transmission of user data, signaling data, and other related traffic throughout a
network. This is accomplished by using out-of-band signaling channels which logically separate
the network data from the user information (voice or data) on the same channel. For second
generation wireless communications systems, CCS is used to pass user data and
control/supervisory signals between the subscriber and the base station, between the base station
and the MSC, and between MSCs.

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 3

ISDN defines the dedicated signaling network that has been created to complement the PSTN for
more flexible and efficient network access and signaling and may be thought of as a parallel
world-wide network for signaling traffic that can be used to either route voice traffic on the PSTN
or to provide new data services between network nodes and the end-users.

ISDN provides two distinct kinds of signaling components to end-users in a telecommunications

network. The first component supports traffic between the end-user and the network, and is called
access signaling. Access signaling defines how end-users obtain access to the PSTN and the ISDN
for communications or services, and is governed by a suite of protocols known as the Digital
Subscriber Signaling System number 1 (DSS1). The second signaling component of ISDN is
network signaling and is governed by the SS7 suite of protocols. For wireless communications
systems, the SS7 protocols within ISDN are critical to providing backbone network connectivity
between MSCs throughout the world, as they provide network interfaces for common channel
signaling traffic.

ISDN provides a complete digital interface between end-users over twisted pair telephone lines.
The ISDN interface is divided into three different types of channels.

➢ Information bearing channels called bearer channels (B channels) are used exclusively for
end-user traffic (voice, data, video).
➢ Out-of-band signaling channels, called data channels (D channels), are used to send
signaling and control information across the interface to end-users.

As shown in Figure ISDN provides integrated end-user access to both circuit-switched and packet
switched networks with digital end-to-end connectivity. ISDN end-users may select between two
different interfaces, the basic rate interface (BRI) or the primary rate interface (PRI). The BRI is
intended to serve small capacity terminals (such as single line telephones) while the PRI is intended
for large capacity terminals (such as PBXs). The B channels support 64 kbps data for both the
primary rate and the basic rate interfaces. The D channel supports 64 kbps for the primary rate
and 16 kbps for the basic rate. The BRI provides two 64 kbps bearer channels and one 16 kbps
signaling channel (2B+D), whereas the PRI provides twenty-three 64 kbps bearer channels and

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 4

one 64 kbps signaling channel (23B+D) for North America and Japan. In Europe, the primary rate
interface provides thirty basic information channels and one 64 kbps signaling channel (30B+D).

Figure 2: ISND Network

2.1. Broadband ISDN and ATM:

ISDN interface standards that increase the end-user transmission bandwidth to several Mb/s, this
emerging networking technique is known as broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) and is based on
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technology which allows packet switching rates up to 2.4
Gbps and total switching capacities as high as 100 Gbps.

Figure 3: ATM cell Format

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 5

ATM is a packet switching and multiplexing technique which has been specifically designed to
handle both voice users and packet data users in a single physical channel. ATM data rates vary
from low traffic rates (64 kbps) over twisted pair to over 100 Mbps over fiber optic cables for high
traffic rates between network nodes. ATM supports bidirectional transfer of data packets of fixed
length between two end points, while preserving the order of transmission. ATM data units, called
cells, are routed based on header information in each unit (called a label) that identifies the cell as
belonging to a specific ATM virtual connection. The label is determined upon virtual connection
of a user, and remains the same throughout the transmission for a particular connection. The ATM
header also includes data for congestion control, priority information for queuing of packets, and
a priority which indicates which ATM packets can be dropped in case of congestion in the network.

3. Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)

Public land mobile network PLMN is a combination of wireless communication services offered
by a specific operator in a specific country. PLMN can be used to describe all mobile wireless
networks that use earth-based stations rather than satellites. It is the mobile equivalent of the PSTN,
such a system can stand alone, but often it is interconnected with a fixed system such as the public
switched telephone network (PSTN). The most familiar example of a PLMN end user is a person
with a cell phone.

A PLMN typically consists of several cellular technologies such as GSM/2G, UMTS/3G, LET/4G,
offered by a single operator within a given country, often referred to as a cellular network. It is
identified by a globally unique PLMN code, which consists of a MCC (Mobile Country Code) and
MNC (Mobile Network Code). PLMN code is a five- to six-digit number identifying a country,
and a mobile network operator in that country, usually represented in the form 001-01 or 001-001.

The IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity), which identifies a SIM or USIM for one
subscriber, typically starts with PLMN code. For example, an IMSI belonging to the PLMN 262-
33 would look like 262330000000001. Mobile phones use this to detect Roaming, A mobile phone
subscribed on a network with a PLMN code that mismatches the start of the USIM’s IMSI will
typically display an “R” on the icon that indicates connection strength.

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 6

 3.1. Global System Mobile (GSM):

Global System for Mobile (GSM) is a second-generation cellular system standard that was
developed to solve the fragmentation problems of the first cellular systems in Europe. GSM is the
world's first cellular system to specify digital modulation and network level architectures and
services. GSM was originally developed to serve as the pan-European cellular service and
promised a wide range of network services through the use of ISDN.

The task of specifying a common mobile communication system for Europe in the 900 MHz band
was taken up by the GSM (Groupe special mobile) committee which was a working group of the
Confe'rence Europe'ene Postes des et Te'le'communication (CEPT). Recently, GSM has changed
its name to the Global System for Mobile Communications for marketing reasons. The setting of
standards for GSM is currently under the aegis of the European Technical Standards Institute
(ETSI).

GSM was first introduced into the European market in 1991. By the end of 1993, several non-
European countries in South America, Asia, and Australia had adopted GSM and the technically
equivalent offshoot, DCS 1800, which supports Personal Communication Services (PCS) in the
1.8 GHz to 2.0 GHz radio bands recently created by governments throughout the world.

3.1.1. GSM Services

GSM services follow ISDN guidelines and are classified as either teleservices or data services.
Teleservices include standard mobile telephony and mobile-originated or base-originated traffic;
Data services include computer-to-computer communication and packet-switched traffic. User
services may be divided into three major categories.

I. Telephone services, including emergency calling and facsimile. GSM also supports
Videotext and Teletex, though they are not integral parts of the GSM standard.
II. Bearer services or data services which are limited to layers 1, 2, and 3 of the open system
interconnection (OSI) reference model. Supported services include packet switched
protocols and data rates from 300 bps to 9.6 kbps. Data may be transmitted using either a

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 7

 transparent mode (where GSM provides standard channel coding for the user data) or non-
transparent mode (where GSM offers special coding efficiencies based on the particular
data interface).
III. Supplementary ISDN services are digital in nature, and include call diversion, closed user
groups, and caller identification, and are not available in analog mobile networks.
Supplementary services also include the short messaging service (SMS) which allows
GSM subscribers and base stations to transmit alphanumeric pages of limited length (160
7-bit ASCII characters) while simultaneously carrying normal voice traffic. SMS also
provides cell broadcast, which allows GSM base stations to repetitively transmit ASCII
messages with as many as fifteen 93-character strings in concatenated fashion. SMS may
be used for safety and advisory applications, such as the broadcast of highway or weather
information to all GSM subscribers within reception range.

3.1.2. Features of GSM:

The most remarkable feature of GSM is the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), which is a memory
device that stores information such as the subscriber's identification number, the networks and
countries where the subscriber is entitled to service, privacy keys, and other user-specific
information. A subscriber uses the SIM with a 4-digit personal ID number to activate service from
any GSM phone. SIM's are available as smart (credit card sized cards that may be inserted into
any GSM phone) or plug in modules, which are less convenient than the SIM cards but are
nonetheless removable and portable. Without a SIM installed, all GSM mobiles are identical and
nonoperational. It is the SIM that gives GSM subscriber units their identity.

A second remarkable feature of GSM is the on-the-air privacy which is provided by the system.
Unlike analog FM cellular phone systems which can be readily monitored, it is virtually impossible
to eavesdrop on a GSM radio transmission. The privacy is made possible by encrypting the digital
bit stream sent by a GSM transmitter, according to a specific secret cryptographic key that is
known only to the cellular carrier. This key changes with time for each user. Every carrier and
GSM equipment manufacturer must sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) before
developing GSM equipment or deploying a GSM system. The MoU is an international agreement

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 8

which allows the sharing of cryptographic algorithms and other proprietary information between
countries and carriers.

3.1.3. GSM System Architecture

The GSM system architecture consists of three major interconnected subsystems that interact
between themselves and with the users through certain network interfaces. The subsystems are the
Base Station Subsystem (BSS), Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS), and the Operation
Support Subsystem (OSS). The Mobile Station (MS) is also a subsystem, but is usually considered
to be part of the BSS for architecture purposes.

The BSS, also known as the radio subsystem, provides and manages radio transmission paths
between the mobile stations and the Mobile Switching Center (MSC). The BSS also manages the
radio interface between the mobile stations and all other subsystems of GSM. Each BSS consists
of many Base Station Controllers (BSCs) which connect the MS to the NSS via the MSCs. The
NSS manages the switching functions of the system and allows the MSCs to communicate with
other networks such as the PSTN and ISDN.

The OSS supports the operation and maintenance of GSM and allows system engineers to monitor,
diagnose, and troubleshoot all aspects of the GSM system. This subsystem interacts with the other
GSM subsystems, and is provided solely for the staff of the GSM operating company which
provides service facilities for the network.

Figure shows the block diagram of the GSM system architecture. The Mobile Stations (MS)
communicate with the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) over the radio air interface. The BSS consists
of many BSCs which connect to a single MSC, and each BSC typically controls up to several
hundred Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs).

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 9

 Figure 4: GSM Network architecture
Some of the BTSs maybe co-located at the BSC, and others may be remotely distributed and
physically connected to the BSC by microwave link or dedicated leased lines. Mobile handoffs
(called handovers, or HO, in the GSM specification) between two BTSs under the control of the
same BSC are handled by the BSC, and not the MSC. This greatly reduces the switching burden
of the MSC.

The NSS handles the switching of GSM calls between external networks and the BSCs in the radio
subsystem and is also responsible for managing and providing external access to several customer
databases. The MSC is the central unit in the NSS and controls the traffic among all of the BSCs.

In the NSS, there are three different databases called the Home Location Register (HLR), Visitor
Location Register (VLR), and the Authentication Center (AUC). The HLR is a database which
contains subscriber information and location information for each user who resides in the same
city as the MSC. Each subscriber in a particular GSM market is assigned a unique International
Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), and this number is used to identify each home user.

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 10

The VLR is a data base which temporarily stores the IMSI and customer information
for each roaming subscriber who is visiting the coverage area of a particular MSC. The LR is
linked between several adjoining MSCs in a particular market or geographic region and contains
subscription information of every visiting user in the area. Once a roaming mobile is logged in the
VLR, the MSC sends the necessary information to the visiting subscriber's HLR so that calls to
the roaming mobile can be appropriately routed over the PSTN by the roaming user's HLR.

Authentication Center is a strongly protected database which handles the authentication and
encryption keys for every single subscriber in the HLR and VLR. The Authentication Center
contains a register called the Equipment Identity Register (EIR) which identifies stolen or
fraudulently altered phones that transmit identity data that does not match with information
contained in either the HLR or VLR.

The OSS supports one or several Operation Maintenance Centers (OMC) which are used to
monitor and maintain the performance of each MS, BS, BSC, and MSC within a GSM system.
The OSS has three main functions, which are

1. To maintain all telecommunications hardware and network operations with a

Particular market,
2. Manage all charging and billing procedures, and
3. Manage all mobile equipment in the system.

4. Wireless Vs. Fixed Telephone Networks

Transfer of information in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) takes place over landline
trunked lines (called trunks) comprised of fiber optic cables, copper cables, microwave links, and
satellite links. The network configurations in the PSTN are virtually static, since the network
connections may only be changed when a subscriber changes residence and requires
reprogramming at the local central office (CO) of the subscriber.

Wireless networks, on the other hand, are highly dynamic, with the network configuration being
rearranged every time a subscriber moves into the coverage region of a different base station or a

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 11

new market. While fixed networks are difficult to change, wireless networks must reconfigure
themselves for users within small intervals of time (on the order of seconds) to provide roaming
and imperceptible handoffs between calls as a mobile move about. The available channel
bandwidth for fixed networks can be increased by installing high capacity cables (fiber optic or
coaxial cable), whereas wireless networks are constrained by the meager RF cellular bandwidth
provided for each user.

TELE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS by Engineer Matios Zenebe Page 12