AMITY INSTITUTE OF

TELECOM ENGINEERING AND

MANAGEMENT

PROJECT REPORT
ON
GSM SYSTEM SURVEY
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
DR. PRIYANKA AGARWAL
(Assistant Professor, AITEM)

[IS SUBMITTED FOR THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE
AWARD OF DEGREE OF MBA TELECOM MANAGEMENT AT AMITY UNIVERSITY]

SUBMITTED TO:

SUBMITTED BY:

DR. PRIYANKA AGARWAL

ANURUP BASIL VARGHESE

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

A1603714006

MBA TELECOM, AITEM

MBA-TELECOM
(OPERATIONS)
AITEM
AMITY UNIVERSITY

AMITY UNIVERSITY

DECLARATION

This Project Report on GSM SYSTEM SURVEY has been submitted for the partial
fulfillment of the prerequisite for the honor of degree of MBA- Telecom at Amity University. I
affirm that this internship report account is of my own effort and does not breach any educational
offence as articulated in the Universitys set of laws.
I authenticate that this report account does not hold information of a profitable or not to be
mentioned nature or comprise personal information in addition to the one which would usually
be in the civic domain except the applicable permissions have been obtained.

NAME: Anurup Basil Varghese

DATE:
PROGRAM: MBA Telecom Management

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Success is the epitome of hard work, severance, undeterred missionary, zeal, steadfastness,
determination and most of all encouraging guidance. So, with immense gratitude, I acknowledge
all those people whose guidance and encouragement have helped me in the completion of this
project.
This report gives the details of the six weeks internship, which was from May 18th till July
03rd, 2015, under the supervision of Mr. Rakesh Gusain (MSC head in charge) in Bharti Airtel
Limited, Okhla, for the project titled GSM System Survey.
I would like to thank Mr. Rakesh Gusain and Mr. Arindam Bhattacharya for all their kind and
amiable efforts to make me work and learn in the department. I am thankful to Mr. Yuvraj Saini
and Mr. Nitin Rathour for helping me out with all the doubts and providing us practical
knowledge of everything in a concordant manner. I am very grateful to Mr. Ravi Prakash for
taking classes relating to the topic at Airtel, Vikaspuri.
I am also very thankful to my college for providing me an opportunity of undergoing such a
valuable and informative internship. I am grateful to Col. O. P. Arora for giving me the
opportunity to do my project with this organization. I would also like to thank my faculty mentor,
Dr Priyanka Agarwal for her unending support throughout the internship.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Bharti Airtel Ltd. is one of the top telecom companies with operations in more than 20 countries.
The purpose of this report is to explain the information which I have gained through my
internship at Bharti Airtel, Okhla Nodal office. The topic GSM System Survey is a very vast
area of technology. So, the study has been divided into three parts namely, The GSM evolution,
Call flow process and the AXE Architecture.
This report covers the details about the history of GSM, the association of Airtel and Ericsson
and the GSM Architecture. Descriptions of each component in the architecture have been given.
The importance of Mobile Identities and Logical Channels in the Call Flow process has been
explained. There is a detailed explanation for the call set-up process in GSM, be it through
mobile or PSTN. This report also gives an introduction on the AXE Architecture on which the
components in the switch room are based.
During the duration of the internship, Daily back-ups were required to be taken from the MSCs
whose process is also given. Also, some personal recommendations which I have observed have
been added to this report.
The research methodology and the methods of data collection used in this project have also been
elaborated.
Project method is an effective method of learning and doing. While doing the projects, we learn
the skills of planning and organizing the facts and materials. Knowledge gained by this project is
long lasting and I have gained much information while studying on this project.

CONTENTS
6

Serial No.

PARTICULARS

SHEET NO.

Company Profile

Introduction

12

Literature review

14

GSM Evolution -

14

GSM Phases
GSM Network Components
GSM Geographical Network

GSM Addressing
GSM Logical Channels
CALLS

AXE Platform

18
22
24

Call Set-Up 5

17

24
26
27
30

AXE Structure

31

Research Methodology

35

Data Analysis

37

Recommendation and Conclusion

38

10

References

40

LIST OF FIGURES
7

Serial No.

PARTICULARS

SHEET NO.

Airtel Office, NCR

Market Share of Service Providers

10

Evolution of Telecom Technology

15

Ericsson Standards

16

GSM Architecture

19

GSM Geographical Network

23

Logical Channels

26

Deployment of AXE in CME 20/40

30

View of Switch Room

31

10

View of CP

32

11

View of APG

32

12

DAT Tapes

34

COMPANY PROFILE
8

Bharti Airtel Limited is

one of the leading global
telecom companies with
operations in almost 20
countries across Asia &
Africa. Headquartered
in New Delhi, India, the
company ranks amongst
the top 4 mobile service
providers

globally

in

terms of subscribers. In
Fig 1. View of Airtel Office at Gurgaon, NCR

India,
product

the

company's
offerings

include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL
broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance
services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile
commerce.

Airtel is credited with pioneering the business strategy of outsourcing all of its business
operations except marketing, sales and finance and building the 'minutes factory' model of low
cost and high volumes. The strategy has since been adopted by several operators. Airtel's telecom
equipment is provided and maintained by Ericsson and Nokia Solutions and Networks whereas
IT support is provided by IBM. The transmission towers are maintained by subsidiaries and joint
venture companies of Bharti including Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers in India. Ericsson agreed
for the first time to be paid by the minute for installation and maintenance of their equipment
rather than being paid up front, which allowed Airtel to provide low call rates of INR1/minute
(US$0.02/minute).

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
9

Chairman
Sunil Bharti
Mittal
MD & CEO (India
and South Asia)
Gopal Vittal
DirectorConsumer
Business
Srinivasan
Gopalan

Director & CEO,

Global Voice &
Data Business
Ajay Chitkara

Global CFO &

Director
Human
Resources
B. Srikanth

Director- Global
Supply Chain
Moti Gyamlani

Director, Market
Operations
Ajai Puri

Director Enterprise and

Government
Manish Prakash

Director
Network
Services Group
Abhay
Savargaonkar

CFO
Nilanjan Roy

CEO- DTH
Shashi Arora

Director
Legal &
Regulatory
Sameer Chugh

CIO
Harmeen Mehta

Director
-Customer
Experience
Raghunath
Mandava

Airtel has two distinct Customer Business Units (CBU) with focus on B2C (Business to
Customer) and B2B (Business to Business) segments. Airtel's B2C business unit deals with
servicing the retail consumers, homes and small offices providing mobile, fixed line, DTH and
m-commerce services while the B2B unit deals with large corporate accounts.

10

Its area of operations includes:

The Indian Subcontinent
Airtel Africa, which operates in 17 African countries
The British Crown Dependency islands of Jersey and Guernsey, under the brand name AirtelVodafone, through an agreement with Vodafone.

MARKET SHARE OF SERVICE PROVIDERS IN INDIA

Fig 2. Market Share of Service Providers

Along with its largest customer base in India among other service providers, from the above
diagram we can see that Airtel also has the highest market share closely followed by Reliance
and Vodafone.

11

The main Business Divisions in Airtel are given here:

Mobile Services

Bharti Airtel offers GSM mobile services in all the 22-telecom circles of India and is the largest
mobile service provider in the country, based on the number of customers.
Telemedia Services
The group offers high-speed broadband with the best in class network. With fixed line services in
87 cities, we help you stay in touch with your friends & family and keep you updated round the
clock.
Airtel Business
Airtel business provides a broad portfolio of services to large Enterprise, Government, Small &
Medium businesses and carrier customers. It is India's leading and most trusted provider of
communication and ICT services, offering services that include voice, data, network integration,
data center & managed services, enterprise mobile applications and digital media.
Digital TV ServicesFrom DVD quality picture and sound, the best and widest variety of channels and programs to
the best on-demand content on airtel Live, your TV viewing experience change forever with
digital TV from airtel.

INTRODUCTION
We have seen an unexpected boom in the telecommunications industry from the beginning of the
21st century, due to new innovations in the telecom technology and a variety of services for
customers. This has made the life of the customers very simple and stress-free.
12

So, as students of Telecom Management, we have to be acquainted with the present and
upcoming technologies in the telecommunications industry. This project aims at explaining the
technologies associated with a mobile network as given by Bharti Airtel.
The project study is divided mainly into 3 portions, namely,
GSM Evolution
Call Flow in a Network
Description of AXE architecture (Switch Room, Nodal Office, Okhla)
GSM Evolution
The impact of mobile technologies has been immense. Mobile communication is now viewed as
a necessity and Mobile systems have evolved over time. When discussing different developments
we speak of system generations.
First generation (1G) systems were analog with reasonably reliable networks but limited service
offerings and did not permit roaming between networks. Second generation (2G) mobile systems
are digital and bring significant advantages in terms of service sophistication, capacity and
quality. GSM is a 2G technology. The increasing demand for wireless access to the Internet has
led to further developments within 2G systems. Thus we speak of 2.5G systems. Other standard
and optional features of digital mobile networks have appeared over time including Intelligent
Network (IN) features, mobile positioning features, SMS (Short Message Service) and
developments in signaling and network management software.
Since there are several 2G systems using incompatible radio technologies, on different frequency
spectra, they cannot capture a real worldwide mass-market in the long-term. These factors have
led to the concept of third generation (3G) systems which will allow communication, information
and entertainment services to be delivered via wireless terminals. The foundation for these
services has already been laid in 2G systems, but in order to support such services we need
higher capacity on the radio links as well as compatibility between systems in order to provide
seamless access worldwide. An example of a 3G system is Universal Mobile Telecommunication
Systems (UMTS).
Call Flow in a Network
The call flow process in a network involves a wide area of study like traffic and control channels
in a network, location identification and update of a mobile system and general call making
processes. All these processes have been explained in this report.
13

Switch Room and AXE

The Switch room is the room in the nodal office where the MSCs, GMSCs and numerous other
servers have been placed. The components of the switch room perform functions like calls,
messaging, data and many other services which the customers require. AXE architecture forms
the backbone of the switching centre.

LITERATURE REVIEW
A literature review discusses information in a particular subject area within a certain time period.
It can be just a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and
combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the
source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a
new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the
intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the
literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or
relevant.
In this Project, the literature review would be the main part of the report as the internship
consisted of a theoretical study of the technologies associated with telecom.
This review has been divided into different chapters for the simplicity of understanding the
report.
14

1) GSM Evolution
2) Call Flow
3) Switch room Description (AXE Architecture)

GSM EVOLUTION
Since the development of NMT 450 in 1981, although a standard may be suitable for one
country, it may not be suitable for another. The main standards and the main markets in which
they are used are given below in this table:

15

Fig 3. Table showing Evolution of Telecom Technology in the World

From the above table we can see that GSM and CDMA are the standards which are being used
by the service providers in India.
Ericsson and Airtel
Ericsson is one of the leading telecommunication companies in the world and supports over 450
networks world-wide. Ericsson's key product is the AXE digital exchange which is in service in
the most sophisticated public networks in Europe, the Americas, Australia, Africa and Asia.
Bharti Airtel is currently using this AXE digital exchange in all its operations in the world.

16

Ericsson is the world's most successful supplier of mobile network infrastructure equipment and
supplies 30% of the world's mobile telephony market. Ericsson supplies 40% of the world's
GSM/GPRS systems and 40% of 3G/WCDMA systems Market. The following table summarizes
the Ericsson product solution for each mobile standard.

Fig 4. Table showing the Ericsson Standards

Airtel is currently using the CME-20 (Cellular Mobile Engineering 20) Ericsson systems for its
GSM services.

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)

GSM provides a common standard such that cellular subscribers can use their telephones over
the entire GSM service area which includes all the countries around the world where the GSM
system is used. In addition, GSM provides user services such as high-speed data communication,
facsimile, a Short Message Service (SMS) and Intelligent Network (IN) services such as Mobile
Virtual Private Networks (MVPNs). The GSM technical specifications are also designed to work
with other standards as standard interfaces are guaranteed. Finally, a key aspect of GSM is that
the specifications are open ended and can be built upon to meet future requirements.

17

GSM Phases
There were 3 phases in the evolution of GSM, namely,

Phase 1

Phase 1 contains the most common services including:

Voice telephony
International roaming
Basic fax/data services (up to 9.6 kbits/s)
Call forwarding
Call barring
Short Message Service (SMS)
Phase 1 also incorporated features such as ciphering and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
cards. Phase 1 specifications were then closed and cannot be modified.

Phase 2

Additional features were introduced in GSM phase 2 including:

Advice of charge
Calling line identification
Call waiting
Call hold
Conference calling
Closed user groups
Additional data communications capabilities

Phase 2+

Some of the enhancements offered by Phase 2+ include:

Multiple service profiles
Private numbering plans
Access to Centrex services
Interworking with GSM 1800, GSM 1900 and the Digital Enhanced Cordless

Telecommunications (DECT) standard

Phase 2++

This phase includes sophisticated enhancements to the radio interface including:

Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), a new modulation method which
increases capacity on the air interface.
18

Customized Application for Mobile Enhanced Logic (CAMEL), a standard, governing IN

service access while roaming internationally and also High Speed Circuit Switched Data
(HSCSD), a method of delivering higher data rates per subscriber by allocating an increased
number of time-slots per call.

GSM Network Components

The GSM has been sub-divided into two systems. The two systems are:
Switching System - SS
Base Station System - BSS
The Operation Sub-system is not considered as a separate system.
The Switching System is responsible for performing call processing and subscriber related
functions. It has the following units:
Mobile services Switching Center (MSC)
Home Location Register (HLR)
Visitor Location Register (VLR)
Authentication Center (AUC)
Equipment Identity Register (EIR)
The BSS performs all the radio-related functions. The BSS is comprised of the following
functional units:
Base Station Controller
Base Transceiver Station
The OMC performs all the operation and maintenance tasks for the network such as monitoring
network traffic and network alarms. The OMC has access to both the SS and the BSS.
In some cases, the MS, BTS and BSC are considered to be parts of a separate system called
Radio Sub-System.

19

Fig 5. GSM Architecture

Switching System (SS) Components

Mobile services Switching Center (MSC)

The MSC performs the telephony switching functions for the mobile network. It controls calls to
and from other telephony and data systems, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network,
public networks, private networks and other mobile networks.
Gateway Functionality (GMSC)
Gateway functionality enables an MSC to interrogate a network's HLR in order to route a call to
a Mobile Station (MS). Such an MSC is called a Gateway MSC (GMSC). For example, if a
person connected to the PSTN wants to make a call to a GSM mobile subscriber, then the PSTN
exchange will access the GSM network by first connecting the call to a GMSC. The same is true
20

of a call from an MS to another MS. Any MSC in the mobile network can function as a gateway
by integration of the appropriate software.
Home Location Register (HLR)
It is a centralized database that has the function of storing and managing all the subscriptions
belonging to a specific operator. The information stored includes:
Subscriber identity
Subscriber supplementary services
Subscriber location information
Subscriber authentication information
The HLR can be implemented in the same network node as the MSC or as a stand-alone
database. If the capacity of the HLR is exceeded, additional HLRs may be added.
Visitor Location Register (VLR)
The VLR database contains information about all the mobile subscribers currently located in an
MSC service area. Each MSC consists of a VLR. The VLR temporarily stores subscription
information so that the MSC can service all the subscribers currently visiting that MSC service
area. When a subscriber is roaming into a new MSC service area, the VLR connected to that
MSC requests information about the subscriber from the subscriber's HLR. The HLR will send a
copy of the data to the VLR and will update its own location information. When the subscriber
makes a call, the VLR will already have the information required for call set-up.

Authentication Center (AUC)

The main function of the AUC is to authenticate the subscribers attempting to use a network. In
this way, it is used to protect network operators against fraud. The AUC is a database connected
to the HLR which provides it with the authentication parameters and ciphering keys used to
ensure network security.
Equipment Identity Register

21

It is a database containing mobile equipment identity information which helps to block calls from
stolen, unauthorized, or defective MSs. It should be noted that due to subscriber-equipment
separation in GSM, the barring of MS equipment does not result in automatic barring of a
subscriber.
Base Station System (BSS) Components
Base Station Controller
The controller manages all the radio-related functions of a GSM network. It provides functions
such as Mobile Station handover, radio channel assignment and the collection of cell
configuration data.

Base Transceiver Station

The BTS controls the radio interface to the MS. The BTS consists of radio equipments such as
transceivers and antennas which are needed in each cell in the network.

Network Monitoring Centers

Operation and Maintenance Center
It is a computerized monitoring center which is connected to other network components such as
MSCs and BSCs via X.25 data network links. In the OMC, the staff are presented with
information about the status of the network and can monitor and control a variety of system
parameters. There may be one or several OMCs within a network depending on the network size.
Network Management Center (NMC)
Centralized control of a network is done at a Network Management Center (NMC). Only one
NMC is required for a network and this controls the subordinate OMCs. The advantage of this
hierarchical approach is that staff at the NMC can concentrate on long term system-wide issues,
whereas local personnel at each OMC can concentrate on short term, regional issues. OMC and

22

NMC functionality can be combined in the same physical network node or implemented at
different locations.
Mobile Station (MS)
An MS is used by a mobile subscriber to communicate with the mobile network. Several types of
MSs exist, each allowing the subscriber to make and receive calls. Manufacturers of MSs offer a
variety of designs and features to meet the needs of different markets.
The range or coverage area of an MS depends on the output power of the MS. Different types of
MSs have different output power capabilities and consequently different ranges. For example,
hand-held MSs have a lower output power and shorter range than car-installed MSs with a roof
mounted antenna.

GSM Geographical Network Structure

Every telephone network needs a specific structure to route incoming calls to the correct
exchange and then on to the subscriber. In a mobile network, this structure is very important
because the subscribers are mobile. As subscribers move through the network, these structures
are used to monitor their location.
Cell
A cell is the basic unit of a cellular system. Each cell is assigned a unique number called Cell
Global Identity (CGI). In a complete network covering an entire country, the number of cells can
be quite high.

Location Area (LA)

A Location Area (LA) is defined as a collection of various cells. The identity of the current LA is
stored in the VLR. When an MS crosses the boundary between two cells belonging to different
LAs, it must be reporting its new Location Area to the GSM network.
MSC Service Area
23

This service area is made up of a number of LAs and represents the portion of the network
controlled by one MSC. For routing a call to an MS, the subscriber's MSC service area is also
recorded and monitored. The subscriber's MSC service area is stored in the HLR.
PLMN Service Area
A PLMN service area is the entire set of cells served by one network operator and is defined as
the area in which an operator offers radio coverage and access to its network. In any one country
there may be several PLMN service areas, one for each mobile operator's network.
GSM Service Area
The GSM service area is the entire geographical area in which a subscriber can gain access to a
GSM network.

Fig 6. GSM Geographical Network

24

CALL SET UP
The call set up procedure is one of the main activities in a GSM network. Before going on to the
process, a description on GSM identities and channels have been given.

GSM Addressing
The addresses and identifiers are presented below:
1) International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI)
The international mobile station equipment identity is a kind of serial number. The IMEI is
allocated by the equipment producer and is registered by the operator who stores it in the EIR.
By means of IMEI one recognizes obsolete, stolen or nonfunctional equipment.
These are the following parts of an IMEI:

Type Approval Code.

Final Assembly Code

Serial Number

Spare (SP)

2) International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)

It is stored in the subscriber identity module (SIM). A mobile station can only be operated if a
SIM with a valid IMSI is inserted into equipment with a valid IMEI.
These are the following parts of an IMSI:
1.

Mobile Country Code

2.

Mobile Network Code

3.

Mobile Subscriber Identification Number

25

3) Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number

The MSISDN consists of the following:
1.

Country Code

2.

National Destination Code

3.

Subscriber Number

4) Mobile Station Roaming Number

The MSRN has same structure as the MSISDN.
1.

Country Code

2.

National Destination Code

3.

Subscriber Number (SN)

5) Location Area Identity

Each LA has its own identifier. The Location Area Identifier (LAI) is also structured as follows:
1.

Country Code

2.

Mobile Network Code

3.

Location Area Code

6) Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity

26

The VLR, which is responsible for the current location of a subscriber, can assign a
temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI). It is stored on the network side in the VLR and
is not passed to the HLR.

GSM Logical Channels

A block diagram showing the different types of logical channels has been given below:

Fig 7. Block Diagram showing Different Logical Channels

The Broadcast channels (BCH): The BCHs include the following channels:

The Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH)

27

The Frequency Correction Channel (FCCH)

The Synchronization Channel (SCH)

The Common Control Channels (CCCH): The CCCHs include the following channels:

The Paging Channel (PCH)

The Access Grant Channel (AGCH)
The Random Access Channel (RACH)

The Dedicated Control Channels (DCCH): The DCCHs include the following channels:

The Stand-Alone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH)

The Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH)
The Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH)

Call to MS (MT)
A mobile terminating (MT) call is initiated when the originating subscriber, named A-subscriber,
dials a telephone number (MSISDN) to a B-subscriber (MS) where the call shall terminate.
Routing information is given below.
1) By dialing the MSISDN, the call will be routed to a GSM gateway, GMSC.
2) The MSISDN will be used by the GMSC to address the HLR where the MS is registered. The
GMSC sends a request to the HLR asking for new routing information. This request contains
the MSISDN. The HLR will translate the MSISDN into IMSI to find the correct file in the
database. The HLR checks the subscription and the attached supplementary services.
3) If there are no restrictions, the HLR reads the address to the MSC/VLR where the MS is
presently registered. It sends a request to the MSC/VLR asking for an MSRN (Mobile
Station Roaming Number) that is the new routing information needed by the GMSC. This
request contains the IMSI.
4) The MSC/VLR will allocate an MSRN and send it to the GMSC via the HLR. The relation
between the allocated MSRN and the IMSI will be temporarily stored in the MSC/VLR
during the call set-up procedure.

28

5) With the MSRN the GMSC can route the call to the correct MSC/VLR which will use the
MSRN - IMSI relation to find the correct file in the database. MSC/VLR will check if the
MS is attached and if the MS is already busy. If busy, call forwarding is applicable.
6) If there are no restrictions, the MSC/VLR will read in which location area the MS is located.
Then it sends a paging message to the BSCs that handles the cells in that location area. The
BSC will distribute the message to the concerned BTSs, which will send it on PCH. The
paging message contains the identity of the MS, either TMSI or IMSI.
7) The MS, in idle mode, is monitoring the PCH. When the MS detects the paging message, it
tries to establish a radio resource (RR) connection by sending an access burst on RACH. The
BSC, in charge of RR, allocates a signaling channel (SDCCH) and grants the access on the
AGCH.
8) All the required signaling to perform a call set-up will be sent on the SDCCH and will be
addressed to the MSC/VLR. The authentication procedure, equipment identification, and
ciphering start will take place next.
9) The BSC will allocate a TCH for the call to be connected.

Call from MS (MO)

The mobile originating (MO) call is initiated when the subscriber press the off-hook after dialing the
number to the B-subscriber.

1) The MS establishes a radio resource (RR) connection by sending an access burst on RACH.
The BSC, in charge of RR, allocates a signaling channel (SDCCH) and grants the access on
the AGCH.
2) All the required signaling to perform a call set-up will be sent on the SDCCH and will be
addressed to the MSC/VLR. The authentication procedure, equipment identification, and
ciphering start will take place on this channel. MS also informs the MSC/VLR of the
required service and the number to the called subscriber (B-number). The MSC/VLR will
mark the MS busy and check if the required service is available in the network. It will then
check if the MS has a subscription for this service, and if so will then check if the subscriber
has activated the service of barring outgoing calls.
3) MSC/VLR will then send an assignment message to the BSC, which will allocate a TCH
suited for the accepted service. The BSC will activate the TCH at the serving BTS, or another
29

BTS. The channel is then assigned to the MS, which will move to the indicated carrier and
time slot.
4) By analyzing the B-number the MSC/VLR can route the call to the right destination. The call
can now be connected to the B-subscriber and the traffic can start.

Call from Mobile Phone to PSTN

1) The MSC/VLR receives the message of a call request.
2) The MSC/VLR checks if the mobile station is authorized to access the network. If so, the
mobile station is activated. If the mobile station is not authorized, service will be denied.
3) MSC/VLR analyzes the number and initiates a call setup with the PSTN.
4) MSC/VLR asks the corresponding BSC to allocate a traffic channel The BSC allocates the
traffic channel and passes the information to the mobile station.
5) The called party answers the call and the conversation takes place.

Call from PSTN to mobile phone

1) The Gateway MSC receives the call and queries the HLR for the information needed to route
the call to the serving MSC/VLR.
2) The GMSC routes the call to the MSC/VLR.
3) The MSC checks the VLR for the location area of the MS.
4) The MSC contacts the MS via the BSC through a broadcast message, that is, through a
paging request.
5) The MS responds to the page request.
30

6) The BSC allocates a traffic channel and sends a message to the MS to tune to the channel.
The MS generates a ringing signal and, after the subscriber answers, the speech connection is
established.
7) Handover, if required, takes place.

AXE PLATFORM
AXE is a multi-application, open-ended digital switching product for public telecommunications
networks. It has real-time processing capacity and can handle high volumes of traffic. AXE is
based on a model in which all functionality (switching, subscriber and network access, operation
and maintenance, traffic control, charging control) is handled by each node in the network.
Ericsson's GSM systems are based on AXE. This means that the features and services built into
AXE can be provided as standard within CME 20/CMS 40. It also means that Ericsson's GSM
systems will benefit from the future development of AXE. The AXE based nodes in Ericsson's
GSM systems are the MSC/VLR, GMSC, HLR, and BSC etc.

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Fig 8. Shown above is the deployment of the AXE architecture in the CME 20/40 Ericsson
network.

AXE Structure
There are currently two basic types of structure for AXE:

Non-Application Modularity based AXE systems (AXE 105)

Application modularity based AXE systems (AXE 106)

The Non-Application modularity based system is presently being used at the nodal office at
okhla. Here the AXE 105 can be sub-divided into two parts.

APT : This is the switching and telecommunications applications part of AXE.

APZ : This is the control or operating system part of AXE.

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An important aspect of the AXE platform is that every hardware or component in the switch
room has a redundancy factor. This means that there will be 2 components, A and B. One of them
will be active at a time (Active or Passive).

Fig 9. View of Switch Room

Processors using AXE
There are mainly 3 types of processors using the AXE platform in the switch room
1) CP (Central Processor): The CP handles all main functions in the network like handling
customer calls, call routing, controlling all cards etc. every command in the network is
executed through this processor. Between 2 CPs there will be an updating bus to insert
any new program in the active CP. The CP is placed in a CPUM Magazine.

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Fig 10. View of CP

2) APG (Adjunct Processor Group): The APG is used for Input/output processing purpose.
It can be said as an interface between the CP and a technician.

Fig 11. View of APG

3) RP (Regional Processor): The RP acts according to different regional areas. These are
placed at the extreme ends of the CP. A connection between CP and RP is done with an
RP Bus (RPB). One CP can connect maximum 32 RPBs and 1 RPB connects to a
maximum of 32 RPs.
APZ Versions

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There are different versions of APZ namely APZ 212, 20, 25, 30, 33, 33C, 40, 50, 55 and 60. At
Airtel the APZs in use are 33, 33C, 40, 50, 55 and 60. The versions above 30 are called as the
Evolved architecture. The latest APZ platform is known as the Blade Cluster (For 3G).
The different evolutions have different processing speeds increasing from version 30 till 60. Also
there will be a reduction in the number of cabinets.
At present, the 33 and 33C are in their end of life process and are being shifted to 40 and 50.
Faults in the Switch Room: Two types of faults may arise Temporary (Can be corrected by
executing commands) and Permanent (Corrected by changing the Hardware).
WINFIOL Software
It is software required to operate the APG node through a Computer or a laptop and it can be used for:

For checking Node Status

For checking Services
For checking Clock Health
For backups
For testing

Digital Audio Tapes (DAT): DAT tapes are used for storing of Back-ups of all the call
configurations occurring through the MSC. The DAT tapes used here have a capacity of 24 and
72 TB of data. There are mainly 4 types of back-ups which are taken:

CP (Central Processor) -Taken Weekly

APG (Adjunct Processor) -Taken Monthly

RTR or TT (Toll Ticketing file) -Taken every 3rd day

IN (Intelligent Network) Taken Daily

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Fig 12. DAT Tapes

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology may be defined as the process of collecting raw data or information for
the purpose of making any economic or business decisions. This method of collecting data is
usually unbiased and true. The methodology may include study, research, interviews, surveys or
any other techniques. The research may include historical, present or future data.

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The research method used for this project was a Secondary Research. Secondary research is
defined as an analysis and interpretation of primary research. The method of writing
secondary research is to collect primary research that is relevant to a writing topic and interpret
what the primary research found. For instance, secondary research often takes the form of the
results from two or more primary research articles and explains what the two separate findings
are telling us. As secondary research is of different types, this research is a Conceptual
secondary research. Conceptual research focuses on the concept or theory that explains or
describes the phenomenon being studied. This does not require the use of experiments but makes
use of the observations.

Research Objective
This project was subject based and aimed at studying the present scenario of the mobile phone
service providers, in this case Airtel, the different operations in an Airtel MSC and future
technologies undertaken by the company.
The main objectives were as follows:

To learn about Mobile Networks, its working and Functions.

To learn about the GSM Architecture.
To understand the Call Flow Processes in the network.
To learn about the Architecture in the Switch Room.
To take regular Back-ups.

Research Design
The research design explains the structure of any scientific or technical work. It gives a direction
to the research and it will help in the evaluation of results and how we conclude the findings. An
Exploratory Research Design has been adopted to conclude the findings of my study.
Exploratory Research generally means to inquire into a situation which may provide insight to
the particular subject. This research intends to explore the field of study in order to find out the
nature of the problem or topic. Here, this research has been applied on my topic of GSM and its
Call flow processes etc.
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Data Collection
The data collection methods for this project is through various sources like

An Interdisciplinary approach has been adopted, that is, collecting information from

various sources, relevant for the topic.

Working group and Sub-group sessions to achieve an understanding of the Objectives.
Review of articles published by Bharti Airtel and scientific journals related to

telecommunications.
The major sources of information are the Classes taken by the Project Head and the

engineers, related to the topic.

Collection and Analysis of Qualitative Data.
Study of the Live MSCs, GMSCs, HLRs etc. in the switching room etc

As the research method is a secondary research, there is no particular sample or sampling

method required for this project, as our data is derived from an already established primary
research.

DATA ANALYSIS
A general analysis of data is the process of inspecting and modeling the information with the
objective of obtaining useful information from any previous topic or study. As explained above,
all the data which has been studied has been obtained from secondary data. So, the Data analysis
of this secondary data saves a lot of time that would had been lost in collecting the original data.
The data analysis for my internship includes the results and findings from my topic which have
been given below.

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The first part of my research study was on the evolution of GSM, its Architecture and the
components associated with it. With the help of classes and group sessions, I was able to
learn about the components like MSC, HLR etc and also know about the GSM geographical

networks, which have been explained in this report.

The second portion was relating to the Call Flow Process. Among the different types of call
set-ups, I gathered information from the articles, on calls from an MS and to an MS and
through PSTN. In order to understand call set-up, I have included a study on different mobile

identities and logical channels.

AXE architecture forms the backbone of a switching center as all the components in the
switch room are dependent on this technology. As I had been assigned the work of regularly
taking Back-ups from the servers in the switch room, I was able to gain some information on
the AXE servers which otherwise is not provided by Airtel.

As this internship was entirely based on a Secondary Data, no additional information has been
added to the literature in the report. The study provided a perfect insight and understanding of the
topic given to me.

RECOMMENDATION & CONCLUSION

The telecommunications industry is rapidly growing and that has become the backbone for
business success and efficiency all around the world. In this report I have tried to give an
overview about the GSM systems, the call flow process and the AXE architecture employed at
Airtel. Although the theory may not be enough, I believe that I may have provided a general
understanding about this topic.

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Through this report, I would like to add some of my personal recommendations which may prove
to be a positive point for the organization.
At present, Airtel uses the CME-20 version of Ericssons Standard for GSM. This
version is being used since the inception of GSM, while in other developing nations this
CME 20 version is an outdated version. Airtel must keep its standards at par with its
international counterparts as well.
The latest technology that Airtel has launched is its 4G services in India. This is a
positive factor, considering the fact that only Airtel and Reliance have launched 4G in the
country. But there are still places in India that are yet to receive 2G services properly.
On a personal note, I am saying that one must ensure that its present technology has
reached to all the areas of the country before clamping on to a new technology.
The servers inside the Switch room at Airtel are using the 33 and 33C APZ versions
which are outdated and slow with reference to the increasing demand of services. Even
though the transition to 40 and 50 versions have started, it is occurring very slowly. In

some nations the 55 and 60 versions are being used.

Lastly, the DAT tapes which are being used are bulky (size of VCRs) and old
technology. During the era of miniature hard disks and other drives with larger capacity,
these DAT tapes should be replaced with such storage devices.

Telecommunications are developing towards a personal communication network which means

the availability of communication services anytime, anywhere and to any person. The GSM
system is the first endeavor to this personal communication system. It offers a variety of services
like telephony, internet, data transfer and other supplementary services. GSM is also the first
network to adopt the Intelligent Networking concept which includes registers (HLR, VLR etc.).
But, in this developing world, the services of GSM are facing difficulties as the demand for
quality and other factors have increased. So, all the service providers must take this demand
head-on and implement newer services like 3G, LTE etc.
At present, 3G and 4G services have been launched by Airtel which will ease the Customers
problems and ensure the benefit of the public both in terms of cost and service quality.

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REFERENCES

Mr. Ravi Prakash (Sr. Manager Network Operation) - Vikaspuri

Mr. Rakesh Gusain (MSC Head) Okhla

Mr. Arindam Bhattacharya (MSC Incharge)

Mr. Yuvraj Saini (Switching Engineer).

Mr. Nitin Ratour (Switching Engineer).

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