GPRS ARCHITECTURE

GPRS stands for General Packet Radio Service. It is the modified version of GSM architecture.
GPRS is a packet-oriented mobile data mechanism, that can carry data packets as well.
In GSM architecture, only voice signals can be transported, so being an enhanced version GPRS is
able to transmit voice as well as data packets. It uses the same physical radio channel as GSM
does, the only difference is it has a new logic defined for the radio channel.

GPRS Network Architecture

GPRS tries to make the maximum use of existing physical structure of GSM. It has introduced a
new entity named GPRS support nodes(GSN) whose responsibility is to route and deliver a data
packet.
GSN is of two types:
 Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)
 Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)

GPRS Architecture

Components of GPRS Architecture

Mobile Station(MS)

A variety of high-speed mobile stations are available to support enhanced data packets in GPRS,
An MS having GPRS capability stores the CKSN(cipher key Sequence no.) similar to cipher key
stored in SIM & GSM
It also stores TLLI (Temporary Logical link Identity)

Base Station Subsystem (BSC)

In GSM architecture there is one component called BSC. But in GPRS there is one component is
added to BSC called PCU. PCU stands for Packet Control Unit. If the signal comes to BSC and
that signal contains data, then PCU routes to the SGSN. The interface is used between BSC and
PCU is the FRI interface. After the signal comes to SGSN, it delivers the data packet to the
GGSN. GGSN routes the data packet to the data network (PDN- Predefined Data Network).
GPRS Support Nodes

GPRS support nodes are of two types:

1. Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN):
Whatever MSC does for voice, SGSN does for data packet.
SGSN task includes packet switching, routing, transfer and mobility management.
SGSN process the registration of new mobile subscriber and keep record of this location inside a given
service area
2. Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)
GGSN acts as an interface between between the GPRS and the external packet data network.
It contains the routing information for GPRS users.
Packet data is transmitted to external network from a PDN via GGSN and SGSN directly to BSC
and finally to MS

Internal Backbone Network

It is an IP-based network that is used to support the working of GPRS and this is responsible to
carry new packets between different GSNs. The tunneling is used between SGNSs and GGSNs to
exchange information without informing the internal backbone.
.

GPRS SERVICE:
1. point-to-point connection-oriented network service (PTP-CONS), which keeps
connection open even when call handover take place.
2. point-to-point connection-less network service (PTP-CLNS), provided similar in
IP world where no handover is required.
3.point-to-multipoint is planned in Phase 2 and offers group communication

EDGE
EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate For GSM Evolution) provides a higher data rate transmission than
normal GSM. It uses a backward-compatible extension of GSM digital mobile technology. EDGE
has a pre-3G radio technology and uses part of ITU’s 3G definition. It can work on any network
deployed with GPRS (with necessary upgrades).

In order to increase data transmission speed, EDGE was deployed on the GSM network in 2003
by Cingular in the USA.
Working
It uses 8PSK modulation in order to achieve a higher data transmission rate. The modulation
format is changed to 8PSK from GMSK. This provides an advantage as it is able to convey 3 bits
per symbol, and increases the maximum data rate. However, this upgrade required a change in the
base station.
Features
 It provides an evolutionary migration path from GPRS to UMTS.
 It is standardized by 3GPP.
 EDGE is used for any packet switched application,like an Internet connection.
 EDGE delivers higher bit-rates per radio channel and it increase the capacity and
performance.
Advantage
 It has higher speed.
 It is an “always-on” connection
 It is more reliable and efficient
 It is cost efficient
Disadvantage
 It consumes more battery.
 hardware needs upgradation

MIMo
MIMO is an abbreviation of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output ,

It is a wireless communication technology that uses multiple transmitter and receiver antennas to increase
the capacity of a radio link.

In a MIMO system, same data is transmitted through multiple antennas over the same path in the
same bandwidth. Because of this each signal reaches the receiving antenna through a different
path, resultant is more reliable data. The data rate also increases by a factor determined by the
number of transmit and receive antennas.

The receiver is designed to take into account any additional noise or interference, lost signals and
even the time difference between receptions of each signal as they travel through different paths.
Typical MIMO Configurations:

 2x2 MIMO (two transmit antennas, two receive antennas)

 3x3 MIMO (three transmit antennas, three receive antennas)
 4x4 MIMO (four transmit antennas, four receive antennas)
 8x8 MIMO (eight transmit antennas, eight receive antennas)

MIMO Types
The most common MIMO forms are discussed below.

 SU-MIMO: The single-user is also known as multi-antenna MIMO.

There are different forms of SU-MIMO configuration such as multiple-input and single-output (MISO),
single-input and multiple-output (SIMO), and single-input and single-output (SISO). The increased data rate
for the single user, interference reduction, and no requirement of channel state information (CSI) are a few
advantages of SU. It is used in 802.11 wireless standards.

 MU-MIMO: Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) enables multiple independent radio terminals to

simultaneously access the same channel

It provides a higher throughput when the signal to noise ratio is high. However, perfect CSI, advanced
coding, and precoding are required to achieve these benefits.

 Massive MIMO: Early MIMO system uses two, four or eight antennas. A large MIMO system
uses tens or hundreds of antennas and is referred to as massive MIMO systems

. One of the key factors of massive MIMO is the placement of antennas. To achieve a near-zero correlation
between antennas, they need to be placed at lambda by two spacing. The channel hardening, increasing
data rate, and increasing signal to noise ratio are few advantages of massive MIMO

Working of MIMO

The working MIMO is based on three fundamental techniques: beamforming, spatial multiplexing,
and space-time coding.

Beamforming: It is a technique that is to create a certain required antenna pattern at the

transmitter with an appropriate phase and gain weighting, such that the signal power is maximized
at the receiver. Precoding is necessary when the receiver has multiple antennas to maximize the
gain with multiple streams(signal). Precoding requires the knowledge of CSI at the transmitter and
the receiver.
Spatial Multiplexing: MIMO utilizes several sets of antennas to achieve spatial multiplexing. In
this technique, a high rate signal is split into a lower-rate signal (streams), and each stream is
transmitted from a different antenna operating at an identical centre frequency. The number of
receiver antennas must be equal or greater than the number of transmit antennas to faithfully
decode each transmitted stream.

Space-time Coding: It is a mechanism that enables the transmission of multiple copies of data
over multiple antennas.. In space-time coding, the signal (data) is mathematically altered to
different versions of the same information and transmitted using multiple antennas. Later, the
receiver combines all copies of the received signal (data) through different antennas to extract as
much as information possible.

Applications

 MIMO is used in cellular communication starting from third-generation (3G), fourth-generation

(4G-LTE), fifth-generation (5G), and beyond.
 It is also employed in wireless local area networks (WLAN), IEEE 802.11n (Wi-Fi) and IEEE
802.16e.
 This technique is a strong candidate to use in 3GPP (mobile radio-telephone) standard.
 MIMO technology can also be used in non-wireless communication systems such as power line
communications (ITU-T G.9963 standard).

Advantages of a MIMO system:

 A MIMO system provides better signal strength even without clear line-of-site as they utilize
the bounced and reflected RF transmissions.
 The higher throughput allows better quality and quantity of video sent over the network.
 Multiple data streams reduces the number of lost data packets, which results in better video
or audio quality.