Glossary: GSM Abbreviations

GLOSSARY
GSM ABBREVIATIONS
The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil)

Click VIEW/Slide Master to enter running footnote
Presentation Title: ALO Business Case
Date & Time: July 02 8:00a.m. – 10:00a.m.
Venue: World Trade Center
1 Version: Marketing, Draft V2.2
GLOSSARY 1
• A3 Algorithm No. 3. This algorithm is used in the mobile

authentication phase.
• A5 Algorithm No. 5. This algorithm is used for communication
ciphering. Three algorithms A5.0, A5.1, A5.2 are in service. A5.1 is the first
ciphering algorithm defined by GSM and MoU, A5.2 is a light algorithm and
A5.0 is the lack of ciphering.
• A8 Algorithm No. 8. This algorithm is used to produce the
ciphering key “Kc”.
• A interface Interface defined by ETSI and placed between the BSS and
the NSS.
• Abis interface Interface defined by ETSI and placed between the BSC and
the BTS.
• Air interface Interface defined by ETSI and placed between the BTS and
the mobile, sometimes called “Um”.
• Ater interface Interface defined by ETSI and placed between the BSC and
the TRAU after submultiplexing (generally rate 3).
• AUC Authentication centre for all subscribers registeredTheinEgyptian
theCompany for Mobile Services (MobiNil)
PLMN. AUC is the owner of the authentication key “Ki”. Presentation Title: ALO Business Case
GLOSSARY 2
• BC Billing centre. The BC collects and processes all information
required for billing (time, date, duration, destination, etc.).
• BCCH Broadcast common channel. The BCCH is the beacon of the
cell.
• BHCA Busy hour call attempt.
• BSC Base station controller.
• BSS Base station subsystem. As opposed to the NSS, the BSS
includes all the radio part and the GSM associated equipment (submux, OMC-
R, BSC, etc.).
• BTS Base transceiver station.
• CCBS Customer care and billing system.
• CCITT (*) International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative
Committee.
• Ciphering Ciphering is one of most important features of GSM networks
in comparison with previous cellular systems, since calls cannot be intercepted
and understood on the air interface.
• C/I Carrier-to-interference ratio. This ratio is used to define the
quality of the radio link. The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil)
• DCS Digital cellular system is an extension of theDate
GSM system
& Time: July 02 8:00a.m.in
– 10:00a.m.
GLOSSARY 3
• Downlink From BTS to mobile.
• DR Dual rate. An equipment which complies with full rate and
half rate is termed dual rate.
• DTC Digital trunk controller. Module placed on the A interface
between the BSC and MSC.
• DTX Discontinuous transmission. See VAD.

• EIR Equipment identification register.
• e.i.r.p. Equivalent isotropically radiated power.
• Erlang Traffic unit. This unit is used to measure circuit load.
• ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
• FR Full rate. In a fixed network, the speech coding rate is 64
kbit/s. ETSI has defined a specific coding rate for the GSM, namely 16 kbit/s.
This coding is called “full rate” as opposed to another speech coding rate also
defined by ETSI at 8 kbit/s but not yet used, which is called “half rate”.
Transcoding from 8 kbit/s or 16 kbit/s to 64 kbit/s is handled by the transcoder
equipment (TRAU).
• Handover By using this feature, a mobile can keep a call
Click even
VIEW/Slidewhen it running footnote
Master to enter
moves from one cell to another cell. Date & Time: July 02 8:00a.m. – 10:00a.m.
GLOSSARY 4
• HR Half rate. See full rate.
• GMSK Gaussian minimum shift keying. Modulation used by
GSM.
• GSM Global system for mobile communications, ex
Groupe Spécial Mobiles within ETSI. GSM is a cellular mobile
system defined by ETSI and operating in the 900 MHz frequency
band.
• HDB3 High-density binary order 3 – Transmission protocol.
• HDLC High-level data link control – Transmission protocol.
• HLR Home location register – Database in which all
subscribers are registered. The HLR knows where the subscribers are
located.
• IMSI International mobile subscriber identity.
• Kc Ciphering key.
• Ki Individual subscriber authentication key.
GLOSSARY 5
• LAC Location area code. Code identifying a group of cells. There is no

location updating when a mobile is moving inside this group of cells.
• Location updating
Location updating is active when a mobile moves from one location
area to another.
• MoU Memorandum of Understanding. Document signed by all
operators and manufacturers working in the GSM/DCS world. The
MoU is the guarantee that everybody everywhere will be in compliance
with the ETSI recommendations.
• MTBF Mean time between failure.
• MTTR Mean time to repair.
• OMC Operation and maintenance centre. Workstation used to
operate and manage the BSS and the NSS.
GLOSSARY 6
• NSS Network subsystem – Switching network and associated

equipment, as opposed to the BSS.
• PABX Private automatic branch exchange.
• PLMN Public land-mobile network. Each GSM or DCS
operator owns its PLMN. The PLMN is equivalent to the PSTN in the
mobility world. In France there are three PLMNs in operation: France
Telecom and SFR in GSM, Bouygues in DCS.
• Power control Feature
used to adapt the output power of the BTS and mobile to the
propagation loss. The purpose of power control is to reduce
interference risks, and to save energy in the terminal.
• PSTN Public switched telephone network.
• RACH Random access channel. A mobile will use this
signaling channel when it asks for a connection to the network.
GLOSSARY 7
• SACCH Slow associated control channel. This low-rate signalling

channel is used to transmit certain non-urgent measurements from the MS to
the BTS, such as the field-strength level of the BCCH.
• SDCCH Standalone dedicated control channel. This low-rate

signalling channel is sometimes used for short message transmission, and
instead of the TCH. Its coding rate is the same as the TCH/8 (8 bits for half
rate-mode).
• SCP Signalling control point. SIM Subscriber

identity module. In the GSM system, the subscriber is not identified by his
terminal, but by his SIM card. This module is generally a small plastic card,
like a credit card (ISO size). On this card, the operator writes a lot of data
defining the subscriber’s characteristics such as IMSI, Kc, Ki and certain
confidential information such as the A3, A5, A8 algorithms. In addition, the
subscriber can use the SIM card to store some personal information such as
telephone number directory.
• SMS Short message service. The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil)
• SMS-C Short message service centre. Machine managing the short

message service. Date & Time: July 02 8:00a.m. – 10:00a.m.
GLOSSARY 8
• SSP Service switching point. Part of the NSS.

• TCU Terminal control link unit. Interface between the BSC and the
BTS (radio part).
• TDMA Time-division multiple access. Modulation used by the
GSM/DCS, as opposed to other systems such as CDMA. One frame consists
of 8 time slots. One speech channel uses one time slot per TDMA frame in
full-rate mode. In half-rate mode, the speech channel uses one time slot per
two TDMA frames.
• Traffic per subscriber
The traffic generated by one subscriber at the busy hour. Standard values are
25 mErlang for a mobile subscriber and 100 mErlang for a fixed subscriber.
• Traffic model The traffic model (also called call mix) is composed of all the
parameters defining subscriber practice such as call duration, number of
originating calls, number of terminating calls, number of handovers, number
of location updatings, etc. All these characteristics determine traffic per
subscriber and switching equipment load. Click VIEW/Slide Master to enter running footnote
GLOSSARY 9
• TRAU Transcoder rate adapter unit – The transcoding

equipment adapts the GSM coding rate (16 kbit/s) to the G.703 coding
rate (2 Mbit/s). This transcoding unit is sometimes called “TC” by the
manufacturers.
• TRX Transmitter/receiver. This equipment is a part of the BTS. The
maximum number of TRXs per cell defined by ETSI is 16. In the GSM
frequency plan, however, the maximum used is 8 TRXs per cell.
• Uplink From the mobile to the BTS.
• VAD Voice activity detection. This feature, associated with the
DTX feature, allows a terminal to save energy. It is validated by the
BCCH of each cell. Voicemail Service offered to subscribers by the
operator.
• VLR Visitor location register – Database where visitors are registered
under the supervision of the HLR.
REFERENCES
• Manual On Mobile Communication Development

– ITU – Geneva, June 1997
• Handbook Of Mobile Radio Networks
– Artech House Publishers (ISBN 1-58083-009-5)
• IEEE web site
– http://www.ieee.org
• ETSI web site

– http://www.etsi.org
• Cellular System (Design & Optimization)

– McGraw Hill (ISBN 0-07-059273-X)


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GLOSSARY

The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil)

• A3 Algorithm No. 3. This algorithm is used in the mobile

• DTX Discontinuous transmission. See VAD.

• LAC Location area code. Code identifying a group of cells. There is no

• NSS Network subsystem – Switching network and associated

• SACCH Slow associated control channel. This low-rate signalling

• SDCCH Standalone dedicated control channel. This low-rate

• SCP Signalling control point. SIM Subscriber

• SMS-C Short message service centre. Machine managing the short

• SSP Service switching point. Part of the NSS.

• TRAU Transcoder rate adapter unit – The transcoding

• Manual On Mobile Communication Development

• ETSI web site

• Cellular System (Design & Optimization)

The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil)

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