Introduction to Cellular Networking

and Rethinking Mobile

Architectures
Jatinder Pal Singh
EE 392I, Lecture-3
April 13
th
, 2010
Agenda
Basics & Technology Evolution
Architecture and Functionality (GSM, 3G and
beyond)
Cellular future goals
Emerging trends
Alternative wireless access technologies
Convergence
Comparison with Internet and sample scenario
studies
Economics of operation
From a clean slate


Basics: Structure
Cells
Different
Frequencies or
Codes
Base Station
Fixed transceiver
Mobile Station
Distributed transceivers
Downlink
Uplink
Handoff
Multiple Access
Basics: Multiple Access Methods
Time
Frequency
Codes
TDMA: Time
Division Multiple
Access
FDMA: Frequency
Division Multiple
Access
CMDA: Code
Division Multiple
Access
Some More Basics
Uplink & Downlink separated in
Time: Time Division Duplex (TDD), or
Frequency: Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)
Information (voice, data) is digitized and bit
streams modulated onto carrier
Modulation, data redundancy (coding),
transmission power, data retransmissions (ARQ)
adapted to varying wireless channel quality
Spatial attenuation of signal
Frequency or codes can be reused (frequency reuse)

Cellular Technology Evolution
0G: Mobile radio telephones (e.g. MTS)
1G: Analog
2G/3G/4G .. - digital:
GSM/3GPP Family
cdmaOne/CDMA2000 Family
GSM
GPRS
EDGE
UMTS, WCDMA
HSPA
cdmaOne/IS-95
CDMA2000 EV-DO
2G
3G
4G LTE
Agenda
Basics & Technology Evolution
Architecture and Functionality (GSM, 3G
and beyond)
Cellular future goals
Emerging trends
Alternative wireless access technologies
Convergence
Comparison with Internet and sample scenario
studies
Economics of operation
From a clean slate


Global System for Mobile
communications (GSM)
900/1800 MHz band (US: 850/1900 MHz)
For 900 MHz band
Uplink: 890-915
Downlink: 935-960
25 MHz bandwidth - 124 carrier frequency
channels, spaced 200KHz apart
Time Division Multiplexing for 8 full rate
speech channels per frequency channel.
Handset transmission power limited to 2 W
in GSM850/900 and 1 W in GSM1800/1900.
Architecture
The Base Station Subsystem (BSS)
Base Transceiver Station BTS - transceivers serve
different frequencies.
Frequency hopping by handsets and transceivers
Sectorization using directional antennas
Base Station Controller (BSC) controls several
(tens to hundreds) of BTSs
allocation of radio channels
handovers between BTSs
concentrator of traffic
databases with information such as carrier frequencies,
frequency hopping lists, power reduction levels, etc.
for each cell site
Network Switching Subsystem (NSS)
This GSM core network manages communication amongst
mobile devices & with PSTN
Mobile Switching Center (MSC) : routing of calls and GSM
services for users, mobility management, handovers,
Gateway MSC interfaces with PSTN, determines the visited MSC
at which the subscriber being called is currently located
Visited MSC - MSC where a customer is currently located. The
Visitor Location Register (VLR) associated with this MSC has
subscriber's data.
Anchor MSC - MSC from which handover initiated.
Target MSC - MSC toward which a handover should take place.
Home Location Register (HLR): database with all mobile
phone subscriber details

GPRS core network
Mobility management, session
management, and transport for IP services
GPRS Tunneling Protocol, GTP allows end
users mobility with continued Internet
connectivity by transporting users data
between users current SGSN and GGSN
GPRS support nodes (GSN)
GGSN - Gateway GPRS Support Node
SGSN - Serving GPRS Support Node
GSM Support for Data Services:
GPRS
User gets pair of uplink and downlink
frequencies.
Multiple users share the same frequency channel
with time domain multiplexing.
Packets have constant length corresponding to a
GSM time slot.
Downlink uses FCFS packet scheduling
Uplink
Slotted ALOHA for reservation inquiries during
contention phase
data transferred using dynamic TDMA with FCFS
scheduling.
Upto 64 kbps (more for EDGE) downlink per user.
UMTS and 3G technologies
(WCDMA & HSPA)
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS) commonly uses WCDMA as the
underlying interface
Theoretically supports up to 14 Mbps rates with
HSDPA
WCDMA Frequency bands
1885-2025 Mhz (uplink), 2110-2200 Mhz (downlink)
US: 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz
W-CDMA has 5 Mhz wide radio channels
(CDMA2000 transmits on one or several pairs of
1.25 Mhz radio channels).
HSDPA allows networks based on UMTS to have
higher data rates on downlink(1.8. 3.6, 7.2, 14.0
Mbps via AMC, and HARQ, fast packet scheduling.
Agenda
Basics & Technology Evolution
Architecture and Functionality (GSM, 3G and
beyond)
Cellular future goals
Emerging trends
Alternative wireless access technologies
Convergence
Comparison with Internet and sample scenario
studies
Economics of operation
From a clean slate

Next Generation Mobile Networks
Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Ltd. -
Consortium with partnership of major mobile
operators
Recommendations without specific technology
prescriptions
Target to establish performance targets,
recommendations and deployment scenarios for
future wide-area mobile broadband network
packet switched core
The architecture intended to provide a smooth
migration of existing 2G/3G networks towards an
IP network that is cost competitive and has
broadband performance.
NGMN: Beyond 3G
Video telephony and multimedia conferencing, IM, video
streaming among high drivers for NGMN
Essential System recommendations
Seamless mobility across all bearers with service continuity
through a min of 120 km/h
Peak uplink data rates 30-50 Mbps
Peak > 100Mbps downlink
Latency core < 10ms, RAN <10ms, <30ms e2e
QoS based global roaming
Broadcast, multicast, and unicast services to subscribers of all
environments
Real time, conversational and streaming in PS across all required
bearers
Cost per MB : as close to DSL as possible

NGMN Envisioned System
Architecture
Agenda
Basics & Technology Evolution
Architecture and Functionality (GSM, 3G and
beyond)
Cellular future goals
Emerging trends
Alternative wireless access technologies
Convergence
Comparison with Internet and sample scenario
studies
Economics of operation
From a clean slate

Alternative fixed wireless and MAN
standards
WiMAX, the Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access based on IEEE 802.16
standard
Last-mile broadband access, backhaul for
cellular networks, Internet Services
802.16d Fixed WiMAX, 802.16e - Mobile
WiMAX.
Licensed spectrum profiles: 2.3GHz,
2.5GHz and 3.5GHz. US mostly around 2.5
GHz, assigned primarily to Sprint Nextel,
Clearwire.
Convergence
Heterogeneous access technologies
Multi-mode access devices
Dual mode phones (WiFi, 2.5/3G), UMA
Heterogeneous Services
Cellular Internet access and Internet based
voice/video access
Challenges
Time variant heterogeneous network characteristics
Heterogeneous applications with different utilities
System design and networking challenges

Agenda
Basics & Technology Evolution
Architecture and Functionality (GSM, 3G and
beyond)
Cellular future goals
Emerging trends
Alternative wireless access technologies
Convergence
Comparison with Internet and sample
scenario studies
Economics of operation
From a clean slate

Cellular Networks and Internet
Cellular Networks
Internet
Voice
Data
Packet
Switched
Controlled
Semi-Organic
Good Poor
Incipient
Service
Technology
Evolution
Mobility
Support
Circuit Switched Analog
Circuit Switched Digital
C.S. Voice + P.S. Data
New Services
Operator initiated
or partnered
Third party/
independent (largely)
Cellular Networks and Internet
Cellular Networks
Internet
Data rates for
supporting
broadband
services
Insufficient as of
present
Relatively high
Cost per MB
of data
Higher
Lower
QoS at edges Good Support
(voice vs. data)
Mostly absent
Internet : Sample scenario
Residential Broadband access
Internet
BRAS
DSLAM
Home WiFi Router
QoS: Wireless hop (802.11e?), PPPoE, IP QoS (Diffserv)
and translation mechanisms
Mobility Options: MIP - high-barrier, delay performance,
incremental patch rather than clean solution?

Cellular Scenario
Better QoS, scheduling
Better Mobility within the cellular network
Integrated voice/data Authentication
Downside is excessive edge network delays,
costs of network deployment.
Agenda
Basics & Technology Evolution
Architecture and Functionality (GSM, 3G and
beyond)
Cellular future goals
Emerging trends
Alternative wireless access technologies
Convergence
Comparison with Internet and sample scenario
studies
Economics of operation
From a clean slate

The Economics
3G spectrum licensing and migration cost
Telecom equipment vendors economics
of operation, meeting bids vs. system
upgrades for technical innovation
Stiff competition for fixed and mobile
segments of operators, drive towards
services.
Interesting and sometimes conflicting
dynamics for both fixed and mobile
operators.
Agenda
Basics & Technology Evolution
Architecture and Functionality (GSM, 3G and
beyond)
Cellular future goals
Emerging trends
Alternative wireless access technologies
Convergence
Comparison with Internet and sample scenario
studies
Economics of operation
From a clean slate


From a Clean Slate
Greater intelligence at edges of networks, eventually leading to just
network elements of different sizes and capabilities
Functional homogeneity in network elements in terms of
storage/caching, processing, networking capability. Such network
element should likely
be multi-homed connected with heterogeneous technologies (including
p2p, delay tolerant),
have intelligence for resource allocation, QoS
have interaction capability with other network elements (including user
devices),
support mobility, handoffs
have ability to recognize needs of existing and new applications (HDTV,
phone, streaming video)
be plug and play
Interfacing of applications/services (QoS specs) with underlying
serving networks for fast and easy deployment.
Heterogeneity in access technologies amongst user carried devices
honored and accepted by the network elements.
Options for operators
Sharing the spectrum/infrastructure costs?
New service models to forestall cost of
upgrades
Good opportunity for fixed and mobile
carriers to take initiative.