GSM Overview

• Global System for Mobile Communication is a digital

cellular technology used for transmitting mobile voice
and data services.
• GSM is the most widely accepted standard in
telecommunications globally.
• GSM operates on the mobile communication bands 900
MHz and 1800 MHz.
• GSM makes use of TDMA & FDMA technique for
transmitting signals.
• GSM provides basic to advanced voice and data services
including roaming service.
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• The features of GSM
– Improved spectrum efficiency
– International roaming
– Low-cost mobile sets and base stations (BSs)
– High-quality speech

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 Cont.
• In GSM the geographical area covered by a
cellular telephone transmitter or base station
is called as Cell or foot print.
• According to the implementation environment
there are different cell sizes in a GSM network
macro, micro, pico, femto and umbrella cells.
• Cell coverage depends on antenna height.
• Generally the structure of a cell is hexagonal.

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 Cont.
• Multiple number of cells form a cluster, where
a frequency band is divided between the cells.
• Number of cells in a cluster
N=i2+j2+ij
• Frequency Reuse
• Adjacent cells
• Co-channel cells

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GSM Architecture

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 Contd.
The GSM network architecture is grouped into
four main areas:
• Mobile station (MS)
• Base Station Subsystem (BSS)
• Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS)
• Operation and Support Subsystem (OSS)

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• Mobile Station
– Mobile equipment
– Subscriber identity Module
• Base Station subsystem
– Base transceiver system
– Base station controller
• Network switching subsystem
– Mobile switching Centre
– HLR, VLR
• Operation & support subsystem
– Operation & maintenance Centre
– Equipment Identity register
– Authentication Centre
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 Signaling is GSM

• Signaling protocols are structured into 3 layers

– Physical layer
– Data link layer
– Network layer
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 Contd.
• The physical layer between MS & BTS is called
Um interface which performs following-
– Full or half duplex access.
– Provides TDMA, FDMA, and CDMA.
– Framing of data.
• The data link layer controls the flow of packets
to and from network layer and provides access
to various services like:
– Connection between two terminals
– Teleservices such as sms, mms, etc.
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 Contd.
The network layer has 3-sublayers
• CM (Call Management)
– Supports call establishment, maintenance, termination.
– It supports SMS, DTMF signaling.
• MM (Mobility Management)
– Control the issue regarding mobility Management,
location updating & Registration.
• RRM (Radio Resource Management.)
– It manages radio resources such as: frequency
assignment, channel allocation, signal strength
measurement.
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 Contd.
• The physical layer between BTS & BSC is called
Abis interface, where voice is coded by using
64kbps PCM.
• The data link layer protocol is LAPDm (Link
Access Protocol D-Channel Managed).
• Network Layer protocol is called BTS
Management which interact with BSSAP(BSS
Application Part).

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 Contd.
• Physical layer between BSC & MSC is called A
interface.
• Data link layer protocol between BSC & MSC is
MTP (Message Transfer Protocol) & SCCP
(Signaling Connection Control Protocol).
• Network layer protocols at the MSC are Call
Management, Mobility Management and
BSSAP.

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 GSM Channels
• GSM has been allocated an operational
frequency from 890 MHz to 960 MHz
(1710MHz to 1880 MHz with 75MHz channel).
• frequency band 890 MHz-915 MHz for uplink
(reverse), and 935 MHz-960 MHz for downlink
(forward) transmission.
• The 25-MHz spectrum for each direction is
divided into 124 FDM channels, each
occupying 200 kHz with 100 kHz guard band.

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 Contd.
• Categorization of channels

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 Contd.
• Control channels carry signaling and
synchronizing commands between the base
station and the mobile station.
• Traffic channels are bidirectional channels that
carry digitally encoded user speech or user
data/information.

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 Control Channels
• Broadcast channels- The BCH channels are one way
channels from BTS to MS. It provides synchronization
for all mobiles within the cell.
• BCCH is used by BTS to broadcast system parameters
such as frequency of operation in the cell, operator
identifiers, cell ID and available services to all the MS.
• FCCH is used by the BTS to broadcast frequency
references and frequency correction burst of 148 bits
to synchronize its carrier frequency and bit timing.
• SCH is used by the BTS to broadcast frame
synchronization signals containing the
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 Contd.
• Common Control Channel are one-way channels used for
establishing links between the and the BS for ongoing call
management
• PCH is a forward link channel and is used by the BTS to
page or notify a specific individual MS for an incoming call
in the cell.
• RACH is a reverse link channel and is used by the MS
either to access the BTS requesting the dedicated channel
for call establishment or to acknowledge a page from the
PCH.
•  AGCH carry information by which mobile will determine
whether the access to the network has been allowed or
denied.
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 Contd.
• Dedicated Control Channels are two-way channels
supporting signaling and control for individual mobile
subscribers.
• SDCCH is allocated with SACCH to mobile terminal to
transfer network control & signaling information for
call establishment and mobility management.
• SACCH is associated with a SDCCH and it is used to
exchange the necessary parameters between the BTS
& MS.
• FACCH is used to support fast transitions such as a
handoff request in the channel when SACCH is not
adequate.
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 Traffic Channels
• Full-rate traffic channel (TCH/F) uses a 13
kbps speech-coding scheme and 9.600 bps,
4.800 bps, and 2.400 bps data. After including
signaling overhead, each channel has a gross
bit rate of 22.8 kbps.
• Half-rate traffic channel (TCH/H) uses 16 time
slots per frame that has a bit rate of 11.4 kbps.
It supports 4800 bps and 2400 bps rate only.

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 Mobility Management
• Objective of MM is location tracking & call set up.
• Registration process of MS moving from one VLR to
another VLR follows the steps:

• MS periodically listens to the BCCH broadcast from BSS.

If the MS detects that it has entered into a new location
area, it sends a registration message to the new VLR.
• The new VLR communicates with old VLR to find HLR of
MS. The new VLR then performs authentication process.
• VLR sends a registration message to HLR. If the
registration request is accepted, the HLR provides new
VLR with all relevant subscriber information.
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 Contd.
• The new VLR informs the MS of successful
registration.
• The HLR sends a deregistration message to
old VLR. The old VLR cancels the record for MS
& sends an acknowledgement to the HLR.

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 Call origination
• MS sends the call origination request to MSC.
• MSC forwards the request to VLR by
sending MAP_SEND_INFO_FOR_OUTGOING_CALL.
• VLR checks MS’s profile & sends an ACK to
MSC to grant call request.
• MSC sets up communi-
cation link according
to standard PSTN call
set up procedure.
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 Call termination
• Gateway MSC interrogates HLR by sending
MAP_SEND_ROUTING_INFORMATION to HLR.
• HLR sends a MAP_PROVIDE_ROAMING_NUMBER
message to VLR to obtain MS Roaming
Number.
• The VLR creates the MS Roaming Number by using
MSC number stored in VLR record of MS. The MSRN
is sent back to Gateway MSC through HLR.
• MSRN provides address of target MSC where the MS
resides. Then a message is directed from GMSC to
target MSC to set communication link.
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 Contd.

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 Limitations of GSM
• Bandwidth Lag
– In GSM multiple users share the same bandwidth
which results interference. To avoid that faster
technologies such as 3G, 4G have been developed.
• Causes Electronic Interference
– It can interfere with certain electronic equipment, such
as pace makers and hearing aids. Such interference is
due to the pulse-transmission technology. As a result,
many locations such as hospitals and airplanes require
cell phones to be turned off.
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