GSM System GSM System

Prof. S.-I. Sou

EE, NCKU EE, NCKU
Fall, 2008
1
Outlines
Introduction
GSM Architecture
Air Interface
Location Tracking and Call Setup Location Tracking and Call Setup
Mobility Management
Summary
2
GSM Architecture GSM Architecture GSM Architecture GSM Architecture
3
GSM Architecture
MAP interface
4
Also called Mobile Terminal (MT)
The MS consists of two parts:
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
Mobile Equipment (ME)
Mobile Station (MS)
5
A SIM contains subscriber-related information
A list of abbreviated and customized short dialing
numbers
Short message
SIM
Short message
Names of preferred Networks to provide service
Personal Identity Number (PIN) .
SIM information can be modified:
By the subscriber either by keypad or a PC using
an RS232 connection
By sending codes through short messages
(network operators)
6
Mobile Equipment (ME)
ME: non-customer-related hardware and
software specific to the radio interface
ME can not be used if no SIM is on the MS.
Except for emergency calls
The SIM-ME design supports portability: The SIM-ME design supports portability:
The MS is the property of the subscriber.
The SIM is the property of the service provider.
7
Base Station System (BSS)
The Base Station System (BSS) connects the
MS and NSS.
BSS contains
Base transceiver station (BTS)
Base station controller (BSC) Base station controller (BSC)
8
Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS)
Telephone switching functions
Subscriber profiles
Mobility management
Components in NSS:
NSS (1/2)
Components in NSS:
MSC: provide basic switching function
Gateway MSC (GMSC): route an incoming call
to an MSC by interrogating the HLR directly.
9
NSS (2/2)
Components in NSS (continuous):
HLR and VLR maintain the current location of
the MS.
Authentication Center (AuC) is used in the
security management.
Equipment Identity Register (EIR) is used for Equipment Identity Register (EIR) is used for
the registration of MS equipment.
10
Mobility Databases
The hierarchical databases used in GSM.
The home location register (HLR) is a database
used for MS information management.
The visitor location register (VLR) is the
database of the service area visited by an MS.
MSC 1
HLR
VLR 1 VLR 2
MSC 2
11
Home Location Register (HLR)
An HLR record consists of 3 types of
information:
Mobile station information
IMSI (used by the MS to access the network)
MSISDN (the ISDN numberPhone Number
of the MS)
Location information
ISDN number of the VLR (where the MS resides)
ISDN number of the MSC (where the MS resides)
Service information
service subscription
service restrictions
supplementary services
12
Visitor Location Register (VLR)
The VLR information consists of three parts:
Mobile Station Information
IMSI
MSISDN
TMSI TMSI
Location Information
MSC Number
Location Area ID (LAI)
Service Information
A subset of the service Information stored in HLR
13
Registration
MS powers on.
By using FCCH and SCH to
synchronize with the BTS.
BS 2
BS 1
BS 3
From BCCH, the MS gets the
cell global identity (CGI).
MS registers with the MSC.
14
GSM Call Origination
15
GSM Call Termination
RACH(request signaling channel)
MS
BSS
PCH(page MS)
SDCCH(respond to paging)
SDCCH message exchanges for call setup
AGCH(assign signaling channel)
16
Location Tracking and Call Location Tracking and Call
Setup Setup Setup Setup
17
Location Area
Location area (LA) is the basic unit for location
tracking.
Location Area Identification (LAI)
MSC
MSC
MSC
LA 1
LA 2
LA 3
18
Key Terms
GSM uses some identifiers
Mobile system ISDN (MSISDN)
Mobile Station Roaming Number (MSRN)
International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI)
International Mobile station Equipment Identity
(IMEI)
Location Area Identity (LAI)
Cell Global Identity (CAI)
19
MSISDN
Mobile System ISDN
MSISDN uses the same format as the ISDN
address (based on ITU-T Recommendation
E.164).
HLR uses MSISDN to provide routing
instructions to other components in order to instructions to other components in order to
reach the subscriber.
Country code
(CC)
National destination
code (NDC)
Subscriber
number (SN)
Total up to 15 digits
20
MSRN
Mobile Station Roaming Number
The routing address to route the call to the MS
through the visited MSC.
MSRN=CC+NDC+SN
21
IMSI
International Mobile Subscriber Identity
Each mobile unit is identified uniquely with an
IMSI.
IMSI includes the country, mobile network,
mobile subscriber.
Total up to 15 digits Total up to 15 digits
Mobile country
code (MCC)
Mobile network
code (MNC)
Mobile subscriber
identification code (MSIC)
3 digits 1- 2 digits Up to 10 digits
22
TMSI
Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identify
TMSI is an alias used in place of the IMSI.
This value is sent over the air interface in place
of the IMSI for purposes of security.
23
IMEI
International Mobile Station Equipment Identity
IMEI is assigned to the GSM at the factory.
When a GSM component passes conformance
and interoperability tests, it is given a TAC.
Up to 15 digits
Type approval
code (FAC)
Final assembly
code (FAC)
Serial number (MSIC)
3 digits 2 digits Up to 10 digits
Spare 1 digit
24
LAI
Location Area Identity
LAI identifies a location area (LA).
When an MS roams into another cell, if it is in the
same LAI, no information is exchanged.
Total up to 15 digits
Mobile country
code (MCC)
Mobile network
code (MNC)
Location area code (LAC)
3 digits 1-2 digits Up to 10 digits
25
CGI
Cell Global Identity
CGI = LAI + CI
= MCC + MNC + LAC + CI
CI : Cell Identity
26
Identifiers and Components
HLR VLR/MSC BSC BTS MS
MSISDN
MSRN
IMSI
TMSI
LAI
CGI
MSC
27
Cloud
Cloud
Cloud
Other
Switches
HLR
1
GMSC
VLR
1
1
1
2
2
The Mobile Call Termination
(Delivery) Procedure
MSISDN
MSRN MSRN
IMSI
MSISDN
IMSI
Cloud
Switches
3
MSC
Cloud
Cloud
Cloud
Other
Switches
3
3
MSISDN
PSTN

28
GSM Location Update GSM Location Update GSM Location Update GSM Location Update
29
MS Registration Process
HLR
3
5

HLR
location update
deregistration
VLR
IMSI
Old
VLR
New
VLR
1
4
2
TMSI
TMSI
MSs IMSI
new TMSI
IMSI
30
Periodically Registration
The MS periodically send registration
messages to the network.
The period is 6 minutes to 24 hours.
Periodic registration is useful for fault-tolerance
purposes. purposes.
31
Location Update Concept
Registration: the location update procedure
initiated by the MS:
Step 1. BS periodically broadcasts the LA
address.
Step 2. When an MS finds the LA of BS
different from the one stored in it memory, it
sends a registration message to the network.
Step 3. The location information is update.
32
GSM Basic Location Update
Procedure
In GSM, registration or location update occurs
when an MS moves from one LA to another.
Three cases of location update:
Case 1. Inter-LA Movement Case 1. Inter-LA Movement
Case 2. Inter-MSC Movement
Case 3. Inter-VLR Movement
33
Two LAs belong to the same MSC.
Four major steps:
Step 1. MS sends a location update request
message (MSBTSMSC) .
Parameters included: Previous LA, previous MSC
Inter-LA Movement (1/2)
Parameters included: Previous LA, previous MSC
and previous VLR.
IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) is
used to identify MS.
However, the MS identifies itself by the Temporary
Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI).
TMSI is used to avoid sending the IMSI on the
radio path.
TMSI is temporary identity is allocated to an MS
by the VLR at inter-VLR registration.
34
The Process continues:
Step 2. The MSC forwards the location update
request to the VLR by a TCAP message,
MAP_UPDATE_LOCATION_AREA.
Parameter includes: Address of the MSC, TMSI,
previous Location Area Identification (LAI), target
Inter-LA Movement (2/2)
previous Location Area Identification (LAI), target
LAI, Other related information
Steps 3 and 4.
Part I. The VLR find that both LA1 and LA2 belong
to the same MSC.
Part II. The VLR updates the LAI field of the MS.
Part III. The VLR replies an ACK to the MS
through the MSC.
35
Inter-MSC Registration
36
The two LAs belong to different MSCs of the same
VLR.
The process is:
Steps 1 and 2. MS sends a location update request
Inter-MSC Movement (1/2)
Steps 1 and 2. MS sends a location update request
message (MSBTSMSC) .
Step 3.
Part I. VLR1 finds that the LA1 and LA2 belong to
MSC1 and MSC2, respectively. Two MSCs are
connected to VLR1.
Part II. VLR1 updates the LAI and MSC fields of MS.
Part III. The VLR1 derives the HLR address of the
MS from the MSs IMSI.
37
The process continues:
Step 3.
Part IV. The VLR1 sends the
MAP_UPDATE_LOCATION to the HLR.
Parameter includes: IMSI, target MSC Address,
Inter-MSC Movement (2/2)
Parameter includes: IMSI, target MSC Address,
VLR Address, other related information
Step 4. HLR updates the MSC number field of
the MS. An acknowledgement is sent to VLR1.
Steps 5 and 6. The acknowledgement is
forwarded to the MS.
38
Inter-VLR Registration Message
Flow
39
Two LAs belong to MSCs connected to different
VLRs.
The process is:
Step 1. MS sends a location update request.
MSC2 sends MAP_UPDATE_LOCATION_AREA
Inter-VLR Movement (1/2)
MSC2 sends MAP_UPDATE_LOCATION_AREA
to VLR 2 with MSs TMSI.
Steps 2 and 3.
VLR2 does not have the record of MS.
VLR2 identifies the address the VLR1 and sends
MAP_SEND_IDENTIFICATION (with TMSI) to
VLR1.
VLR1 sends IMSI to VLR2.
40
The process continues:
Steps 4 and 5.
VLR2 creates a VLR record for the MS.
VLR2 sends a registration message to HLR.
HLR updates the record of the MS.
HLR sends an acknowledge back to VLR2.
Inter-VLR Movement (2/2)
HLR sends an acknowledge back to VLR2.
Step 6.
VLR2 generates a new TMSI and sends it to the
MS.
Steps 7 and 8.
The obsolete record of the MS in VLR1 is deleted.
41
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
A packet-switched protocol
GPRS radio link protocol
To guarantee fast call setup procedure and low-
bit error rate for data transfer between the MSs
GPRS
bit error rate for data transfer between the MSs
and the BSs
A new infrastructure is introduced to GPRS for
the packet services.
42
GPRS Architecture
MS
TAF
TE
MSC
PSTN
PSDN
ISDN
r adi o
i nt er f ace
SGSN GGSN
HLR
Signaling link
HLR : Home Location Register
VLR : Visitor Location Register
BSS : Base Station Subsystem
TAF : Terminal Adaption Function
TE : Terminal Equipment
BSS
PSTN : Public Switched Telephone Network
PSDN : Public Switched Data Network
MSC : Mobile Switching Center
SGSN : Serving GPRS Support Node
GGSN : Gateway GPRS Support Node
43