System Model

Switching System SS
AUC

VLR HLR EIR

Other
networks GMSC MSC

Base Station System BSS

NMC and OMC
BSC

Signaling transmission
BTS
Call connections and
signaling transmission

MS

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Network elements in GSM AUC

PLMN GMSC HLR EIR

PSTN
ISDN

VLR
MSC

BSC

BTS MS
Network Hierarchy
AUC
HLR

Mobile identity GMSC EIR

SIM card

SA1 SA2
VLR VLR
MSC MSC
SA - Service Area
LA - Location Area
BTS - Base Transceiver Station
BSC BSC
BSC - Base Station Controller
BTS MSC - Mobile Switching Center
VLR - Visitor Location Register
GMSC - Gateway MSC
EIR - Equipment Identity Register
LA1 AUC - Authentication Center
LA2
HLR - Home Location Register
 GSM interfaces
B G
VLR VLR

D
Um Abis A
C H
MS BTS BSC MSC HLR AUC

E
MSC

F
EIR

The Um interface is the interface between the MS and the RBS. Other name of this interface is Air interface as the communication is
in the air
The terms BSC and RBS are for the nodes in the BSS. Abis is the name of the interface connecting the two nodes. Various kinds of
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information is transferred over the Abis interface like synchronization information, traffic (speech, data, fax, etc.), in-band signaling.

The interface separating the BSS from the MSC is called the A interface. It not only supports messages between the MSC and BSS,
but also messages between the MSC and MS.
Macro, Mini, Micro and Indoor Cells

Macro
Antenna positions

Mini

Pico Micro
 Relation Between Areas in GSM

GSM Service Area

PLMN Service Area

(one per operator)
MSC Service Area

Location Area

Cell

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Authentication Procedure

1. RAND

MSC/VLR
3. SRES

MS
4. Compare SRES received from 2. MS calculates SRES using RAND + Ki
MS with SRES in triplet. If they (SIM-card) through A3 and Kc using RAND+Ki
are equal access is granted. through A8.

MSC/VLR Mobile service Switching Center

MS Mobile Station
RAND Random number
SRES Signed Response
Authentication in GSM

AUC HLR
Random number (RAND)
Signal response (SRES)

Subscriber number (IMSI) RAND / SRES

Code key (Ki)

VLR

RAND
MSC
SRES

Figure D.6.4
Equipment Identification

3. Check IMEI 1. IMEI request

EIR MSC/VLR

4. Access/barring info 2. IMEI

MS

IMEI International Mobile station Equipment Identity

EIR Equipment Identity Register
MSC/VLR Mobile services Switching Center
GSM Modes
Operation Overview
Roaming

Detached (Off)

Idle Paging

Mr. Bond!!

Attached (On)

Handover
Busy
Monitoring BCCH Carriers
Frequency bands for the different GSM-based
networks. (Values within brackets refer to E-GSM)

Network type Frequency band Ericssons

UL/DL Implementations
GSM 900 (880)890-915/(925)935-960 MHz GSM 900
GSM 1800 1710 - 1785/1805 -1880 MHz GSM 1800
GSM 1900 1850 - 1910/1930 -1990 MHz GSM 1900
WCDMA 1920 - 1980/2110 -2170 MHz UMTS
WiMax 2.5 - 66 GHz

Standard GSM 900 GSM 1800 GSM 1900

Duplex dist. 45 MHz 95 MHz 80 MHz
Basic TDMA frame, timeslot, and burst structures
4.615 ms

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Data Training Data

3 57 1 26 1 57 3

Burst
148 Bits

156.25 Bits
0.577 ms

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