CELLULAR AND MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS (A4419)

UNIT V

GSM Architecture

Fig: Functional architecture and principal interfaces of GSM

GSM consists of many subsystems, such as
 the mobile station (MS),
 the base station subsystem (BSS),
 the network and switching subsystem (NSS), and
 the operation subsystem (OSS)
The Mobile Station(MS):
 The MS may be a stand-alone piece of equipment for certain services or support the
connection of external terminals, such as the interface for a personal computer or fax.
 The MS includes mobile equipment (ME) and a subscriber identity module (SIM).
Base Station Subsystem(BSS):
 The BSS connects to the MS through a radio interface and also connects to the NSS.
 The BSS consists of a base transceiver station (BTS) located at the antenna site and a
base station controller (BSC) that may control several BTSs.
 The BTS consists of radio transmission and reception equipment similar to the ME in an
MS.
 GSM uses the open system interconnection (OSI). There are three common interfaces
based on OSI :
 a common radio interface, called “air interface”, between the MS and BTS,
 an interface “A” between the MSC and BSC, and
  an “A-bis” interface between the BTS and BSC.
Network and Switching Subsystem(NSS):
NSS management consists of
Mobile service switching center (MSC): Coordinates call set-up to and from GSM users.
An MSC controls several BSCs.
Interworking function (IWF): A gateway for MSC to interface with external networks for
communication with users outside GSM, such as packet-switched public data network
(PSPDN) or circuit-switched public data network (CSPDN).
Home location register (HLR):Consists of a stand-alone computer without switching
capabilities, a database which contains subscriber information, and information related
to the subscriber’s current location, but not the actual location of the subscriber.
Visitor location register (VLR): Links to one or more MSCs, temporarily storing subscription
data currently served by its corresponding MSC, and holding more detailed data
than the HLR.
Operation Subsystem(OSS):
There are three areas of OSS
(1) network operation and maintenance functions,
(2) subscription management, including charging and billing, and
(3) mobile equipment management.

Categories of GSM Services:

There are three basic Categories of services offered through GSM:

 Telephony (also referred to as teleservices) services

 Data (also referred to as bearer services) services
 Supplementary services
NA-TDMA Architecture:

Fig: NA-TDMA System Architecture

 The NA-TDMA architecture is similar to GSM architecture. The only difference is that in
NA-TDMA, there is only one common interface, which is the radio interface as shown in
above Figure.
 All the components such as HLR, VLR, AUC, and EIR are the same as used in GSM.
 In developing the NA-TDMA system, there were two phases:
 First phase:
To commonly share the 21 set-up channels that are used for the analog system.
The first-phase system is only for voice transmission. Both modes, AMPS and
digital, are built in the same unit. The handoff procedure has to take care of the
following four features:

1. AMPS cell to AMPS cell

2. TDMA cell to TDMA cell

3. AMPS cell to TDMA cell

4. TDMA cell to AMPS cell

 Second phase:

(1) generate new digital set-up channels (they were in the voice band) to access
to TDMA voice channels so that a digital stand-alone unit can be provided and

(2) specify a data-service signal protocol for transmitting data.

Four handoff procedures supported by mobile station(MS) in CDMA system

The MS supports four handoff procedures:

1. Soft handoff: The MS commences communication with a new base station without
interrupting communication with the old base station. Soft handoff means an identical
frequency assignment between the old BS and new BS. Soft handoff provides different site
selection diversity to enhance the signal.

2. CDMA-to-CDMA hard handoff: The MS transmits between two base stations with different
frequency assignments.

3. CDMA-to-analog handoff: TheMS is directed from a forward traffic channel to an analog

voice channel with a different frequency assignment.

4. Softer handoff: Handoffs between sectors within a cell.

Objectives of the 4G wireless communication standard:
The following are the objectives of the 4G wireless communication standard:

 A spectrally efficient system

 High network capacity: more simultaneous users per cell.
 Smooth handoff across heterogeneous networks.
 High QOS for next generation multimedia support
 Interoperability with existing wireless standards.
 IP-based mobile technology.
 4G systems support streaming video, voice calls, Internet, and many more broadband
services.

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM):

 OFDM is a frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) technique that is used to transmit
large amounts of data on a radio signal. Basically, a large radio signal is sub-divided into
smaller signals and then transmitted to the receiver using different frequencies.
 The main difference between FDM and OFDM is that in OFDM, the spectrums of the
individual carriers mutually overlap.
 The biggest advantage of the OFDM technique is the mutual orthogonality of its carriers,
which provides high spectral efficiency. This is possible because there is no guard band
and carriers can be packed very close together.
 In OFDM, even without a guard band, there is no interference because the carriers are
orthogonal. The spectrum for OFDM lies between 200 MHz and about 3.5 GHz, with a
spectral efficiency of about 1 bps/Hz.
 In an OFDM system, the cell overlay technique is used (similar to that in GSM), thereby
reducing co-channel interference.
 Smart antennas
 Multiple “smart antennas” can be employed to help fi nd, tune, and turn up signal
information.
 Since the antennas can both “listen” and “talk,” a smart antenna can send signals back
in
the same direction that they came from.
 This means that the antenna system can hear many times louder and respond more
loudly and directly as well.
 There are two types of smart antennas:
 Switched beam antennas
 Adaptive array antennas
 Switched beam antennas have fixed beams of transmission, and can switch from one
pre-defined beam to another when the user with the phone moves throughout the
sector.
 Adaptive array antennas represent the most advanced smart antenna approach to date
using a variety of new signal processing algorithms to locate and track the user,
minimize interference, and maximize intended signal reception.
 Smart antennas can thereby
 Optimize available power
 Increase base station range and coverage
 Reuse available spectrum
 Increase bandwidth
 Lengthen battery life of wireless devices

Salient Features of 4G
 4G networks will provide subscribers with a higher bandwidth and a mobile data rate of
100 Mbps and more.
 It is expected that 3G networks will not be able to meet the needs of services like
videoconferencing, full motion video, etc. in terms of QOS.
 There will be greater mobility and lower costs.
 It will be possible to integrate WLAN and WAN.
GSM uses a frame structure where each frame consists of eight time slots, and each
time slot contains 156.25 bits and data is transmitted over a channel at 270.833 kbps.
Find
(i) time duration of a bit,
(ii) time duration of a time slot,
(iii) time duration of a TDMA frame, and
(iv) how long must a user wait when occupying a single time slot between two
successive transmissions.
Solution
(i) To find time duration of a bit, Tb
Channel data rate = 270.833 kbps (given)
Time duration of a bit, Tb = 1/data rate
Hence, time duration of a bit, Tb = 1/270.833 kbps = 3.69 μs
(ii) To find time duration of a time slot, Tslot
Number of bits per time slot = 156.25 bits (given)
Time duration of a time slot, Tslot = 156.25 bits × Tb
Time duration of a time slot, Tslot = 156.25 bits × 3.69 μs = 577 μs
(iii) To find time duration of a TDMA frame, Tf
Number of time slots per TDMA frame = 8 (given)
Time duration of a frame, Tf = number of time slots × Tslot
Time duration of a frame, Tf = 8 × 577 μs = 4.616 ms
(iv) To find time duration for a user occupying a single time slot between two
successive transmissions has to wait for the time duration of a frame. Hence, a
user has to wait for 4.616 ms between two successive transmissions.