GSM- GLOBAL Books: Wiley - Mobile Radio

SYSTEM FOR MOBILE Networks

And Internet.
COMMUNICATIONS
GSM- INTRODUCTION
GSM- Global System For Mobile Communications, a digital cellular system.
Previously named as Groupe Special Mobile and used in Europe; then usage
extended to other continents
GSM operate in frequency bands: 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz
 GSM- SERVICES OFFERED
(a)Tele services:
(c) Supplementary services
1.Regular phone calls
2. Emergency Calls
4. FAX 1. Call forwarding
5. Short Message Service (SMS) 2. Blocking of outgoing calls
6. Cell broadcast 3. Blocking of incoming calls
7. Voice mail 4. Advice of charges
8. Fax mail
5. Call hold
6. Call waiting
(b)Bearer services: 7. Conference calls
8. Caller ID
9. Closed groups
1. Connections to the PSTN
2. Connections to the ISDN
3. Connections to the packet switched networks
 GSM
ARCHITECTURE
GSM - ARCHITECTURE
BSS- Base Station Subsystem
GSM - ARCHITECTURE
Mobile Switching Center (MSC)
HLR, VLR AND EIR REGISTERS

Home Location Register (HLR) - is a database maintained by the service

provider containing permanent data about each subscriber (i.e. location,
activity status, account status, call forwarding preference, caller
identification preference)
Visitor Location Register (VLR) – database that stores temporary data
about a subscriber; it is kept in the MSC of the of the area the subscriber is
located in; when the subscriber moves to a new area the new MSC requests
this VLR from the HLR of the old MSC
Equipment Identity Register (EIR) – database located near the MSC and
containing information identifying cell phones
AUTHENTICATION CENTER (AUC)

It’s a security mechanism for a GSM cellular network that

has a database that stores the list of authorized subscribers
of a GSM network
It is linked to the MSC and checks the identity of each user
trying to connect also provides encryption parameters to
secure a call made in the network
GSM UPLINK/DOWNLINK FREQUENCY
BANDS USED
GSM Frequency Downlink/BTS Uplink/BTS Receive
band Transmit

GSM 900 935-960 MHz 890-915 MHz

GSM 1800 1805-1880 MHz 1710-1785 MHz

GSM 1900 1930-1990 MHz 1850-1910 MHz

GSM – 900 FREQUENCY BAND SPECIFICATIONS:

The frequency range between 935 and 960 MHz is used as the base station
transmitting frequency (downlink) and the frequencies between 890 and 915
MHz are used as the base station receiving frequency (uplink). The carrier
frequencies of the FDM radio channels have 200 kHz channel spacing in each
band, thus providing 124 FDM channels.

With time-division multiplexing (TDM), eight communications channels

(time slots) are supported per FDM channel.
GSM ACCESS SCHEME
GSM uses FDMA and TDMA to transmit voice and data
The uplink channel between the cell phone and the BTS uses
FDMA and a specific frequency band
The downlink channel between the BTS and the cell phone uses
a different frequency band and the TDMA technique
There is sufficient frequency separation between the uplink freq.
band and the downlink freq. band to avoid interference
Each uplink and downlink frequency bands is further split up as
Control Channel (used to set up and manage calls) and Traffic
Channel (used to carry voice)
GSM ACCESS SCHEME

Control Channel (used to set up and manage calls)

This channel is used by a cellular phone to indicate its presence before a
frequency/time slot/code is allocated to him

Traffic Channel
This channel is used to carry voice (voice channel)
GSM CONTROL CHANNEL
GSM control channels can have the following types:
broadcast channel- FCCH, SCH, BCCH
common control channel-PCH, RACH, AGCH
dedicated control channel- SDCCH, SACCH,
FACCH
COMMON CONTROL CHANNELS
 Paging Channel (PCH) – the BTS uses this channel to inform the cell phone
about an incoming call; the cell phone periodically monitors this channel
 Random Access Channel (RACH) – is an uplink channel used by the cell
phone to initiate a call; the cell phone uses this channel only when required;
once a cell phone correctly accesses the RACH, BTS send an
acknowledgement
 Access Grant Channel (AGCH) – channel used to set up a call; once the cell
phone has used PCH or RACH to receive or initiate a call, it uses AGCH to
communicate to the BTS
DEDICATED CONTROL CHANNELS
control channel used to manage calls is comprised from:
 Standalone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH) – used along with
SACCH to send and receive messages; relays signaling information
 Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH) – on the downlink BTS
broadcasts messages of the beacon frequency of neighboring cells to the
cell phones; on the uplink BTS receives acknowledgement messages
from the cell phone
 Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH) – used to transmit
unscheduled urgent messages; FACCH is faster than SACCH as it can
carry 50 messages per second, while SACCH an carry only 4.
THE REQUIRED PROCEDURE TO INITIALIZE A CONNECTION
BETWEEN A MOBILE STATION AND A BTS :
1. The MS requests a SDCCH from the BTS by using the RACH.
2. The BTS grants the mobile’s access to a SDCCH via the AGCH.
3. The MS uses the SDCCH to send a request for a connection to the MSC. This includes the following
activities:
(i) The MS tells the MSC, to which number it wants to call.
(ii) The authentication algorithm performed its operation, if the MS is allowed to make a
requested call.
(iii) Otherwise, the MSC marks the desired MS as busy.
4. The MSC orders the BSC to associate a free TCH with the connection. Then, the BTS and the MS are
informed about the timeslot and carrier number of the TCH.
5. The MSC establishes a connection to the network to which the call should go, (e.g., the PSTN for
international).
6. If the called subscriber is available and answers the call, the connection is established.