An Overview of GPRS

Shourya Roy
Pradeep Bhatt
Gururaja K.

What is GPRS?

A new bearer service for GSM that

greatly improves and simplifies
wireless access to packet data
networks,e.g to the internet.

Motivation

Speed
Immediacy
New and better applications
User friendly billing

GSM Architecture
PSTN
PDN
ISDN
MS

BTS

GMSC

BSC

MSC
BTS

BSC
EIR

MS

AUC
HLR

BTS
MS

VLR

GPRS Architecture
Other GPRS
PLMN
Gp

BSC Gb

MS

Gn

SGSN
Gf
Gs

BTS
BTS

EIR

GGSN

Gr

D
MSC/VLR

Gc GGSN Gi
HLR

PDN

Protocol Architechture

Transmission Plane
GPRS specifies a tunnel
mechanism to transfer user data
packets .

Signalling Plane
GTP specifies a tunnel control
management protocol.The signalling is
used to create modify and delete tunnels.

Registration of a Mobile
Node
A mobile station must register itself
with GPRS network.
GPRS attach
GPRS detach
GPRS detach can be initiated by the
MS or the network.

Session Management
After Successful attach a MS gets one or
more Packet Data Protocol(PDP)
address.This address is unique only for
a particular session.
It consists of,
PDP type
PDP address assigned to MS
Requested QoS
Address of the corresponding GGSN

Session
Management(Contd.)
PDP-Address allocation:
Static:Assigned by network
operator of Users home PLMN.
Dynamic:Assigned by
Corresponding GGSN.

PDP Context Activation

MS
GGSN
Activate PDP Context

SGSN

PDP type,PDP Address

Request
QoS Requested,Access Point,
Security Functions
Create PDP Context Request
PDP type,PDP Address
QoS Negotiated,Access Point,
Activate PDP Context Accept
PDP type,PDP Address
QoS Negotiated,

Create PDP Context

Response
PDP type,QoS Negotiated,

Routing
BSC

BTS

BSC
BTS

SGSN

MS
PLMN1

Intra-PLMN
GPRS Backbone

SGSN
Gn

Gp
Border
Gateway

Gn

Inter-PLMN
GPRS Backbone

Intra-PLMN
GPRS Backbone

Border Gateway

Gn

GGSN

SGSN
GGSN

Gi

Packet Data Network(PDN)

Eg.Internet,Intranet
RouterLANHost

PLMN2

Location Management

MS frequently sends location

update messages to inform the
SGSN where it is.
Determining frequency of update
messages is non-trivial.
The location update frequency is
dependent on the state of the MS.

Location
Management(Contd.)
A MS can be in 3 states:
IDLE
READY
STANDBY

Protocol Architechture

Transmission Plane

The protocols provide

transmission of user data
and its associated signalling
Signalling Plane

Comprises protocols for the

control and support of
functions of the transmission
plane

Transmission Plane

GPRS Backbone:SGSN GGSN

GTP tunnels the user packets and related signalling
information between the GPRS support nodes.

Subnetwork dependent convergence

protocol

It is used to transfer packets between SGSN and MS

Data link layer

LLC(MS-SGSN)
RLC/MAC(MS-BSS)

Physical layer
PLL:channel coding,detection of errors, forward error
correction, interleaving, detection of physical link
congestion
RFL:modulation and demodulation

Network Layer
(IP or X.25)
Relay
SNDCP
LLC

GTP

GTP

TCP/UDP

TCP/UDP

Relay
RLC
MAC

PLL
RFL

BSSP

BSSGP

IP

IP

Network
Service

Network
Service

Data Link
Service

Data Link
Layer

Phy Layer

Phy Layer

Phy layer

Phy Layer

Gm
BSS
RLC :Radio link control
PLL :Physical link layer
RFL :Physical RF layer
MAC:Medium access control

Gb
SGSN
GGSN
BSSGP:BSS GPRS Application protocol
GTP :GPRS tunneling protocol
TCP :Transmission control protocol
UDP :user datagram protocol
IP
:Internet Protocol

Transmission Plane

Gi

MS

BSS

Application
Network Layer
SNDCP
LLC
Relay

RLC

RLC
MAC

MAC
PLL

BSSGP
Network
Service

PLL

RFL

RFL

Um

SNDCP:Subnetwork dependent convergence protocol

LLC :Logical link control
RLC :Radio link control

PHY
Layer

SGSN

BSS

MS

GMM/SM

GMM/SM

LLC

Application
LLC
Application
RLC
MAC
GSM/RF

RLC

MAC
GSM RF

Relay
BSSGP

BSSGP

Network service

Network
layer

Physical layer

Phy Layer

Um

Gb

GMM/SM:GPRS Mobilty Management and session Management Protocol

GSM/RF:GSM physical layer(radio interface) I.e.PLL and RFL

Signalling Plane:MSSGSN

SGSN

MSC/VLR

BSSAP

BSSAP

SCCP

SCCP

MTP3

MTP3

MTP2

MTP2

Phy Layer

Phy Layer
Gs

Signalling Plane SGSN

MSC/VLR

SGSN

HLR(and EIR)

MAP

MAP

TCAP

TCAP

SCCP

SCCP

MTP3

MTP3

MTP2

MTP2

Phy Layer

Phy Layer

Gr
MAP
TCAP
SCCP
MTP

:Mobile Application Part

:Transaction capabilities and application part
:Signalling connection control part
:Message transfer part

Signalling Plane SGSNHLR/SGSNEIR

GSM TDMA Frame Slots

and Bursts
960 MHz
959.8 MHz

124

Time Slot

123
...
200 KHz

...

Downlink

2
935.2 MHz
935 MHz

TDMA Frame

915 MHz
914.8 MHz

1
8

Data Burst = 156.25 bit periods

124
123
...

200 KHz

...

Uplink

1
8

2
890.2 MHz
890 MHz

TDMA Frame

GPRS Air Inteface

Time Slot Number

F1

Uplink

F2
F3

Carrier
Frequency

F4
0

F
1
F
2
F
3
F
4

Downlink

Voice User1

GPRS User1

Voice User2

GPRS User2

GPRS User3

GPRS Air Interface

Master slave concept

One PDCH acts as Master

Master holds all PCCCH channels
The rest of channels act as Slaves

Capacity on demand

PDCH(s) are increased or decreased

according to demand
Load supervision is done in MAC Layer

GPRS Logical Channels

Group

Channel

Packet data
Traffic channel

PDTCH

Packet broadcast
control channel

PBCCH

Packet common
Control Channel
(PCCCH)

Packet Dedicated
Control Channels

Function

MS

BSS

Broadcast Control

MS

BSS

PRACH

Random Access

MS

BSS

PAGCH

Access Grant

MS

BSS

PPCH

Paging

MS

BSS

PNCH

Notification

MS

BSS

MS

BSS

Timing Advance Control MS

BSS

PACCH
PTCCH

Data Traffic

Direction

Associated Control

Uplink Data Transfer

MS
PRACH or RACH
PAGCH or AGCH
PACCH
PACCH

PDTCH
PACCH
PDTCH
PACCH

BSS
Packet channel Request
Packet Immediate assignment
Packet resource Request
Packet resource assignment
Random Access

Frame Transmission
Negative Acknowledgement
Retransmission of blocks in error
Acknowledgement

Transmission

MS
BSS
Downlink
Data
Transfer
Packet paging request
PPCH or PCH
PRACH or RACH
PAGCH or AGCH
PACCH
PACCH or PAGCH

PDTCH
PACCH
PDTCH
PACCH

Packet channel Request

Packet Immediate assignment
Packet paging response
Packet resource assignment
Paging

Frame Transmission
Negative Acknowledgement
Retransmission of blocks in error
Acknowledgement

Transmission

Multi Slot Operation

GPRS allows a mobile to transmit data

in up to 8 PDCHs (eight-slot operation)
3-bit USF at beginning of each radio
block in downlink points to next uplink
radio block
Comparison with single-slot GSM

Higher delay at higher load

Low blocking rate
Improved Throughput

Conclusion

GPRS provides efficient access to

Packet Data Networks.
Multislot operation in GPRS leads
to efficient channel utilization.
GPRS is more effective for long
data packet transmission than
short ones.

References

General Packet Radio Service in GSM, Jian

Cai and David J. Goodman, Rutgers University,
IEEE Communications Magazine, Oct 1997
http://www.comsoc.org/pubs/surveys/3q99issu
e/bettstetter.html
http://www.wsdmag.com/2000/aug2200/3845.html
Wireless Internet Access based on GPRS,
IEEE Personal Comm. April 2000.