Unit – 3

GSM and TDMA Technology

13/08/2019

Mission Vision Core Values

Christ University is a nurturing ground for an Excellence and Service Faith in God | Moral Uprightness
individual’s holistic development to make effective Love of Fellow Beings | Social Responsibility
contribution to the society in a dynamic environment | Pursuit of Excellence
 Christ University

OUTLINE
Introduction to GSM and TDMA
GSM Network and System Architecture
GSM Channel Concept
GSM Identities
GSM System Operations
GSM Infrastructure Communications

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Typical wireless network operations of

- Call setup
- Location Updating
- Handoff

- How various traffic cases are handled in GSM Network ?

- Signaling system that occur.

- Nodes of the GSM System involved in the operations.
- Functions

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

GSM System Operations (Traffic cases)

Traffic cases?

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Anything which supports subscriber Mobility!

✔ Registration

✔ Call setup and

✔ Location Updating

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Registration
-Attached- powered on or with GSM System.
-Detached – powered off/SIM card removed/Not reachable

Idle (BCHH and PCH) active (SMS/Call, location updating)

GSM Handover

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Call setup
For either a mobile-originated-call or a mobile-terminating-call the
following ten operations need to be performed.
✔ Interrogation (only for a mobile-terminating-call)
✔ Radio resource connection establishment
✔ Service request
✔ Authentication
✔ Ciphering mode setting
✔ IMEI number check
✔ TMSI allocation
✔ Call initiation
✔ Assignment of a traffic channel
✔ User alerting signaling
✔ Call accepted signaling

Excellence and Service

Interrogation phase Christ University

For the interrogation phase The initial address message comes outside the
GSM network.

Radio resource connection establishment

The MSC/VLR initiates the call setup process by sending a message to the
appropriate BSC. The BSC sends a paging command message to the
appropriate BTS, finally BTS sends a paging request to the appropriate MS.

Service request
The service request occurs as soon as the MS has tuned to the new channel
assigned to it. The BTS sends back to the MS an UA frame that contains the
original paging response message. The paging response message is forwarded
to the BSC.

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

IMEI check
If the IMEI number is to be checked the MSC/VLR sends an identity
request message to the MS. This is sent to the BSC. The value of IMEI sent
by the mobile is checked against the equipment identity register database.

TMSI reallocation
If TMSI number is to be used it is sent to the MS from the MSC/VLR. The
value of TMSI number is stored in the SIM card and TMSI reallocation
complete message is sent to the MSC/VLR

Call initiation procedure

Connection management message is sent from the BTS to the MS. The MS
will send a call confirmed message if it can handle the requested service.

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Assignment of a traffic channel

Traffic channel assignment is initiated by the MSC. The MSC sends an
assignment request message to the BSC. If the assignment is done, then
the BSC calculates the MS output power level, selects an idle channel
and sends an channel activation message to the BTS. At this point MS
tunes to the new channel .

Call confirmation, call accepted, and call release

The call confirmation procedure starts when the MS sends an alerting

message to the MSC. When the alerting message is received the
MSC/VLR sends the TUP address complete message to the calling
subscriber who can now hear the ringing tone generated in the MSC.

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
Location Updating

The operation used to support the subscriber’s mobility within the GSM
network is known as location updating.

At any given time, the subscriber may receive or initiate a call since the
cellular system knows where the MS is located within the network.
There are three different types of location updating used in the GSM
system
✔ Normal Location Updating (Idle Mode)/Forced Registration
✔ ISMI Attach Location Updating
✔ Periodic Location Updating

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Normal location updating (idle mode)

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
Normal location updating (idle mode) (For Reference)

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

IMSI Detach / Attach Location Updating

When the MS is being turned off the mobile requests the

SDCCH, the message sends the message to the network that is
about to enter the detached state.

The MS denotes the MS status in the VLR. The VLR will reject
incoming calls for the MS sending a voice message back to the
caller that the subscriber is currently unavailable.

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
Periodic Location Updating

Periodic location updating is used to prevent unnecessary use of

network resources such as the paging of a detached MS.

If the system uses periodic registration, the mobile is informed

how often it must register.

Timer in both the MS and MSC control this operation.

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
Call Handoff

Intra-BTS Handover
Intra-BSC Handover/Inter BTS Handover
Inter-BSC Handover
Inter-MSC Handover

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
GSM Intra-BSC Handover

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
GSM Inter-BSC Handover

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
GSM Inter-BSC Handover

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
GSM Inter-MSC Handover

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

GSM Infrastructure Communications

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
Review of GSM Protocol Architecture
The following figure illustrate the flow of information between
two nodes in a network (eg. The MS and the BTS across the Um
interface).

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Information flow between two nodes in a network

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

The information from the particular user application is sent down

through the protocol stack across the physical interface and up
through the protocol stack of the receiving node.

In each layer, there exist protocol entities that are responsible for
the specific operations and procedures required to complete the
transfer of information between nodes.

Within the same layers in different nodes, there are peer entities
that communicate with each other through the use of a specific
protocol.

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Information flow between two nodes in a GSM network

Excellence and Service
 Christ University
Layer 3: Networking layer operations
GSM network layer provides the mobile network signaling
service for mobile subscribers.
The MNS includes

Connection management
CM sublayer contains functions for call control, call related
supplementary services, non call related supplementary services.

Call control
These procedures are used during call establishment.
Provides service using Mobile Network CC service access point
(MNCC-SAP )

Excellence and Service

Short message service support Christ University

Short message service entities known as short message control use short
message control protocol (SM-CP).

Supplementary services
SS handles services that are not related to a specific call.
Examples are call forwarding and call waiting.

Mobility management
MM sublayer performs 3 types of procedures that are related to mobility
support, subscriber confidentiality, and service of the CM entity.

Radio resource management

The primary function of the RR procedure is to establish , maintain and
when no longer needed , release a dedicated connection between the MS
and BTS.
Excellence and Service
 Christ University

Format of GSM Layer 3 Message

Excellence and Service
 Christ University
Layer 2: Data Link layer operations

Link Access Procedures on the Dm channel (LAPDm) is the

layer 2 protocol used to carry signaling information between Layer
3 entities over the air interface.

The purpose of this layer is to provide a reliable signaling link.

Layer 2 receives services from the physical layer and provide
services to Layer 3.
LAPD operations- LAPD is used on the GSM interface between
the BSC and the BTS.
Supports two types of operation
Unacknowledged
Acknowledged

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

Service access points – These are the gateways through which

services are offered to the higher layers.

Data link layer procedures

Data link procedure
Data link distribution procedure
Random access procedure

Excellence and Service

 Christ University
Layer 1: Physical layer operations

Physical layer is the actual physical hardware, modulation schemes,

channel coding and so forth use to send the bits over the physical
channels on the air interface.

Physical layer interfaces with the data link layer (Layer 2) through the
various control channels.

Additionally, the physical layer interfaces with other physical units such
as speech coders and terminal adaptors for the support of traffic
channels.

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

The GSM physical layer operations include

channel coding techniques,
bit and frame interleaving of both traffic and control channels,
Ciphering
Burst formatting
Modulation for the transmission of information

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

5G SUMMIT 6G SUMMIT
FUTURE NETWORKS

Excellence and Service

 Christ University

5G NR
5G and IOT
5G and AI/ML
5G AR and VR/gaming
5G Autonomous Driving
5G Remote Robotic Surgery
5G Standards/ Military Applications
6G?

Excellence and Service