1.

Abstract
Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech,
visuals, signals, writing, or behaviour. Communication is a very important factor which
helps us to develop in our day today life. There are various ways by which we can
communicate. MTNL (Mahanagar telephone Nigam Limited) has proved to be a very
good competitor in this era. There are only two most important states where they
provide the services that are Delhi and Mumbai. The mission of the company in the
coming future is to remain as market leader in providing world class Telecom and IT
related services at affordable prices and to become a global player. There are basically
two mediums for the transfer of data like guided and unguided media. There is
tremendous development in the field of communication. The coming of optical fibre has
lead to a great advantage. This project report tells us about GSM (Global System for
Mobile Communications, originally Groupe Spcial Mobile) and its functioning. The
various generations of mobile communication is being discussed. In order to connect
and disconnect from a call GSM use the concept of FDMA and TDMA. The architecture
of GSM is being discussed which is being right now implemented in India. GSM
Architecture consists of huge number of component and each and every component has
an important working of the communication system. The components of the GSM
architecture are MS (Mobile Station), BTS (Base Tran receiver Station), BSC (Base
Station Controller), and MSC (Mobile Service Switching Centre). The Architecture of
GSM is being divided into the following four components, which are as follows Mobile
station, Base station subsystem, Network switching subsystem, Operation and
maintenance system. As because of GSM only we are being able to communicate with
any person at any time and any place. The standards which are use in GSM are also
included. Every telephone network needs a well-designed structure in order to route
incoming called to the correct exchange and finally to the called subscriber. In a mobile
network, this structure is of great importance because of the mobility of all its
subscribers. In the GSM system, the network is divided into the following partitioned
areas GSM service area, PLMN service area, MSC service area, Location area, Cells. I
have also discussed about the channel concept which is being used for transferring of
data and speech through the network. Physical channel and Logical channel are two
types of channels which are classified further.
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Optical fibre is being proved to be very good way of connecting people as it provides a
very high speed. But there is more scope of development in telecom field as there is
some problem in the network at hilly regions.

2. Brief History about MTNL

MTNL (Mahanagar telephone Nigam Limited) was set up on 1st April, 1986 by the
Government of India to upgrade the quality of telecom services and to expand the
telecom network. Government of India wants to introduce new services and to raise
revenue for telecom development needs of key metro cities (Delhi, the political capital
and Mumbai, the business capital of India). In the past years, the company has taken
rapid strides to emerge as India's leading and one of Asia's largest telecom operating
companies. [1] Let us discuss about the historical developments of the company:

1986

Creation of Mahanagar Telephones Nigam Limited

1986

First digital exchange world technology brought to India

1987

Largely Scale introduction of push button telephone made dialling easier.

1988

Phone Plus services multiplied benefits to telephone users.

1992

Voice Mail Service Introduced

1996

ISDN services introduced

1997

Wireless in Local loop introduced

1999

Internet services introduced.

2001

Launched GSM Cellular Mobile service under the brand name Dolphin
Launched WLL Mobile services under the brand name Garuda.
The company listed at New York stock exchange(NYSE)
United telecom ltd.,MTNL Joint venture in Nepal, for providing WLL based services
in Nepal became operational.
3

CLI based Internet express services introduced.

2002

Launched pre-paid GSM Mobile services under the brand name Trump. Email on
PSTN lines introduced under the brand name mtnl mail.

2003

Introduced CDMA 1x 2000 Technology under the brand name Garuda 1-x.Introduced
pilot project of ADSL based Broadband services. Introduced Virtual Phone services.
Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Ltd. bagged second operator license in Mauritius.

2004

Expanded GSM & CDMA capacity by 800,000 lines each (total 1.6 million lines
expanded) STD/ISD rates slashed by almost 60%. MTNL subsidiary MTML obtained
license to provide fixed, mobile & ILD services in Mauritius. Launched Wi-Fi &
digital certification services. State of the art training centre CETTM commissioned.

2005

Leading market in GSM customer additions. Launched broadband services under the
brand name TRI BAND. Floated tender for 1 million 3G GSM lines.
Table 1: Historical Developments of the company

The mission of the company in the coming future is to remain as market leader in
providing world class Telecom and IT related services at affordable prices and to
become a global player. The vision of the company in the forthcoming years is as
follows:

Become a total solution provider company and to provide world class telecom

services at affordable prices.

Become a global telecom company and to find a place in the Fortune 500

companies.
Become the largest provider of private networks and leased lines.

3. Network Infrastructure of MTNL

Besides having a strong financial base, MTNL has achieved a customer base of 8.06
million as on 31st March 2009. MTNL as a company, over the last twenty three years,
grew rapidly by modernizing the network through induction of State-of-the-art
technologies and adopting a customer friendly approach. The growth rate of the
company is as follows:

1986

2009

1.No of exchanges

114

558

2.Equipped capacity (Millions)

0.88

10.72

3.Subscriber base (Millions)

0.75

8.06

i) Basic Wire line & CDMA Fixed (Millions)

0.75

3.69

ii) CDMA-Mobile (Millions)

0.10

iii) GSM Cellular (Millions)

4.18

4.Internet (Millions)

1.43

5.Broadband (Millions)

0.70

6.Public Call Offices (Local and Long Distance) 10,593

0.21

(Millions)
7.No of stations on Long Distance Network

264

39,303

8.No of countries connected overseas on ISD

11

243

9.Digitalization of exchange network

Nil

100%

Table 2: Growth rate of the company

4. Introduction of ITTM
The Institute of Telecom Technology & Management, IITM, Shadipur is a state of the
art training centre of MTNL, Delhi. With impressive growth of telecom sector in India,
the requirement of telecom trained personnel is increasing day by day. Realizing this
ever-growing demand for telecom personnel, IITM started training engineering students
also as part of their summer training. Since 2011 ITTM has trained more than 900
students of various engineering colleges. The goal of ITTM is to give knowledge and
facilities to the future Technocrats of the country by imparting summer industrial
training and short term technical courses to engineering students as a part of corporate
responsibility so that their knowledge and skill levels may match the best in the
industry. ITTM has the necessary infrastructure, technical and academic competence
and excellence for providing training in specialized courses in the field of GSM,
Broadband Technology, Switching, Transmission, External Plant, IT, Computer systems
and Management.

5. GSM
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications, originally Groupe Spcial Mobile),
is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards
Institute (ETSI) to describe technologies for second generation (2G) digital cellular
networks. In order to connect and disconnect from a call GSM use the concept of
FDMA and TDMA. It is developed as a replacement for first generation (1G) analog
cellular networks The standard was expanded over time to include first circuit switched
data transport, then packet data transport via GPRS (General Packet Radio Services).
Packet data transmission speeds were later increased via EDGE (Enhanced Data rates
for GSM Evolution) referred as EGPRS.GSM networks will evolve further as they
begin to incorporate fourth generation (4G) LTE Advanced standards. [2]
5.1. Evolution of GSM
Before the evolution of GSM takes place a number of generations came into being,
which are as follows:

0 Generation (0G)
In this generation the need for communication is understood and the people started
inventing things so that the communication between them takes place easily. The
most important system developed during this generation is MTS (Mobile Telephone
Service).In 1947 AT&T commercialized Mobile Telephone Service. Calls were set
up manually by an operator and the user had to depress a button on the handset to

talk and release the button to listen.

1st Generation (1G)
The first analog cellular system widely deployed in North America was
the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS). It was commercially introduced in
the Americas in 1978, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. AMPS was a pioneering
technology that helped drive mass market usage of cellular technology, but it had
several serious issues by modern standards. It used a Frequency-division multiple
access (FDMA) scheme and required significant amounts of wireless spectrum to
support.

2nd Generation (2G)

This is the generation when GSM came into being. In the 1990s, the 'second
generation' (2G) mobile phone systems emerged. Two systems competed for
supremacy in the global market: the European developed GSM standard and the
U.S. developed CDMA standard. These differed from the previous generation by
using digital instead of analog transmission, and also fast out-of-band phone-tonetwork signalling. The rise in mobile phone usage as a result of 2G was explosive
and this era also saw the advent of prepaid mobile phones. The second generation
introduced a new variant of communication called SMS or text messaging. It was
initially available only on GSM networks but spread eventually on all digital
networks. The first machine-generated SMS message was sent in the UK on 3
December 1992 followed in 1993 by the first person-to-person SMS sent in Finland.
The advent of prepaid services in the late 1990s soon made SMS the communication

method of choice amongst the young, a trend which spread across all ages.
3rd Generation (3G)
As the use of 2G phones became more widespread and people began to utilize
mobile phones in their daily lives, it became clear that demand for data services
(such as access to the internet) was growing. Furthermore, experience from fixed
broadband services showed there would also be an ever increasing demand for
greater data speeds. The 2G technology was nowhere near up to the job, so the
industry began to work on the next generation of technology known as 3G. The
technological difference that distinguishes 3G technology from 2G technology is the
use of packet switching rather than circuit switching for data transmission. In
addition, the standardization process focused on requirements more than technology

(2 Mbit/s maximum data rate indoors, 384 kbit/s outdoors, for example).
4th Generation(4G)
By 2009, it had become clear that, at some point, 3G networks would be
overwhelmed by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming
media. Consequently, the industry began looking to data-optimized 4th-generation
technologies, with the promise of speed improvements up to 10-fold over existing
3G technologies. The first two commercially available technologies billed as 4G
were the WiMAX standard (offered in the U.S. by Sprint) and the LTE standard.
One of the ways in which 4G differed technologically from 3G was in its
elimination of circuit switching, instead employing an all-IP network [3]. Thus, 4G
ushered in a treatment of voice calls just like any other type of streaming audio
media, utilizing packet switching over internet, LAN or WAN networks via VoIP.
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5.2. GSM Standards

The standards included in GSM are as follows:

GSM-900 Standard
The GSM-900 standard is a standard for digital voice transmission in the 900 MHz
band. This so called primary band" includes two sub bands of 25 MHz The two
sub bands uses 890915 MHz to send information from the mobile station to
the base station (uplink) and 935960 MHz for the other direction (downlink),
providing 124 RF channels (channel numbers 1 to 124) spaced at 200 kHz. Guard
bands 100 kHz wide are placed at either end of the range of frequencies.

Figure 5.1: GSM use of paired radio channels

GSM-1800 Standard
In GSM-1800, 1800 MHz band was allocated for digital mobile telephone services
which have frequency of 75MHz. This was three times the bandwidth allocated for
GSM-900. GSM-1800 uses 17101785 MHz to send information from the mobile
station to the base transceiver station (uplink) and 18051880 MHz for the other

direction (downlink), providing 374 channels (channel numbers 512 to 885).

GSM-1900 Standard
GSM-1900 is the standard for the 1900MHz band. It includes the same network
component as the GSM-900 or GSM-1800. The band width of this standard is 60
MHz GSM-1900 uses 18501910 MHz to send information from the mobile station
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to the base station (uplink) and 19301990 MHz for the other direction (downlink).
Channel numbers are 512 to 810.
5.3. Access Technology in GSM
In GSM the establishment of the call take place by mainly two techniques that are:

FDMA (Frequency division Multiple Access)

In FDMA, signals from various users are assigned different frequencies. Frequency
guard bands are maintained between adjacent signal spectra to minimize crosstalk
between channels.In this we do separation of the whole spectrum into smaller
frequency bands. A channel gets a certain band of the spectrum for the whole time.
The various advantages of this technology is that no necessary dynamic
coordination between bands thus resulting in no interference. The disadvantage of
this technique is that it leads to waste of bandwidth if the traffic is distributed

unevenly. [4]
TDMA (Time division Multiple Access)
In a TDMA system, data from each user is conveyed in time intervals called Time
slots. Several slots make up a frame. Each slot is made up of a preamble plus
information bits addressed to various stations .The functions of the preamble are to
provide identification and incidental information and to allow synchronization of the
slot at the intended receiver .Guard times are used between each users
transmissions to minimize crosstalk between channels. Advantages of TDMA:
1. TDMA permits a flexible bit rate.
2. TDMA offers the opportunity for frame-by-frame monitoring of the signal
strength and bit error rates.
3. TDMA transmits each signal with sufficient guard time between time slots.

In GSM we use the combination of both the type of multiplexing that is frequency
division and time division which is being shown as below in the figure.

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Figure 5.2: Combination of frequency and time multiplex

Another very important involved in communication system for transferring data is as
follows:

Speech Coding
The Speech coding is one of the most important part of any communication system
since it leads to effective transmission of data. The various steps involved are:

Analog to Digital Conversion

The first step in speech coding is to transform the sound waves of our voices
(and other ambient noise) into an electrical signal. This is done by a microphone.
A microphone consists of a diaphragm, a magnet, and a coil of wire. When you
speak into it, sound waves created by your voice vibrate the diaphragm which is
connected to the magnet which is inside the coil of wire. These vibrations cause
the magnet to move inside the coil at the same frequency as your voice. A
magnet moving in a coil of wire creates an electric current. This current which is
at the same frequency as the sound waves is carried by wires to where ever you
wish it to go like an amplifier, transmitter, etc. Once it gets to its destination the
process is reversed and it comes out as sound. Speakers basically being the
opposite of microphones . The signal created by a microphone is an analog
signal. Since GSM is an all digital system, this analog signal is not suitable for
use on a GSM network. The analog signal must be converted into digital form.
In order to reduce the amount of data needed to represent the sound wave, the
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analog signal is first inputted into a band pass filter. Band pass means that the
filter only allows signal that fall within a certain frequency range to pass through
it, and all other signals are cut off, or attenuated. The BP filter only allows
frequencies between 300Hz and 3.4 kHz (Voice Freq Range)to pass through it.
This limits the amount of data that the Analog /Digital Converter is required to
process.

Figure: Band Pass Filter

In the case of a cell phone, the analog signal created by a microphone is passed to the
analog/digital converter. The A/D converter samples it 8000 times per second. This
means that the ADC takes a sample of the analog signal every .125 sec (125 s). Each
sample is quantified with a 13-bit data block. If we calculate 13 bits per sample at 8000
samples per second, we determine a data rate of 104,000 bits per second, or 104 kb/s.

Figure: ADC

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Speech Encoding
This bitrate of 13kbps is known as Full Rate Speech (FS). There is another
method for encoding speech called Half Rate Speech (HS), which results in a bit
rate of approximately 5.6kbps.
As we all know, the audio signal must be transmitted across a radio link from the
handset to the Base Station Transceiver (BTS). The signal on this radio link is
subject to atmospherics and fading which results in a large amount of data loss
and degrades the audio. In order to prevent degradation of audio, the data stream
is put through a series of error detection and error correction procedures called
channel coding. The first phase of channel coding is called block coding.

Figure: Reordering, Partitioning, and Interleaving

In the following diagram, we examine time-slot W. We see that bits from B4 are mapped
onto the odd-number bits (bits 1,3,5....109,111,113) and we would see bits from C1
mapped onto the even number bits (bits 0,2,4....108,110,112). This process continues
indefinitely as data is transmitted. Time-slots W, X, Y, and Z would all be mapped
identically. The next time-slot would have data from Block C and Block D mapped onto
it. This process continues for as long as there is data being generated.

14

Figure:

Interleaving

So you might notice that the data it takes to represent a 20ms (456-bits) audio block is
spread out across 8 timeslots. If you remember that each TDMA frame is approximately
4.615ms, we can determine that it takes about 37ms to transmit one single 456-bit
block. It seems like transmitting 20ms worth of audio over a period of 37ms would not
work. However, this is not what is truly happening. If you look at a series of blocks as
they are mapped onto time-slots you will notice that one sub-block ends every four
times.
In the diagram below, we can see how this works. The diagram shows 16 bursts.
Remember that a burst occurs on a single time-slot and the the duration of a time-slot is
577 s. Eight time-slots make up a TDMA frame, which is 4.615ms. Since a single
resource is only given one time-slot in which to transmit, we only get to transmit once
every TDMA frame. Therefore, we only get to transmit one burst every 4.615ms.
During each time-slot, a burst is transmitted that carries data from two different 456-bit
blocks. In the diagram below, Burst 1 carries data from A and B, burst 5 has B and C,
burst 9 has C and D, etc. Looking at the diagram, we can see that it does take
approximately 37ms for Block B to transmit all of its data, (bursts 1-8). However, in
bursts 5-8, data from block C is also being transmitted. Block A completes transmitting
its data at the end of the fourth burst. Block B finishes in the eighth, block C, in the
12th, and block D in the 16th. Viewing it this way shows us that every fourth burst
completes the data for one block, which takes approximately 18ms.

15

The following diagram illustrates the entire process, from audio sampling to partitioning
and interleaving.

6. GSM Network Structure

Every telephone network needs a well-designed structure in order to route incoming
called to the correct exchange and finally to the called subscriber. In a mobile network,

16

this structure is of great importance because of the mobility of all its subscribers. In the
GSM system, the network is divided into the following partitioned areas:

GSM service area

PLMN service area
MSC service area
Location area
Cells

Figure 6.1: Network Structure of GSM

7. GSM Architecture
GSM Architecture consists of huge number of component and each and every
component has an important working of the communication system. The components of
17

the GSM architecture are MS (Mobile Station), BTS( Base Tran receiver Station), BSC
( Base Station Controller), MSC ( Mobile Service Switching Centre).

Figure 7.1: GSM Architecture

The various interfaces shown in the figure is being discussed below:

Um interface (MS- BTS): The interface between the MS and the BSS
A-BIS interface (BSC - BTS): When the BSS consists of a Base Station
Controller (BSC) and one or more Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), this
interface is used between the BSC and BTS to support the services offered to the
GSM users and subscribers. The interface also allows control of the radio

equipment and radio frequency allocation in the BTS.

B interface (MSC - VLR): The VLR is the location and management data base
for the mobile subscribers roaming in the area controlled by the associated
MSC(s). Whenever the MSC needs data related to a given mobile station
currently located in its area, it interrogates the VLR. When a mobile station
initiates a location updating procedure with an MSC, the MSC informs its VLR
which stores the relevant information. This procedure occurs whenever an MS
roams to another location area. Also, when a subscriber activates a specific
supplementary service or modifies some data attached to a service, the MSC
informs (via the VLR) the HLR which stores these modifications and updates
the VLR if required.

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C interface (HLR and the MSC): The Gateway MSC must interrogate the HLR
of the required subscriber to obtain routing information for a call or a short

message directed to that subscriber.

D interface (HLR - VLR): This interface is used to exchange the data related to
the location of the mobile station and to the management of the subscriber. The
service provided to the mobile subscriber is the capability to set up or to receive
calls within the whole service area. To support this, the location registers have to
exchange data. The VLR informs the HLR of the location of a mobile station
managed by the latter and provides it (either at location updating or at call setup) with the roaming number of that station. The HLR sends to the VLR all the
data needed to support the service to the mobile subscriber. The HLR then
instructs the previous VLR to cancel the location registration of this subscriber.
Exchanges of data may occur when the mobile subscriber requires a particular
service, when he wants to change some data attached to his subscription or when

some parameters of the subscription are modified by administrative means.

F interface (MSC and EIR): This interface is used between MSC and EIR to
exchange data, in order that the EIR can verify the status of the IMEI retrieved
from the Mobile Station.

8. GSM Network Components

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The Architecture of GSM is being divided into the following four components, which
are as follows:

Mobile station
Base station subsystem
Network switching subsystem
Operation and maintenance system

Figure 8.1: GSM network components

8.1. Mobile Station
The mobile station (MS) comprises all user equipment and

software needed

for communication with a mobile network. In GSM, the mobile station consists of
components:

Mobile termination (MT): It offers common functions of a such as:

radio Transmission and handover, speech

encoding

and

decoding, Error

detection and correction, signalling and access to the SIM. The IMEI code is
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attached to the MT. It is equivalent to the network termination of

an ISDN access. Each MS is identified by IMEI code.

Terminal equipment (TE): It is any device connected to the MS offering services

to the user. It does not contain any functions specific to GSM.

Subscriber Identity Module (SIM): GSM subscribers are provided with a SIM
card with its unique identification at the very beginning of the service. By
divorcing the subscriber ID from the equipment ID, the subscriber may never
own the GSM mobile equipment set. The subscriber is identified in the system
when he inserts the SIM card in the mobile equipment. This provides an
enormous amount of flexibility to the subscribers since they can now use any
GSM-specified mobile equipment. Some of the important numbers related to an
SIM are:

1. MSISDN: The real telephone number of a mobile station is the mobile

subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN). It is assigned to the subscriber (his or
her SIM, respectively), such that a mobile station set can have several
MSISDNs depending on the SIM.

2. IMSI: Each registered user is uniquely identified by its international mobile

subscriber identity (IMSI). It is stored in the subscriber identity module
(SIM) a mobile station can only be operated if a SIM with a valid IMSI is
inserted into equipment with a valid IMEI.

3. TMSI: The VLR, which is responsible for the current location of a

subscriber, can assign a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) which
has only local significance in the area handled by the VLR. It is stored on the
network side only in the VLR and is not passed to the HLR.

4. IMEI: The international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI) uniquely

identifies a mobile station internationally. It is a kind of serial number. The
IMEI is allocated by the equipment manufacturer and registered by the
network operator and registered by the network operator who stores it in the

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EIR. By means of IMEI one recognizes obsolete, stolen or non-functional

equipment.[5]
8.2. Base Station System (BSS)
The BSS is a set of BS equipments (such as transceivers and controllers) that is in view
by the MSC as a single unit. The radio equipment of a BSS may be composed of one or
more cells. The interface between BSC and BTS is designed as a bits interface. The
BSS consists of three major hardware components, which is being illustrated in the
figure:

Figure 8.2: BSS (Base Station Subsystem)

The Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

The BTS houses the radio transceivers that define a cell and handles the radio
link protocols with the MS. In a large urban area, a large number of BTSs may
be deployed. The BTS corresponds to the transceivers and antennas used in each
cell of the network. A BTS is usually placed in the centre of a cell.The BTS
contains the RF components that provide the air interface for a particular cell
.This is the part of the GSM network which communicates with the MS. The
antenna is included as part of the BTS. Its transmitting power defines the size of
a cell. Each BTS has between 1 and 16 transceivers, depending on the density of

22

users in the cell. Each BTS serves a single cell. It also includes the following
functions:
1. Encoding, encrypting, multiplexing, modulating, and feeding the RF signals to
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

the antenna.
Transcoding and rate adaptation
Time and frequency synchronizing
Voice through full- or half-rate services
Decoding, decrypting, and equalizing received signals
Random access detection
Timing advances
Uplink channel measurements

A Typical BTS Site comprises of BTS Equipment, RF Antenna, Transmission Media

Microwave / OFC, Power Plant, Air Conditioners.Let us discuss about a BTS
equipment. The Horizonmacro Indoor is a six carrier Base Transceiver Station cabinet
(BTS), operating in GSM standard frequencies. Indoor cabinet basically operates at
-48V DC. This voltage is produced at the power room of the exchange and is suitable as
it leads to less corroding activity. Cooling is provided by circulation fans located at the
bottom of the unit. [6]

Figure 8.3: BTS (closed door view) at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi
The BTS equipment also comprises of various components like CTU, duplexer, Alarm
panel, control cards, SURF, cooling fans, power panel. The alarm panel tells us about
23

the various faults if any have occurred in the system. The alarm panel light glows when
we open the gate of BTS. The control cards control the working of BTS. The compact
transceiver unit generates the RF frequency required to perform the transmission and
receive functions. It contains the digital circuits required for eight time slots of channel
equalization, encoding and decoding, and transceiver control logic. The CTU provides
the air interface between BSS and MS, with the following features:
1. Capability of diversity reception (input from two antennas) which improves the
quality reception in the presence of multipath fading and interference.
2. Frequency change on a timeslot basis for frequency hopping and equipment
sharing.
3. Transmit power control.

Figure 8.4: Single panel of CTU

The duplexer consists of the band pass filter which is being used for distinguishing
between the incoming and outgoing signals/calls. The purpose of the duplexer is to
enable each antenna to serve one CTU for both transmission and receiving. This is
achieved by the use of band pass filter. The cooling fan is used to keep the system cool.
Power panel is used to give the required power supply. The SURF that is sectorized
universal receiver front is used to set different paths for incoming and outgoing calls.
24

The SURF module is located in a vertical slot at the rear of the cabinet top panel. Three
connectors on the underside of the module connect to the SURF harness which provides
connectivity to up to six Compact Transceiver Unit (CTU). Antenna connections are
located on the top of the unit.

Figure 8.5: Labelled diagram of BTS

Figure 8.6: BTS (view when door is open) at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi

The Base Station Controller(BSC)

The BSC manages the radio resources for one or more BTS. It handles radio
channel setup, frequency hopping, and handovers. The BSC is the connection
25

between the mobile and the MSC. The BSC also translates the 13 Kbps voice
channel used over the radio link to the standard 64 Kbps channel used by the
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSDN) or ISDN. It assigns and releases
frequencies and time slots for the MS. The BSC also handles inter cell handover.
It controls the power transmission of the BSS and MS in its area. The function of
the BSC is to allocate the necessary time slots between the BTS and the MSC. It
is a switching device that handles the radio resources. The BSC as its name
implies provides the control for the BSS. The BSC directly communicates with
the MSC. The BSC may control single or multiple BTS. Additional functions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

include:
Control of frequency hopping
Performing traffic concentration to reduce the number of lines from the MSC
Providing an interface to the Operations and Maintenance centre for the BSS
Reallocation of frequencies among BTSs
Time and frequency synchronization
Power management
Time-delay measurements of received signals from the MS
Transcoder XCDR
The Transcoder (XCDR) is required to convert the speech or data output from
the MSC (64 Kbit/s PCM), into the form specified by GSM specifications for
transmission over the air interface, that is, between the BSS and MS (64 Kbit/s
to 16 Kbit/s and vice versa).Transcoder is a device that takes 13 Kbps speech or
3.6/6/12 kbps data multiplexes and four of them to convert into standard 64 kbps
data. First the 13 kbps or 3.6/6/12 are brought up to 16 kbps by inserting
synchronizing data to make up difference between 13 kbps speech or lower rate
data and four of them are combined in transcoder to provide 64 kbps channel
with in the BSS. This conversion from 13kbps to 64kbps is necessary as MSC
[exchange] understands only 64kbps.

26

Figure 8.7: Transcoder at MTNL (Minto Road), Delhi

8.3. Network Switching Subsystem
Network switching subsystem (NSS) is the component of a GSM architecture that
carries

out call

switching and mobility

management functions

for mobile

phones roaming on the network of base stations. It is owned and deployed by mobile
phone operators and allows mobile devices to communicate with each other
and telephones in the wider Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The
architecture contains specific features and functions which are needed because the
phones are not fixed in one location. The NSS originally consisted of the circuitswitched core network, used for traditional GSM services such as voice calls, SMS,
and circuit switched data calls. The functions of NSS are:

Call control and identification of the subscriber

Establishing a call and release of the connection after the call is over

Mobility management

Taking care of the location of the subscribers before, during and after a call

Collecting the charging information about a call

Number of the caller and of the called subscriber

Length and type of the provided services

Transfer the acquired charging information to the Billing centre

Signalling with other networks and BSS through the different interfaces

Subscriber data handling

Data storage permanently or temporarily in some databases

NSS consists of the following components, MSC (Mobile Switching Centre)

27

,VLR (Visitor Location Register), HLR( Home Location Register), EIR( Equipment
Identity Register), IWF( Interworking Function), AuC(authentication centre). Now let
us discuss about them all in detail. [7]
8.3.1. Mobile switching centre (MSC)
The MSC sets up and releases the end-to-end connection, handles mobility and handover requirements during the call and takes care of charging and real time pre-paid
account monitoring. The role of the MSC is to manage the communications between the
GSM users and other telecommunication network users. The basic switching function is
performed by the MSC, whose function is to coordinate setting up calls to and from
GSM users. The MSC has interface with the BSS on one side (through which MSC and
VLR is in contact with GSM users) and the external networks on the other
(ISDN/PSTN/PSPDN). The difference between an MSC and an exchange in a fixed
network is that the MSC has to take into account the impact of the mobile nature of the
subscribers and has to perform, in addition, at least, activities required for the location
registration and handover.
Specifically, the call-handling function of paging is controlled by MSC. MSC
coordinates the set up of call to and from all GSM subscribers operating in its areas. The
dynamics allocation of access resources is done in coordination with the BSS. More
specifically, the MSC decides when and which types of channels should be assigned to
which MS. The MSC supervises the connection transfer between different BSSs for
MSs, with an active call, moving from one call to another. The Gateway MSC (G-MSC)
is the MSC that determines which visited MSC the subscriber who is being called is
currently located at. It also interfaces with the PSTN. All mobile to mobile calls and
PSTN to mobile calls are routed through a G-MSC. The components of MSC are:
8.3.1.1. DDF (Digital Distribution Frame): The frame consists of the E1, which is
responsible for transmission and receiving. There is a loop break cord by which we can
check the proper functioning of the DDF. In case of the loop break cord the current flow
opposite to the marked point. The frame is the one on which the subscriber is being
added at the right E1.The DDF is being connected with the OFC room.

28

Figure 8.8: DDF at MTNL ( Shakti Nagar), Delhi

8.3.1.2. LIM (Line Interface module): The LIM is the system from where the
subscribers of the DDF are being terminated. From here the high speed data buses are
being sent to HLR which is being used for call processing.

Figure 8.9: LIM cabinet at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi

29

8.3.1.3. SRM (Shared Resource Module): From here the shared resources, that is the
resources which are being shared between the called and calling subscriber is being
loaded. The resources such as ringing, announcement and tones come under this.

Figure 8.10: SRM cabinet at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi

8.3.1.4. CPM (Central Processing Module): The CPM unit consists of four racks in
which sixteen processor for switching are being present. The actual switching takes
place from here. Due to switching only there is smooth talk between the two
subscribers. CPM is the unit in which we have VLR. The time space time switch is
being done in this. The time space time switch is the combination of time and space
switch.

30

Figure 8.11: CPM cabinet at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi

8.3.1.5. SPM (Signalling Processing Module): The capacity of a switch depends on
this only. This is the most important and costly unit of MSC. This unit is being used for
signalling purpose. This is the place which takes note of the time of dialling, location of
dialler.

Figure 8.12: SPM cabinet at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi

31

8.3.1.6. PDF (Power Distribution Frame): This frame is being used for the generation
of power from the power room. The most commonly used voltage in various
equipments is -48V (DC) as it leads to less corrosion activity.

Figure 8.13: PDF cabinet at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi

8.3.1.7. IMM (Integrated Management Module): This module is also known as the
brain of MSC. This module consists of three servers that are BAM, IGWB (standby and
active mode). In BAM (Back Administrative Manager) is being responsible for the up
gradation of MSC maintenance. It runs diagnostic test and if there is any error then it
tries to rectify it. The log and record is also maintained here only.
8.3.1.8. IGWB (Integrated Gate for Wireless Billing): It is being used for creating the
CDR that is call data record. It consists of all the parameters which are important for
maintaining the record.

32

Figure 8.14: IMM cabinet at MTNL (Shakti Nagar), Delhi

8.3.2. VLR (Visitor Location Register):
The visitor location register (VLR) for determining where other mobile subscribers are
located. The visitor location is a database of the subscribers who have roamed into the
jurisdiction of the MSC (Mobile Switching Centre) which it serves. Each base station in
the network is served by exactly one VLR, hence a subscriber cannot be present in more
than one VLR at a time. The data stored in the VLR has either been received from the
HLR, or collected from the MS (Mobile station). If VLR data is corrupted it can lead to
serious issues with text messaging and call services. The primary functions of the VLR
are:

To inform the HLR that a subscriber has arrived in the particular area covered by

the VLR.
To track where the subscriber is within the VLR area (location area) when no

call is ongoing.
To allow or disallow which services the subscriber may use.
To allocate roaming numbers during the processing of incoming calls.
To purge the subscriber record if a subscriber becomes inactive whilst in the area
of a VLR. The VLR deletes the subscriber's data after a fixed time period of
inactivity and informs the HLR (e.g., when the phone has been switched off and

33

left off or when the subscriber has moved to an area with no coverage for a long

time).
To delete the subscriber record when a subscriber explicitly moves to another, as
instructed by the HLR.

8.3.3. HLR (Home Location Register)

The home location register (HLR) for obtaining data about the SIM and mobile services
ISDN number (MSISDN; i.e., the telephone number). The home location register (HLR)
is a central database that contains details of each mobile phone subscriber that is
authorized to use the GSM core network. There can be several logical, and physical,
HLRs per public land mobile network (PLMN), though one international mobile
subscriber identity (IMSI)/MSISDN pair can be associated with only one logical HLR
(which can span several physical nodes) at a time. The HLRs store details of every SIM
card issued by the mobile phone operator. Each SIM has a unique identifier called an
IMSI which is the primary key to each HLR record.
Another important item of data associated with the SIM are the MSISDNs, which are
the telephone numbers used by mobile phones to make and receive calls. The primary
MSISDN is the number used for making and receiving voice calls and SMS, but it is
possible for a SIM to have other secondary MSISDNs associated with it for fax and data
calls. Each MSISDN is also a primary key to the HLR record. The HLR data is stored
for as long as a subscriber remains with the mobile phone operator.
8.3.4. Authentication centre (AuC)
The authentication centre (AuC) is a function to authenticate each SIM card that
attempts to connect to the GSM core network (typically when the phone is powered on).
Once the authentication is successful, the HLR is allowed to manage the SIM and
services described above. An encryption key is also generated that is subsequently used
to encrypt all wireless communicate. If the authentication fails, then no services are
possible from that particular combination of SIM card and mobile phone operator
attempted. There is an additional form of identification check performed on the serial
number of the mobile phone described in the EIR section below, but this is not relevant
to the AuC processing.

34

Proper implementation of security in and around the AuC is a key part of an operator's
strategy to avoid SIM cloning.
8.3.5. EIR (Equipment Identity Register)
The equipment identity register is often integrated to the HLR. The EIR keeps a list of
mobile phones (identified by their IMEI) which are to be banned from the network or
monitored. This is designed to allow tracking of stolen mobile phones. In theory all data
about all stolen mobile phones should be distributed to all EIRs in the world through a
Central EIR. It is clear, however, that there are some countries where this is not in
operation. The EIR data does not have to change in real time, which means that this
function can be less distributed than the function of the HLR. The EIR is a database that
contains information about the identity of the mobile equipment that prevents calls from
stolen, unauthorized or defective mobile stations. Some EIR also have the capability to
log Handset attempts and store it in a log file. The database in EIR consists of following
list:

White List: contains those IMEIs that are known to have been assigned to valid
MSs. This is the category of genuine equipment.

Black List: contains IMEIs of mobiles that have been reported stolen.

Gray List: contains IMEIs of mobiles that have problems (for example, faulty
software, and wrong make of the equipment). This list contains all MEs with
faults not important enough for barring.

8.3.6. IWF (Interworking Function)

GSM provided a wide range of data services to its subscribers. The GSM system
interface with the various forms of public and private data networks currently available
it is the job of the IWF to provide this interfacing capability. The IWF, which in essence
is a part of MSC, provides the subscriber with access to data rate and protocol
conversion facilities so that data can be transmitted between GSM Data Terminal
Equipment (DTE) and a land-line DTE.

35

9. GSM Channel Concept

The channels are being used for transfer of data and voice. There are various channels
present in GSM which are as follows:
9.1. Physical channel: Each timeslot on a carrier is referred to as a physical channel.
Per carrier there are 8 physical channels.
9.2. Logical channel: Variety of information is transmitted between the MS and BTS.
There are different logical channels depending on the information sent. The functions of
logical channel are:

9.2.1.

Signaling on the Air Interface

Broadcast of general system information
Synchronization
Channel assignment
Paging
Power control and handover
Traffic channel (TCH)
They are being used for sending the information of speech and data. They are of
two types:
TCH Full rate: they have a speed of 22.8Kbps for sending speech and

9.6Kbps for sending data.

TCH Half rate: they have a speed of 11.4Kbps for sending speech and
4.8Kbps for sending data.

Figure 9.1: Traffic channels classification

9.2.2. Control Channel (CCH)
36

Their function is to control the data through traffic channels. They include the
following:
9.2.2.1 BCH Channels
BCH channels are all downlink and are allocated to timeslot zero. BCH channels
include:

BCCH( Broadcast Control Channel): The features of BCH channels are as

follows:
1. Downlink only
2. Broadcasts general information of the serving cell called System

Information
3. BCCH is transmitted on timeslot zero of BCCH carrier
4. Read only by idle mobile at least once every 30 seconds.
SCH (Synchronization Channel): The features of SCH channels are they are
downlink only. They carry information for frame synchronization. They also

contain TDMA frame number and BSIC.

FCCH( Frequency Correction Channel ): They are also downlink only. They
Enables MS to synchronize to the frequency. Also helps mobiles of the n cells to
locate TS 0 of BCCH carrier.

9.2.2.2. CCCH Channels

RACH (Random Access Channel): They are only used for unlinking. They help

the MS to access the network.

AGCH (Access Grant Channel): They are used for downlink purpose only. Used
by the network to assign a signaling channel upon successfull decoding of access

bursts.
PCH Paging Channel): They are also used for downlink. It is used by the
Network to contact the MS.

9.2.2.3. DCCH Channels

SDCCH (Standalone Dedicated Control Channel): They are used for uplink and
downlink. The function is for call setup, location update and SMS.
37

SACCH (Slow Associated Control Channel): Used on Uplink and Downlink

only in dedicated mode. Uplink SACCH messages is for measurement reports.

Downlink SACCH messages are for control info.

FACCH (Fast Associated Control Channel): They also present for uplink and
downlink. They are associated with TCH only. They are used to send fast
messages like handover messages. [8]

Figure 9.2: GSM control channels

10. Call Processing

38

Figure 10.1: Call processing for PSTN to mobile

The steps involved for processing the call from PSTN to mobile is as follows:
Step 1: A call is being made from PSTN which approaches the GMSC.
Step 2: GMSC asking for the MSRN of the mobile from HLR.
Step 3: As MSRN is being present in VLR. So HLR asks for the same from VLR.
Step 4: The VLR provides the MSRN to HLR.
Step 5: The HLR provides the MSRN to GMSC
Step 6: Now GMSC search for the MSC of the given MSRN.
Step 7: MSC asks VLR to which BSS the MS belongs.
Step 8: The VLR acknowledge the MSC.
Step 9: Now the MSC request sending of signalling information to MS through BTS.
Step 10: Signalling channel is being granted.
Step 11 and 12: If the mobile subscriber who is being called is free then the MSC once
again approach the VLR for authentication and authorization of the mobile system.

39

Step 13: Now the MSC asks for providing traffic channels to the MS and the call is
being established.

11. Result and Discussion

Growth of the telecom industry is on its way. The development in this sector is
taking place very rapidly. The concept of GSM have not only lead to increase in
40

the number of users but also helps in the development of the country as it is one of
the major factors to be included for the economic development . From this report
and experience we have not only come to study about the theoretical aspects in the
area of GSM but also come to know about the practical utility also. The GSM
have leaded a revolution in the wireless industry. GSM architecture is the most
massive architecture used in the industry.
The security feature included in this technology will not only lead to the protection
of the individual data but will also help the country to prevent major terrorist
attacks. The billing done by the GSM system helps the telecom industry to boom.

12. Implications for Future Research

Since till now we are being aware of GSM technology. We have learnt about GSM basic
overview, its architecture along with a description about all important GSM elements
and a brief GSM specification.
To enhance the current data capabilities of GSM, operators and infrastructure providers
have specified new extensions to GSM Phase II. These extensions are:

High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD): by using several circuit

channels.

41

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) to provide packet radio access to

external packet data networks (such as X.25 or Internet)

Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE): using a new modulation
scheme to provide up to three times higher throughput (for HSCSD and GPRS)

Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS): a new wireless

technology using new infrastructure deployment.

15. References
[3] Theodore S. Rappport, Wireless Communication Principles and Practice,
Pearson, Second Edition
[4] William Stallings, Wireless Communication and Network, Pearson, Second
Edition
[8] Yi-Bang Lin and Imrich Chlamtac, Wireless and mobile network
architectures, Wiley-India Edition
[1] http://mtnl.net.in/network/index.htm
[2] http://www.tutorialspoint.com/gsm/gsm_overview.htm
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_station
[6] http://www.tutorialspoint.com/gsm/gsm_base_station_subsystem.htm
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_switching_subsystem

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