Mobile Communications

Overview

Lecturer: Michael O'Grady

Course: MSc Ubiquitous & Multimedia Systems
Unit: Context Sensitive Service Delivery
Lecture:
 Outline

 Introduce some basic wireless concepts

 Describe the evolution of cellular
telecommunications networks
 Reflect on the services supportèd by
cellular networks
 Consider the issue of standardization in
wireless communications
 Recall: PSTN

Public Switched Telephone Network

“Concatenation of the interconnected Networks operated by

the various telephone companies (telcos) and public utility
companies (PTTs) throughout the world”

Originally - human operated (plugboards), analogue

signal
Later - Electromechanical switches

Today - Automated, digital

But …… the so-called “last mile problem”

 Recall: PLMN

Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)

 Operated by either government agency or

government appointed company.
 Objective is to deliver services to those
members of the public who are mobile.
 May be considered an extension or an
integral part of the PSTN.
 Uses Wireless technologies.
 Advantages of Wireless

 Constant connection
 Access to up-to-date information
 Minimum installation issues
 Freedom to roam
 Scalability
 No cables
 Extensibility e.g remote areas with
satellite
 Disadvantages of Wireless

 Careful planning of network essential

 Environment generally hostile
 Security
 Safety
 spectrum licenses
 poor data rates
 cost (domain dependant)
Some Historical Developments

Origins debatable but ….

 1887 - Hertz demonstrates EM waves
 1896 - Marconi demonstrates wireless
telegraph apparatus
 1901 - First radio signal across the Atlantic
(Cornwall to Newfoundland)
 1914 - First wireless voice transmission
 1946 - PSTN augmented with wireless
 1947 - Cellular Network proposed
 Why Cellular?

 Originally proposed by D. H. Ring in an

unpublished paper.
 Why?
 Potential for existing systems to expand
was severely limited.
 How?
 Reuse frequencies so as to maximize the
use of the available radio spectrum thus
improving scalability.
Note: This issue will be revisited when the GSM architecture is discussed.
 Standardization

 Advantages include
 accelerates the availability of new equipment and services
 lowers costs through increased competition
 ensures reliability of supply
 ensures interoperability
 De Jure
 defined by industry groups or government agencies
 De Facto
 established as the result of a product dominating the
market
 1G - Characteristics

 Analogue transmission technology

 Pioneered semiconductor and
microprocessor technology
 Focus on voice
 Data services almost non-existent
 Incompatible standards
 Different frequencies and signaling
 International roaming impossible
 Inefficient use of the radio spectrum
 1G - NTT

 Nippon Telephone & Telegraph (NTT)

 Now NTT DoCoMo
 1979
 Tokyo
 World’s first operational cellular system
 1G - NMT-450

 Nordic Mobile Telephone 450

 1982
 Sweden
 First wireless communications standard
deployed in Europe
 Pioneered the use of light portable
handsets
 Supported international roaming
 1G - AMPS

 Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS)

 1982
 USA
 Mandated (FCC) as the standard to which
all operators in the USA had to adhere to.
 1G - TACS

 Total Access Coverage (TACS)

 1985
 UK
 Adaptation of AMPS
 Complies with frequency allocation in
Europe
1G - Network Access Technique

 Frequency Division Multiple Access

(FDMA)
 Subdivides the available spectrum into a
number of frequency slots
 Each user is assigned a separate
frequency.
 1G - Services

 Standard voice
 No data services
 No supplementary services
 Call barring
 The 1G Landscape

 A series of incompatible networks

 Limited capacity for expansion
 Limited support for roaming
 Susceptible to interference
 Poor security
 No support for wireless data
 No third party applications
 Solution: 2G

 Digital techniques rather than analogue

 Increased flexibility
 error control
 compression
 More efficient use of available bandwidth
 Increased compatibility with the fixed
component of the PSTN
 Increased quality of service
 Possibility of wireless data services
 2G - GSM

 Global System for Mobile Communication

(GSM)
 Conceived in 1982
 Deployed in 1992 in Europe
 European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI)
 Most successful 2G system
 863 million users in 197 countries
 2G - D-AMPS

 Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service

(DAMPS)
 Also called IS-54 (Interim Standard 54)
 1991
 Dual mode terminals ensuring backward
compatibility
 IS-136 introduced in 1996
 Telecommunications Industry Association
(TIA) TR-45 Committee
 2G - IS-95

 Interim Standard 95 (IS-95)

 Also called cdmaOne
 1993
 USA
 Qualcomm Inc.
 Pioneered the use of the network
access technique CDMA
 2G - PDC

 Personal Digital Cellular (PDC)

 1991
 Japan
 Two modes
 Full-rate
 Half-rate
 12% of global digital subscriptions in
1999.
2G - Network Access Technique

 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)

 Users share a frequency band by multiplexing
their transmissions in time
 In practice ..
 Available spectrum is divided into frequency
channels (recall FDMA!)
 Each frequency channel is further subdivided
into cyclic timeslots (1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 …)
 A call is assigned a time slot
 2G - Services

 Depends on
 Network standard
 Operator policies
 Improved standard telephony (speech)
 Basic wireless data
 Additional services
 Call barring
 Example: GSM Services

 Teleservices
 Speech
 Emergency calls
 Short Message Service (SMS)
 Bearer Services
 Telefax
 Basic data (9.6kb/s)
 Supplementary Services
 Call forwarding
 Call barring
 2G - 3G Transition Driver?

 Higher data bandwidth requirement

 anticipated subscriber demand for
• audio/Video streaming
• other multimedia services
• collaborative services
• location services
 Possibility of third party applications
being developed
 Recall: Circuit v Packet
Switching

 Circuit Switched ..
 A dedicated channel is established for the
duration of a call
 Packet Switched …
 A message is subdivided into packets which
are sent individually and may follow
different routes to their destination. The
packets are then used to reassemble the
original message.
 3G - Migration Strategies
 Migrate straight to 3G
 This approach is being take by some operators in
Japan (PDC) and the USA (IS-95)
 Migrate incrementally to 3G
 Operators progressively and incrementally
incorporate a number of technologies into their
networks
 This approach is taken by operators in both Europe
and the USA
 This strategy is sometimes referred to as 2.5G
 2.5G - HSCSD (GSM)

 High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD)

 Uses existing GSM infrastructure and
interface
 Data rates of up to 57.6 kb/s (4 channels @
14.4 kb/s)
 Inefficient for certain types of application
 2.5G - GPRS (GSM)

 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)

 Introduces packet switching to GSM
 “Always-on”
 Uses multiple timeslots (channels)
 14.4 kb/s per channel
 Maximum of 115.2 kb/s
 Dynamic resource allocation
 Supports IP
 Billing per KB, NOT per sec.
 2.5G - EDGE (GSM)

 Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution

(EDGE)
 Maximum 384 kb/s
 8 Phase Shift Keying (8PSK)
 Send more bits down the line
 3 fold increase over GSM
 Two classes of handset:
 Class A (EDGE only on downlink)
 Class B ( EDGE on uplink and downlink)
 2.5G - D-AMPS (IS-136+)

 Two phase migration path

 IS-136+
 Integrate GPRS
 Note: packet switching already supported by
Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD)!
 IS-136 High Speed Outdoor
 Integrate EDGE

 Subscribers can roam between IS-136HS and

GSM networks supporting EDGE
 2.5G - IS-95B (IS-95)

 Enhanced version of IS-95

 Already supports packet switching
(CDPD)
 Maximum of 115.2 (8 channels @
14.4kb/s)
 Realistically …
 28.8 kb/s to 57.6 kb/s on downlink
 14.4 kb/s on uplink
 2.5G - Services

 Standard services that can use packet

switching:
 WWW browsing
 email
 file downloading e.g. mp3
 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
 3G - The IMT2000 Initiative

 Conceived in 1986
 Sought to define a single world-wide
standard for accessing the global
telecommunications infrastructure from
both terrestrial and satellite mobile systems
 Problem: backward compatibility
 So five standards approved for the air
interface!
3G - Air Interface Standards I

 IMT-DS (Direct Spread), also known as

Wideband CDMA Frequency Division Duplex
(W-CDMA-FDD).
 IMT-TC (Time Code) or W-CDMA Time
Division Duplex (W-CDMA-TDD).
 IMT-MC (Multi-Carrier) or CDMA2000.
 IMT-SC (Single Carrier), also known as
EDGE or UWC-136.
 IMT-FT (Frequency Time), for cordless sytems e.g.
DECT
3G - Interface Standards II

Radio-Interface Standard Cellular Network Standards Organisation

IMT-DS GSM, PDC 3GPP
IMT-TC D-AMPS 3GPP
IMT-MC IS-95, PDC 3GPP2
IMT-SC Any TDMA Network UWCC
Table 1: 3G interface standards for the predominant 2G networks.
3G - Principal Requirements - I

 Support for voice quality comparable with

fixed line networks;
 Support for both circuit-switched and
packet-switched data services;
 Support for roaming between different
IMT-2000 operators;
 Support for greater capacity and improved
spectrum efficiency;
3G - Principal Requirements - II

 A data rate of 144 kb/s for users moving

quickly e.g. moving vehicles;
 A data rate of 384 kb/s for pedestrians;
 A data rate of 2 Mb/s in a low mobility
or office environment.

 Note how a network using GPRS and

EDGE meets most of these criteria!
3G - Network Access Technique

 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)

 Signal is modulated with high bandwidth
spreading waveforms called signature waveforms
or codes. Subscribers may submit at the same
frequency and time but signal separation is
facilitated via the signature waveform
 In contrast with TDMA
 More robust
 Less susceptible to fading & interference
 3G Networks

2G Network 3G Successor
GSM UMTS
PDC CDMA2000
IS-95 CDMA2000
DAMPS IS-136HS or UMTS
Example: 3G Services (UMTS)

 Universal Mobile Telephone System (UMTS)

 Four QoS classes of services
 Conversational Class
• Voice, video telephony,video gaming
 Streaming Class
• multimedia, video on demand, webcast
 Interactive Class
• WWW browsing, database access, online gaming
 Background Class
• email, SMS, file downloading
 Quality of Service (QoS)

“the collective effect of service performances which

determine the degree of satisfaction of a user of a
service”… ITU G1000 specification

 Telecommunications World
 QoS encapsulates all aspects of a service that determine the
degree of satisfaction with that service.

 IP World
 QoS implies guaranteed bandwidth

Pronunciation check: QoS == kwoz

 QoS: Network v Customer

 Network performance
 Packet loss, transmission delay, bit error
rates, call set-up times, etc
 But customer interpretation?
 Thus Q.800 suggests:
• Focus on effects as perceived by customer
• No assumptions about network design
• All aspects of the service considered (from customer
perspective)
• Network independent terms used
• Can be assured to a user by a service provider
 3.5G

 UMTS
 High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)
 14 Mbps (but 1 Mbps per subscriber!)
 Incremental upgrade
 More functionality in Node B
 Backward compatible with W-CDMA
 High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)
 Other Technologies
 OFDN, WiMAX, etc, etc
 4G- Some Speculations

 Global Mobility
 Increased data rates..100Mbps?
 All IP network
 When?
 Standardisation - ITU

 Founded in 1865 in Paris by 20 European

countries
 interconnection issues
 equipment standardization
 uniform instructions for operating equipment
 accounting procedures and rules
 Today, affiliated with the UN
 500 new or revised recommendations every
year!
 Structure of the ITU

 Telecommunications Standardization (ITU-

T)
 specifications for systems networks and services
 Radiocommunications (ITU-R)
 specifies technical characteristics of terrestrial and
space based wireless services and systems
 Telecommunications Development (ITU-D)
 reports, guidelines and recommendations for
developing countries
 Wireless Standardization

 Recall IMT2000 vision

 Two global partnerships comprising a
number of traditional standardization bodies
 Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
 Concerned with EDGE & UMTS advancement
 Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2)
 Concerned with CDMA advancement
 Note that membership not mutually
exclusive!
3GPP - Organizational Partners

Organisation Region URL

Association of Radio Industries and Japan http://www.arib.or.jp
Businesses (ARIB)
China Wireless Telecommunications China http://www.cwts.org
Standard Group (CWTS)
European Telecommunications Standards Europe http://www.etsi.org
Institute (ETSI)
Committee T1 (T1) USA http://www.t1.org
Telecommunications Technology Association Korea http://www.tta.or.kr
(TTA)
Telecommunications Technology Committee Japan http://www.ttc.or.jp
(TTC)
3GPP2 - Organizational Partners

Organisation Region URL

Association of Radio Industries and Japan http://www.arib.or.jp
Businesses (ARIB)
China Wireless Telecommunications China http://www.cwts.org
Standard Group (CWTS)
Telecommunications Industry Association USA http://www.tiaonline.org
(TIA)
Telecommunications Technology Association Korea http://www.tta.or.kr
(TTA)
Telecommunications Technology Committee Japan http://www.ttc.or.jp
(TTC)
 Summary

 Introduced wireless communications

 Described the evolution of the various
generations of cellular networks
 Described the services supported by the
various networks and the issues
effecting their deployment
 Briefly introduced the issue of
standardization
 Review Questions

 Compare and contrast the three generations

of mobile networks.
 Trace the evolution of services from 1G to 3G.
 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of
circuit switched and packet switched data
services from both an operator and subscriber
perspective.
 What benefits do standardization bring to
network operators? Subscribers?
The End