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Signaling flow

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Introduction Though basically similar, the call process of mobile subscribers and that of ordinary fixed subscribers are different in the following aspects: Before a mobile subscriber originates a call, he should first input the number, ensure that no modification is needed, and then send the call. Before the number is sent out and the call is connected, there is some additional information that should be transferred between Mobile stations (MS) and the network. Such operations are automatically performed by the equipment, with no need for user interference, but it results in a certain delay.

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Initialization Initialization is a random access process. It starts from MS which sends a channel request message on RACH. After receiving this message, BTS notifies BSC, and attaches BTSs estimation of the transmission delay (TA) from this MS to BTS and the cause for the current access. BSC will select an idle and dedicated channel SDCCH to notify BTS to activate it according to the access cause and the current information.

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 Access causes mainly includes: location updating; response to a paging call; and subscriber service application, such as a call, sending one short message. After BTS completes the activiation of the designated channel, BSC sends the immediate allocation message on AGCH via BTS, including the description of the SDCCH channel assigned by BSC to MS, TA, the maximum initialization transmission power and the accessrandom reference value.

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 When MS correctly receives its initialized allocation, it will, according to channel description, adjust itself to this channel, set up a signaling transmission link, and send the first initialized message on the dedicated channel, including subscribers identification number (such as IMSI), cause for the current access, registration, and authentication. If BSC has no idle channels to allocate, BSC will send to MS the immediate allocation rejected message.

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Subscriber Status Mobile stations are normally in one of the following states: idle, switched off, and busy. So, the network should handle accordingly against these 3 states. 1) When the MS powers on, the network labels it with attached flag.

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Case 1. If it is the first time MS is switched on, in which case no original LAI can be found in its SIM card, it will immediately demand access to the network, send to MSC the location updating request message, and notify the GSM system that this is a new subscriber in this location area.

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 MSC will send the location updating request to this subscribers HLR according to the H1H2H3 message in IMSI sent by this subscriber. HLR will record the MSC number that sends this request (M1M2M3), and send back the location updating acknowledgment message to MSC. By now, MSC will take this MS as activated, and make the attached mark on the IMSI of this subscriber in VLR, and then will send to MS the location updating accepted message. The SIM card of MS records this location area identifier (LAI).
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Case 2. If it is not the first time that MS is switched on but rather switched on after switch-off, in which case the received LAI is different from the LAI on the SIM card, then it will also immediately send the location update request to MSC.

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 MSC will first determine whether the original LAI is within its own service area. If yes, MSC needs only to modify this subscribers LAI in VLR, make attached mark on its IMSI, and send LAI to MS in the location updating accepted message. MS will modify the LAI in the SIM card. If not, then MSC should send the location updating request to the corresponding HLR according to H1H2H3 in this subscribers IMSI.
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 HLR will record the MSC number that sends this request, then send back the location updating acknowledgment. MSC makes the attached mark on the subscribers IMSI in VLR, records the LAI, and sends back to MS the location updating accepted message. MS then modifies the LAI in the SIM card.

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Case 3. In case MS is first switched off and then switched on, and the received LAI is the same as that in the SIM card, then MSC needs only to mark this subscriber with the attached flag.

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2) MS switches off, and gets detached from the network. When MS turns off the power supply, it sends the last message to the network, including the detachment processing request. After MSC receives the message, it will notify VLR to make the corresponding detached mark on the IMSI of this MS.

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 HLR in this case has got no notice that this subscriber is already detached from the network. So, when this subscriber is paged, and when HLR requests MSC/VLR for MSRN, MSC/VLR will notify HLR that this subscriber is already detached from the network, so no more paging messages need to be sent to page this subscriber.

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3) MS busy In this case, the network assigns to MS one traffic channel to send voice or data, and mark this subscriber as busy. When MS moves around, it must have the ability to switch to other channel, and this is the so-called handover.

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Periodic Registration After MS sends the IMSI detached message to the network, due to poor radio link quality or severe fading, the GSM system can not correctly decode messages, and might still regard this MS as in the attached status. In another case, MS is switched on, but it moves outside the service coverage area, but the GSM system still regards MS as in the attached status.

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 In such cases, when this subscriber is paged, the system will continusously send paging messages, thus ineffectively wasting lots of radio resources. To solve this problem, the GSM system takes the compulsory registration measure, e.g., requiring MS to register once every 30 minutes (which can be determined by the carrier). This is so-called periodic registration.

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Location Update

(4) (3) MS (2)

(5)

BS
(9) (8) (1)

MSC-A
(6) (7)

HLR

VLR

(10)

MS

BS

MSC-B

VLR

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(1) MS moves from one area (belonging to the coverage of MSC-B) to another area (belonging to the coverage of MSC-A). (2) By detecting the broadcasting information sent persistently by the base station BS, MS finds out that the newly received location area identification is different from the currently used location area identification.

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(3)(4) MS sends the location updating request with the message of Im here via this base station to MSC-A. (5) MSC-A sends the location updating message that contains the MSC-A identifier and MS identification number to HLR (the authentication or encryption calculation process will start from here, though not shown in the diagram).

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(6) HLR sends back the response message, including all the related subscriber data. (7)(8) Subscriber data registration in the visited VLR. (9) Sending related location updating response message via the base station to MS (if TMSI is re-assigned, it is sent together to MS). (10) Notifying the original VLR to delete subscriber data related to this MS.
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Outgoing Call Flow from MS to PSTN

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Outgoing Call Flow from MS to PSTN (1) Within the service cell, once the mobile subscriber dials, the mobile station will request the base station for the random access channel. (2) The setup process to set up signaling connection between the mobile station MS and the mobile service switching center MSC.

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(3) Authentication of the mobile stations identification number; if encryption is needed, then it sets the encryption mode and enter the call setup starting phase. (4) Service channel allocation.

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(5) Adopting the No.7 signaling user part ISUP/TUP to set up a channel from the fixed network (ISDN/PSTN) to the called subscriber, send ringing to the called subscriber, and send back the call connection acknowledgment signal to the mobile station. (6)The called subscriber offhooks to reply, in which case a response (connection) message is sent to the mobile station, thus entering the ultimate call session phase.

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Incoming Call Flow from PSTN to MS

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Incoming Call Flow from PSTN to MS (1) Through the No.7 signaling user part ISUP/TUP to enter MSC (GMSC) and receive a call from the fixed network (ISDN/PSTN). (2) GMSC requests HLR for the MSC address (i.e., MSRN) visited by the related called mobile subscriber. (3) HLR requests the visited VLR to assign MSRN which is assigned and notified by VLR to HLR in each call.

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(4) After GMSC obtains MSRN from HLR, it can re-search for routes to set up connection to the visited MSC. (5)(6) The visited MSC obtains related subscriber data from VLR. (7)(8) MSC sends paging messages to the mobile station through all base stations( BS) in the location area.

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(9)(10) The mobile station of the called mobile subscriber sends back the paging response messages, then carries out the same steps of (1), (2), (3), (4) as shown in the above outgoing call flow till the mobile station rings, then sends back the call connection acknowledgment signal (omitted in the diagram) to the calling subscriber. (11) The mobile subscriber offhooks to answer, thus the response (connection) message is sent back to the fixed network to signal calling and called parties enter final call session.

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Incoming Call Flow from PSTN to MS

PSTN

GMSC 2 5

MSC/VLR 4 3

MS

HLR 1.MSISDN 2. MSISDN 3. IMSI 4. MSRN 5. MSRN 6. MSRN

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MS - MS Call

HLR/AUC ( 5) MSC1/VLR2 ( 3) MSC2/VLR2

( 2)

( 4) ( 6) ( 9)

( 1) MS1

( 10)

( 8) MS2

( 7)

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Location update flow

M S
Chan Request (RACH) Chan Required Chan Act Chan Act ACK Imm Ass Cmd (Imm Ass) Imm Ass (AGCH) SABM (Loc Update Req) UA(Loc Update Req) Est Ind (Loc Update Req) CR (Loc Update Req) CC Location Update Accept BSSMAP (Clear Cmd) Chan Release DISC Data Req (Chan Release) Deact SACCH Release Ind RF Chan Release RF Chan Release ACK BSSMAP (Clear Cmp)

BTS

BSC

M SC

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Power off flow

M S Chan Request Chan Required Chan Act Chan Act ACK Imm Ass Cmd(Imm Ass) Est Ind (IMSI Detach Ind) DR (Chan Rel) Deact SACCH Release Ind RF Chan Rel RF Chan Rel ACK BTS BSC M SC

Imm Ass SABM(IMSI Detach Ind) UA(IMSI Detach Ind) Chan Rel DISC UA

CR(IMSI Detach Ind) CREF

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Calling flow
MS
Chan Request (RACH) Chan Required Chan Act Chan Act ACK Imm Ass Cmd (Imm Ass) Imm Ass SABM (CM Ser Req) UA (CM Ser Req) Est Ind (CM Ser Req) CR (CM Ser Req) CC CM Ser Accept Set Up Call Proceeding Ass Request Physical Context Req Physical Context Conf Chan Act Chan Act ACK Assignment Command SABM UA Assignment Complete Assignment Cmp Deact SACCH RF Chan Release Release Ind RF Chan Release ACK Alerting Connect Connect ACK Disconnect Release Release Complete Chan Release DISC DR (Chan Release) Deact SACCH Release Ind RF Chan Release RF Chan Release ACK Clear Cmd Clear Complete RLSD RLC Est Ind

BTS

BSC

MSC

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Called flow
M S B S T B C S
Paging Paging Cmd Paging Req Chan Request Chan Required Chan Act Chan Act Ack Imm Ass Cmd (Imm Ass) Imm Assignment SABM(Pag Resp) UA Est Ind (Pag Resp)

M SC

CR (Pag Resp) CC

Setup Call Confirm Assignment Req Physical Context Req Physical Context Conf Chan Act Chan Act Ack Assignment Command SABM UA Assignment Complete Assignment Complete Alerting Connect Connect Ack Est Ind

Disconnect Release Release Complete DR(Channel Release) Channel Release DISC Deact SACCH Release Ind RF Chan Release RF Chan Release Ack Clear Command Clear Complete RLSD RLC

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Handover flow
MS Meas Rep Meas Res Phy Context Req Phy Contest Conf Chan Act Chan Act ACK Assign Command SABM UA Assign Complete Deact SACCH RF Chan Release RF Chan Rel ACK Ho Perform Est Ind BTS BSC MSC

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Handover flow
MS Meas Rep BTS1 BTS2 BSC MSC

Meas Result Chan Act Chan Act ACK

HO CMD HO Access Physical Information SABM UA HO Complete

Data Req ( HO CMD) HO Detect

Est Ind Data Ind(HO Comp) RF Chan Rel RF Chan Rel ACK

HO Perform

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Handover flow
M S Meas Res Meas Rep Ho Rqd CR(Ho Req) CC Ho Req ACK Chan Act Chan Act Ack Ho Access Ho Detect Ho Detect Phy Info SABM Est Ind UA Clear Cmd Deact SACCH RF Chan Rel RF Chan Rel ACK Clear Cmp Ho Complete BTS1 BSC1 MSC BSC2 BTS2 MS'

Ho Cmd Ho Cmd

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ZTE University
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