Overview of the GSM System

PLMN PLMN
EIR EIR

MSC area
HLR

MSC area MSC area

EIR

MSC area
HLR

MSC area

MSC area
HLR

MSC area MSC area

EIR

MSC area
HLR

PLMN
EIR

MSC area MSC area

HLR

MSC area
HLR

MSC area MSC area

EIR

MSC area
HLR

MSC area

EIR

PLMN

MSC area
HLR

MSC area MSC area

EIR

MSC area

GSM

The GSM system is made up of sub-networks called: Public Land Mobile Network's (PLMN). Each member country has one or more PLMN depending on its size.
GSM 1

Hierarchy of Areas

Cell Location Area (locating & paging area) MSC Service Area (area controlled by one MSC)

PLMN ( one or more per country)

GSM Service Area ( all member countries) Location Area Identity (LAI)

3 digits
MCC Mobile Country Code
GSM

3 digits
MNC Mobile Network Code

2 Octet (max)
LAC Location Area Code

The MSC Area

The MSC area consists of one MSC and several BSS's The MSC provides the external interface, either directly or through a Gateway MSC Each MSC is connected to a Visitor Location Registry (VLR) The MSC also has access to a Home Location Registry (HLR) and Equipment Identification Registry (EIR)
EIR HLR VLR

MSC

BSS BSS

BSS BSS

BSS

GSM

The GSM Network Model

VLR G B MSC E MS= BS = BSC = MSC= HLR= VLR= AC = EIR= PSTN= ISDN= Mobile Station Base Station Base Station Controller Mobile Switching Center Home Location Registry Visitor Location Registry Authentication Center Equipment Identity Registry Public Switched Telephone Network Integrated Services Digital Network MSC VLR D HLR C H F Ai Di BSC Abis Um BS BS BS AC EIR

PSTN

ISDN

MS

GSM

The GSM System Hierarchy

Public Land Mobile Network

BTS BTS
MSC

TRAU

BSC BTS BTS

MS

GSM

The TRAU Unit

The Transcoding Rate and Adaptation Unit (TRAU) is typically located between the MSC and BSC. It could also be placed between the BSC and the BTS's It converts the 64 kbps PCM-speech into 16 kbps compressed speech [13 kbps speech + 3 kbps overhead] It uses speech vocoding technique. There is an equivalent unit in the Mobile Station (MS)

BSC

TRAU

MSC
64 kbps

16 kbps

GSM

The TRAU Unit (cont.)

The TRAU unit could be physically located with the MSC to save transmitting 64 kbps/speech connection If the connection is "data connection" (rather than speech), the unit is turned off In the MS, the same vocoding technique is used to convert analog signal into digital speech at 13 kbps (full rate) The unit could also operate at 6.5 kbps (half rate)

BSC

TRAU

MSC
64 kbps

13 kbps 6.5 kbps

Full Half

16 kbps 8 kbps

GSM

GSM Typical Voice Connection

PSTN

64 kbps 64 kbps
GW

MSC

TRAU

16 kbps

BTS 22.8 kbps 16 kbps

BSC

GSM

Inter-Working Facility (IWF)

Protocol Translator

BS

BSC

MSC

IWF

Data Network

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) Circuit-Switched

Different Data Protocols

GSM

GSM (voice)/GPRS (data)

Um
BSC TRAU

Voice
MSC/VLR GMSC

PSTN ISDN PDN X.25

Circuit Data could be transmitted over GSM voice channels The GPRS is a complete IP private network that connects many cell sites

HLR/AuC/EIR

V A S

I N

Gb

Data
PDN
SGSN GGSN

GPRS
GSM 10

GSM Air Interface

Base Station Sub-System (BSS) Base Station Structure Mobile Station Transceiver

Time-Frequency Arrangement

GSM

11

Base Transceiver Station

Typically the Base Transceiver Stations exist in clusters of three (120o sectors). The diameter of the cell is between 300 m and 35 km). Each BTS has a different Cell Identity (CI) Some BTS could serve what is called "Umbrella Cells" to serve fast mobile units.

BTS BTS BTS

120-sectored Cell

Umbrella Cell

GSM

12

Base Transceiver Station (cont.)

Each BTS has several Transmit/Receive (Tx/Rx) units. The maximum number of Tx/Rx units per BTS is 16 The BTS also has control circuits for operation, management and clock distribution
Antenna Distribution system

Up to 16 Tx/Rx circuits

Tx/Rx

Operation, Management Clock distribution

GSM 13

The Transmit/Receive Module

The Tx/Rx unit consists of five sections:
Data interface unit to provide interface with the BSC Baseband signal processing unit Frequency Hopping and Radio frequency control module Tx/Rx RF section Control unit

Tx RF Rx RF
Diversity

Frequency Hopping

Signal Processing

Data Interface

To BSC

Control

GSM

14

The Mobile Station (MS)

The user identity is separate from the equipment identity. The user information is stored in the SIM (Subscriber Information Module). Also known as the smart card Different processing blocks are used to process the voice/data

Voice decoding

Channel decoding

De-interleaving

deciphering

demodulation

Voice encoding

Channel coding

interleaving

ciphering

modulation

amplifier

Control Smart card

Radio Transceiver
GSM 15

Time-Frequency Plan
Time Mobile Tx
7

Base Tx

6
5 4 3 2 4.615 ms

1
0

45 or 80 MHz

Frequency

200 kHz

200 kHz

GSM

16

Time-Frequency Plan (cont.)

Each sector is served by one BTS The BTS can support up to 16 Tx/Rx units Each Tx/Rx unit operates on a single carrier frequency and supports up to 8
voice circuits The frequency carriers are arranged in an [ABCD] frequency plan The channel bandwidth is 200 kHz The minimum frequency separation within one BTS is 4x200=800 kHz A 1 5 9 13 17 21 .. B 2 6 10 14 18 22 .. C 3 7 11 15 19 23 .. D 4 8 12 16 20 24 ..
17

D
B

C
D A D C B C A D A B C C D B

C
A

B
D

GSM

Frequencies within the Same Cell

Control Frequency 200 kHz 800 kHz

Control Max. 8 + Max. 7 Max. 8

GSM

18

The Antenna Assembly Unit

Ftransmit

Power Amplifier

Duplexer
coupler

LNA
LNA = Low Noise Amplifier

Freceive

GSM

19

The TDMA Frame

The basic GSM physical channel consists of one slot to transmit on and a corresponding slot to receive on. The TDMA frame (on one carrier) consists of 8 time slots
Base Transmits B

slot 577 ms
M Mobile Transmits 1 Frame = 8 slots = 4.615 ms

GSM

20

Transmit/Receive Time-Frequency Map

Frequency
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

80 MHz @ PCS 45 MHz @ Cellular

Frame 4.165 ms

Time

200 KHz

577 ms
GSM 21

The Power-Time Template

10 ms 8 ms 10 ms 148 bits = 542.8 ms

+4 dB -6 dB -30 dB

-70 dB
156.25 bit = 577 ms

GSM

22

The Guard Period

Guard Time

10 ms 148 bits = 542.8 ms

The guard gap is equivalent to

156.25 bit = 577 ms

8.25 bits (1 bit=3.69 ms). This time is equivalent oneway propagation delay over 9.3 km Different mobiles in the cell are forced to advance or retard their transmission to avoid overlap The gap gives extra protection and also allow for amplifier ramping up and ramping down as shown in the next slide.

GSM

23

Bursts from Different Users

User k-1 User k
148 bits = 542.8 ms

User k+1

+4 dB
-6 dB -30 dB

-70 dB
156.25 bit = 577 ms

147 bits gap

GSM

147 bits gap

147 bits

24

Frame Hierarchy
Hyper Frame 3 hr, 28 min., 53 s, 760 ms
0 1 2047

Super Frame 6 s, 120 ms

0 1 50

25

26-multi-frames 120 ms
0 1 25

51-multi-frames 235.38
0 1 50

Data
TDMA Frame 4.615 ms
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Signaling

Transmission Burst 577 ms

GSM

25

Air Interface Channels

Physical and Logical Channels Frequency Correction Burst Synchronization Normal Traffic Channels

GPRS Physical Channels

GSM

26

Logical Channels
Traffic
Voice Data Broadcast
Broadcast control
BCCH

Signaling
Common
Random Access
RACH

Dedicated
Stand Alone
SDCCH

Full
13

Half
6.5

Full
9.6 4.8 2.4

Half
TCH/H

TCH/FS TCH/HS TCH/F

4.8 2.4

Frequency correction
FCCH

Access Granting
AGCH

Slow Association
SACCH

M M M
GSM

<----> B <----- B -----> B Synchronization

SCH

Paging
PCH

Fast Association
FACCH

27

Different Transmission Bursts

T coded data S train S coded data T gap
8.25

Normal Burst

57

26

57

148 bits T synch. seq. coded data T gap

Random Access Burst

41
88 bits

36

68.25

fixed bit sequence

T gap

Freq. Correction Burst

142
148 bits

8.25

T coded data

synch. seq.

coded data T gap

Synchronization Burst

39

64
148 bits

39

8.25

GSM

28

The Frequency Correction Burst

T fixed bit sequence T gap
8.25

142
148 bits

3-bits Tail: for extra guard time 142-bits Fixed Sequence: This is an all-zero

sequence [000000]. This sequence causes the GMSK modulator to produce a spectral line for easy frequency tracking. 8.25-bits Gap: Guard time identical to the one used in the normal transmission burst.

GSM

29

The Synchronization Burst

T coded data synch. seq. coded data T gap
8.25

39

64
148 bits

39

The synchronization burst has a structure similar to the

normal burst. 3-bits Tail: for extra guard time 64-bits Synchronization: Synchronization sequence. 39-bits Coded Data: The Base Station Information Code (BSIC), the Base station Color Code (BCC) and the National Color Code (NCC). 8.25-bits Gap: Guard time identical to the one used in the normal transmission burst.
GSM 30

The Normal Traffic Burst

T coded data S train S coded data T gap
8.25

57

26

57

148 bits

T=

Trail Bits to mark the end of the power ramp up and the beginning of power ramp down.

Data = The two 57-bit coded data belong to two different speech frames. S= Stealing Flag to separate data from the training sequence.

Train = A mid-amble synch and training sequence (5-16-5). Gap =

GSM

Guard time (approx. 30.4 msec)

31

The Training Sequence (Mid-Amble)

148 bits T coded data S train S coded data T gap
8.25

57

26

57

12 13 14 15 16

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

The 16-bit signature sequence is unique to the base station

GSM

32

The Training Sequence (cont.)

There are 8 unique training sequences in
the entire system Each sector is assigned one of these 8 sequences The sequences are repeated geographically in a manner similar to the frequency reuse pattern The training sequence play dual role: It is used to estimate the channel It is used to tie specific MS's to specific BTS Each mobile terminal tracks its serving base using the training sequence of the station Each base station tracks its constituent MS using the same sequence

Wrong sequence

Correct sequence

GSM

33

The Random Access Burst

T synch. seq. coded data T gap

41
88 bits

36

68.25

8-bits Tail: 8 bits tail for extra guard time 41-bits Synchronization: The synchronization
sequence has the same significance as the training sequence. 36-bits Coded Data: This is a short message containing data required for synchronization. 68.25-bits Gap: Very long guard time to account of an initial differential delay over large cell (up to 75 km one way or 35 km two-ways).
GSM 34

Frequency Hopping
GSM uses Slow Frequency Hopping to improve the radio
link quality. SFH is mandatory when requested by the base station The Hopping Rate equals the TDMA Frame Rate = 216.7 hops/s. Two algorithms:

FCCH, SCH and BCCH can't hop Two implementations: For a set of N frequencies, GSM allows for 64*N hopping
sequences
GSM 35

Cyclic hopping Random Hopping

Baseband hopping Synthesizer hopping

Frequency Hopping Example

Base transmits

F1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 F2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 F3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1
Mobile transmits

F1' 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 F2' 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 F3' 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Adjacent cells

Cyclic 3-Frequencies Schemes

GSM

36

Power Control
The MS must set its power level as commanded
by the Base Station. [ SACCH & channel assignment ]. The power adjustment is performed over 16 steps of 2 dB each. The base station may (optionally) control its own transmitted power to reduce interference to mobiles in other cells. When the base station power is controlled, it also adjusts the power over 16 steps with 2 dB per step.

GSM

37