Evolution of Mobile and Wireless

Communication
Evolution of Mobile and Wireless Communication

Salahadin Seid
salubinseid@gmail.com
2G
 Since mid 1990’s
 The key word in 2G is digital
 Digital modulation format introduced
 2G generation introduced three popular TDMA standards
and one popular CDMA standard
 TDMA/FDD based standard are:
 Global System for Mobile (GSM)
 Interim Standard 136 (IS-136)
 Pacific Digital Cellular (PDC)
 CDMA/FDD based
 Interim Standard 95 (IS-95)
GSM
 GSM stands for Global System for Mobile communication
 It is a digital cellular technology used for transmitting
mobile voice and data services.
 GSM operates on the mobile communication bands
900 MHz and 1800 MHz in most parts of the world.
 In the US, GSM operates in the bands 850 MHz
and 1900 MHz.
GSM
 Architecture of this system base for:
 GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) – 2.5 G
 UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) – 3G
 LTE (Long Term Evolution) – 4G
 Understanding GSM is required for understanding of
how mobile networks are deployed and used in
practice.
 Implemented in 90% of cell phones world-wide
 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card contained
user data.
Architecture of GSM system
 GSM system comprises 3 subsystems
 RSS (radio subsystem): covers all radio aspects
 MS (mobile station)
 BSS (base station subsystem) or RAN (radio access network)
 BTS (base transeiver station)
 BSC (base station controller)
 NSS (network and switching subsystem): call forwarding, handover,
switching
 MSC (mobile services switching center)
 LR (Location register): HLR and VLR
 OSS (operation subsystem): management of the network
 OMC (operation and maintenance center)
 AuC (authentication center)
 EIR (equipment identity register)
Architecture of GSM system …
Architecture of GSM system …
 One Base transceiver station (BTS) per cell.
 One Base Station Controller (BSC) can control multiple
BTSes.
 Allocates radio channels among BTSs.
 Manages call handoffs between BTSs.
 Controls handset power levels
 Mobile Switching Center (MSC) connects to PSTN and
switches calls between BSCs. Provides mobile
registration, location, authentication. Contains Equipment
Identity Register.
Architecture of GSM system …
 Home Location Register (HLR)
 Cell allocate when purchase SIM -Permanent database

 Visitor Location Register (VLR) provide call routing and

roaming
 VLR+HLR+MSC functions are generally in one
equipment
 Equipment Identity Register (EIR) contains a list of all
valid mobiles - (white, gray, black users list )
 Authentication Center (AuC) stores the secret keys of all
SIM cards.
 Each handset has a International Mobile Equipment
GSM specification
 The requirements for different communication systems
differ for each other.
 Vital characteristics of GSM specification are listed
bellow:
 Modulation
 Access methods
 Transmission rate
 Frequency band
 Channel spacing
 …
GSM specification …
 Modulation
 Modulation is the process of transforming the input data into a
suitable format for the transmission medium.
 The transmitted data is demodulated back to its original form at
the received end.
 The Gaussian Minimum Shift keying (GMSK) modulation
method.
Assignment
 Write a report how Gaussian Minimum Shift keying
(GMSK) modulation method works and implement it in
python/MatLab?
 Mark: 10
 In group (2 students)
 Max 5 pages
GSM specification …
 Access methods
 GSM devised a combination of TDMA/FDMA as the method to
divide the bandwidth among the users.
 FDMA part divides the frequency of the total 25 MHz
bandwidth into 124 carrier frequencies of 200 kHz bandwidth.
 Each BS is assigned with one or multiple frequencies, and each
of this frequency is divided into eight timeslots using a TDMA
scheme.
 Each of these slots are used for both transmission as well as
reception of data.
 These slots are separated by time so that a mobile unit doesn’t
transmit and receive data at the same time.
GSM specification …
 Channel Spacing
 Channel spacing indicates the spacing between adjacent carrier
frequencies.
 For GSM, it is 200 kHz.
GSM Air Interface
 GSM uses carrier frequencies with a bandwidth
of 200 kHz over which up to eight subscribers can
communicate with the base station simultaneously

 Subscribers are time multiplexed by dividing the carrier

into frames with durations of 4.615 milliseconds

A GSM TDMA frame.

GSM Air Interface …
 Each frame contains eight physically independent timeslots, each for
communication with a different subscriber.

 The time frame of a timeslot is called a burst and the burst duration is
577 microseconds.

 For example, if a mobile device is allocated timeslot number 2 for a voice

call, then the mobile device will send and receive only during this burst.

 Afterward, it has to wait until the next frame before it is allowed to send
again
GSM Specification
 Uplink = 890-915MHz
 Downlink = 935-960 MHz
 Transfer rate = 9.6 Kbps per time slot
 No. of carriers = 124
 Carrier separation = 200 KHz
 Modulation = GMSK
 Access method = TDMA \ FDMA
 Time slots =8
GSM …
 1990 Technology using Time-Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) in stead of Frequency Division Multiple Access
(FDMA) used in 1G
GSM Radio Link …
 890-915 MHz uplink, 935-960 MHz downlink
 25 MHz =>125 × 200kHz frequency channels
 Each frequency channel is TDMA with burst (slot) period of 15/26 ms.
 Eight burst periods = TDMA frame of 120/26 ms.
 One user traffic channel = one burst period per TDMA frame.
 26 TDMA frames => one Multiframe
 24 are used for traffic, 1 for control, and 1 is unused.
 Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH)If SACCH does not have sufficient
capacity, Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH) is used by stealing ½ of
some bursts.
 Stealing bits identify whether the 1/2-slot carries data or control
 200 kHz = 270.8 kbps over 26 slots
 9.6 kbps/user after encryption and FEC overhead
GSM Radio Link
Cellular System Capacity Example
 A particular cellular system has the following characteristics: cluster size =7,
uniform cell size, user density=100 users/sq km, allocated frequency spectrum =
900-949 MHz, bit rate required per user = 10 kbps uplink and 10 kbps
downlink, and modulation code rate = 1 bps/Hz.
 Using FDMA/FDD:
 How much bandwidth is available per cell using FDD?
 How many users per cell can be supported using FDMA?
 What is the cell area?
 What is the cell radius assuming circular cells?
 If the available spectrum is divided in to 35 channels and TDMA is employed
within each channel:
 What is the bandwidth and data rate per channel?
 How many time slots are needed in a TDMA frame to support the required number of
users?
 If the TDMA frame is 10ms, how long is each user slot in the frame?
 How many bits are transmitted in each time slot?
Cellular System Capacity Example …
 A particular cellular system has the following characteristics: cluster size =7,
uniform cell size, user density=100 users/sq km, allocated frequency spectrum =
900-949 MHz, bit rate required per user = 10 kbps uplink and 10 kbps downlink,
and modulation code rate = 1 bps/Hz.
 Using FDMA/FDD:
 How much bandwidth is available per cell using FDD?
49 MHz / 7 = 7 MHz / cell
FDD => 3.5 MHz/ Uplink or downlink
 How many users per cell can be supported using FDMA?
10 kHz channel and 7 MHz/cell = 7000/10 = 700 channels
FDMA each user uses 2 channels, 700/2 = 350 users/cell
10 kbps/user = 10 kHz => 350 users per cell
 What is the cell area?
100 users / sq km => 3.5 sq km / cell
 What is the cell radius assuming circular cells?
πr2 = 3.5 => r = 1.056 km
 Cellular System Capacity Example …
 A particular cellular system has the following characteristics: cluster size =7,
uniform cell size, user density=100 users/sq km, allocated frequency
spectrum = 900-949 MHz, bit rate required per user = 10 kbps uplink and 10
kbps downlink, and modulation code rate = 1 bps/Hz.
 If the available spectrum is divided in to 35 channels and TDMA is
employed within each channel:
 What is the bandwidth and data rate per channel?
3.5 MHz /35 = 100kHz / Channel = 100 kbps
 How many time slots are needed in a TDMA frame to support the required number of
users?
10 kbps /user => 10 users /channel
 If the TDMA frame is 10ms, how long is each user slot in the frame?
10ms/10 = 1ms
 How many bits are transmitted in each time slot?
1ms x 100 kbps = 100 b/slot
Homework
 A particular cellular system has the following characteristics: cluster size =9,
uniform cell size, user density=100 users/sq km, allocated frequency spectrum =
900-945 MHz, bit rate required per user = 10 kbps uplink and 10 kbps
downlink, and modulation code rate = 2 bps/Hz.
 Using FDMA/FDD:
 How much bandwidth is available per cell using FDD?
 How many users per cell can be supported using FDMA?
 What is the cell area
 What is the cell radius assuming circular cells?
 B. If the available spectrum is divided in to 100 channels and TDMA is
employed within each channel:
 What is the bandwidth and data rate per channel?
 How many time slots are needed in a TDMA frame to support the required number of
users?
 If the TDMA frame is 10ms, how long is each user slot in the frame?
 How many bits are transmitted in each time slot?
GSM - Addresses and Identifiers
 GSM treats the users and the equipment in different
ways.
 Phone numbers, subscribers, and equipment identifiers
are some of the known ones.
 Vital address
 International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI)
 Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (MSISDN)
 Mobile Station Roaming Number (MSRN)
 Etc
GSM - Protocol Stack
 GSM architecture is a layered model that is designed to allow
communications between two different systems.
 Layer 1 : The physical layer. It uses the channel structures over the air
interface.
 Layer 2 : The data-link layer.
 Layer 3 : GSM signaling protocol’s third layer is divided into three sub layers:
 Radio Resource Management (RR),
 Mobility Management (MM), and
 Connection Management (CM).
References
 https://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse574-16/ftp/j_15cel.pd
f
 Martin Sauter, "From GSM to LTE-Advanced: An
Introduction to Mobile Networks and Mobile Broadband,
Revised Second Edition," John Wiley & Sons, August
2014, 456 pp., ISBN:978-1-118-86195-0 (Safari Book).