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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 BTS’s 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 subscriber’s 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
subscriber’s 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 subscriber’s

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 subscriber’s 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 subscriber’s

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) (5)
(3)
MS BS MSC-A HLR
(2) (9) (6)

(8) (7)

(1)
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 “I’m 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 station’s 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 1 6 MSC/VLR MS
GMSC

2 5 4
3
HLR

1.MSISDN 2. MSISDN 3. IMSI 4. MSRN

5. MSRN 6. MSRN

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 MS - MS Call

HLR/AUC

( 5) ( 3)
( 2) ( 4)
( 6)
MSC1/VLR2 MSC2/VLR2
( 9)

( 1) ( 10) ( 8) ( 7)

MS1 MS2

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 Location update flow
MS BTS BSC MSC

Chan Request (RACH)

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

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 Power off flow
MS BTS BSC MSC

Chan Request
Chan Required
Chan Act
Chan Act ACK
Imm Ass Cmd(Imm Ass)
Imm Ass
SABM(IMSI Detach Ind)
Est Ind (IMSI Detach Ind)
UA(IMSI Detach Ind) CR(IMSI Detach Ind)
CREF
DR (Chan Rel)
Chan Rel
Deact SACCH
DISC
Release Ind
UA
RF Chan Rel
RF Chan Rel ACK

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 Calling flow
MS BTS BSC MSC

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 Est Ind
UA
Assignment Complete
Assignment Cmp
Deact SACCH
RF Chan Release
Release Ind
RF Chan Release ACK
Alerting
Connect
Connect ACK

Disconnect
Release
Release Complete
DR (Chan Release) Clear Cmd
Chan Release Clear Complete
Deact SACCH
DISC RLSD
Release Ind RLC
RF Chan Release
RF Chan Release ACK

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 Called flow
MS BTS BSC MSC

Paging
Paging Cmd
Paging Req
Chan Request
Chan Required
Chan Act
Chan Act Ack
Imm Ass Cmd (Imm Ass)
Imm Assignment
SABM(Pag Resp)
Est Ind (Pag Resp)
UA CR (Pag Resp)
CC
Setup
Call Confirm
Assignment Req
Physical Context Req
Physical Context Conf
Chan Act
Chan Act Ack
Assignment Command
SABM
Est Ind
UA
Assignment Complete
Assignment Complete
Alerting
Connect
Connect Ack

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

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 Handover flow
MS BTS BSC MSC

Meas Rep
Meas Res
Phy Context Req
Phy Contest Conf
Chan Act
Chan Act ACK
Assign Command
SABM Est Ind
UA

Assign Complete
Ho Perform
Deact SACCH
RF Chan Release
RF Chan Rel ACK

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 Handover flow
MS BTS1 BTS2 BSC MSC

Meas Rep
Meas Result

Chan Act
Chan Act ACK
Data Req ( HO CMD)
HO CMD
HO Access
HO Detect
Physical Information
SABM
Est Ind
UA
HO Complete Data Ind(HO Comp)
RF Chan Rel HO Perform
RF Chan Rel ACK

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 Handover flow
MS BTS1 BSC1 MSC BSC2 BTS2 MS'

Meas Res
Meas Rep
Ho Rqd
CR(Ho Req)
CC
Chan Act
Chan Act Ack
Ho Req ACK
Ho Cmd
Ho Cmd Ho Access
Ho Detect
Ho Detect Phy Info
SABM
Est Ind
UA
Ho Complete
Clear Cmd
Deact SACCH
RF Chan Rel Clear Cmp

RF Chan Rel ACK

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 ZTE University univ.zte.com.cn
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