The GSM System – Global System

for Mobile Communications

Magne Pettersen
map@teleplan.no

(acknowledgements: Per Hjalmar Lehne, Rune Harald Rækken, Knut Erik

Walter, Anders Spilling)
Content

• Introduction
• Network architecture
• Fundamental functionality
• Physical layer / radio interface
• Radio planning
• GSM in the future
Content

• Introduction
• Network architecture
• Fundamental functionality
• Physical layer / radio interface
• Radio planning
• GSM in the future
 GSM status (end 2006)

• 2.18 billion
connections in 212
countries

• 82 % market share
globally

• An incredible
industry success!
But, let us take a few steps back…
GSM – The idea of a common European
mobile communications system
• 1982: A Nordic group is considering the next
generation of mobile telephone. – NMT
(Nordisk Mobil Telefon), the analogue first
generation system has only just been started
• These ideas are presented to CEPT
(European Conference of Postal and
Telecommunications Administrations) in
June 1982
• September 1982: The first meeting in CEPT
GSM – Groupe Spécial Mobile
• In 1988 ETSI (European
Telecommunications Standards Institute) is
established and the work is continued under
a new name: SMG – Special Mobile Group
GSM - Specifications

• Original specifications for the GSM system:

– Good subjective voice quality
– Low terminal and service cost
– Support for international roaming
– Support for handheld terminals
– Support for new services
– Spectrum efficient
– Compatible with ISDN
GSM - Growth
• 1991: First operational GSM network in Finland: Radiolinja
• 1993: Tele-mobil (later: Telenor Mobil) and NetCom GSM open their
networks in Norway
• 1998: GSM 1800 is deployed to increase capacity in cities and other
densely populated areas

3 200 80 %
3 000
2 800 70 %
2 600
2 400 60 %
2 200
2 000 50 %
1 800
1 600 40 %
1 400
1 200 30 %
1 000
800 20 %
600
400 10 %
200
0 0%

9M’01
1991
1985
1983

1993

1997
1987

1995
1982

1988

1989

1996

1999
1984

1986

1990

1992

1998
1994

2000
TM NMT TM GSM NetCom
GSM improvements – 2.5 G

• The need for data services increase:

– In 1998-99 the HSCSD – High Speed Circuit Switched Data - is
standardised. Introduced in Norway 1. July 2001 (Telenor)
– I 1999 packet switching using GPRS (General Packet Radio
Service) is standardised. Introduced in Norway 1. February 2001
(Telenor)
• Theoretical data rates up to 171 kbit/s

• "2.5 G" – EDGE – Enhanced Datarates for GSM Evolution

– Standardised in 2001-2002
– Introduced in September 2004 – deployment ongoing
– Theoretical data rates up to 373 kbit/s
 Some GSM terminals

Development.. Sony Ericsson W950i HTC P4350

”the Walkman phone” Pocket computer
running Windows
 Some more GSM terminals

Nokia N95
Samsung Blackjack iPhone – Apple’s
Mobile phone initiative with ”everything”, e.g.
GPS built in
Competing standards

• The ”CDMA family” of standards is the second largest

group of mobile communications systems
– 340 million connections (November 2006)
• Standard developed in USA
• Strongest standing in the Americas

• Also other
Content

• Introduction
• Network architecture
• Fundamental functionality
• Physical layer / radio interface
• Radio planning
• GSM in the future
High level network architecture (1/2)

Services / Applications

Access Network Core Network Ext.

(AN) (CN) network
SIM

ME:
Mobile equipment
UE: User equipment
 High level network architecture (2/2)

• The network contains functionally of: User Equipment (UE),

Access Network (AN), and Core Network (CN)
– User equipment: Interfaces the user, handles radio functionality
– Access network: Communication to and from the user equipment,
handles all radio related functionality in the network
– Core network: Communication between access network and external
networks, handles all switching and routing
• Services and applications lie above the network
 GSM user equipment

• User equipment: Mobile equipment

(ME) + SIM card SIM =
Subscriber Identity Module
– Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
contains encryption key and personal SIM
data
– The user is uniquely identified through
”International Mobile Subscriber
Identity” (IMSI) ME
– The mobile equipment is uniquely
identified through ”International Mobile
Equipment Identity” (IMEI)
– Both equipment and user uniquely
identified
GSM Radio Access Network (GRAN)

cell

Packet domain
Abis Gb
cell
BTS
BSC A

BTS Circuit domain

BSC
Elements in GSM radio access network

• Base Transceiver Station (BTS):

– The base station, radio access point. The coverage area of one
BTS is a cell
• Base Station Controller (BSC)
– Controls a number of BTSs. Owns and controls the radio resources
within its domain
GRAN must handle interfaces towards both a packet switched
(packet domain) and a circuit switched (circuit domain) part of
the core network
Some base station equipment
 Some more base station equipment

Typical micro cell

Typical macro cell
Open interfaces access network

• The interfaces between network elements must be well defined

to achieve open interfaces, i.e. different network elements can
be delivered by different vendors

• Interfaces in GRAN:
– Um: The air interface between the mobile equipment and the BTS
– Abis: Interface between BTS and BSC
– A: Interface between GRAN and circuit switched part of core
network (CN).
– Gb: Interface between GRAN and packet switched part of the core
network (CN)
GSM core network

Service platforms External networks

HLR

PSTN/ISDN
A

GRAN MSC GMSC

Gb

SGSN IP network
GGSN
Elements in GSM core network

• MSC – Mobile Switching Centre

– Switch in the circuit domain. Contains copy of service profile for all users currently
in the MSC coverage area (Visiting Location Register –VLR, not shown explicitly in
figure)
• GMSC – Gateway MSC
– Handles all traffic to and from GSM and external circuit switched networks, such
as PSTN, ISDN or other mobile networks
• HLR – Home Location Register
– Database containing a master copy of all the mobile operator’s subscribers. There
is only one logical HLR per GSM network. HLR contains information about e.g.
permitted services and permitted roaming networks
• SGSN – Serving GPRS Support Node and GGSN – Gateway GPRS Support
Node have similar functionality as MSC / GMSC, but for the packet switched
part of the network. GGSN handles connections to external IP networks

• Also open interfaces between network elements. Not discussed here.

Content

• Introduction
• Network architecture
• Fundamental functionality
• Physical layer / radio interface
• Radio planning
• GSM in the future
Fundamental functionality

• The following functions are described:

– Circuit switched connectivity
– Packet switched connectivity
– Mobile messaging
– Security
– Roaming
– Choice of network
– Location update
– Handover
Circuit Switched connectivity

ISDN
Mobile network

• Fixed connection and reserved resources while the communication lasts.

– (Mobile) telephony
– Circuit switched data, e.g. WAP, mobile office solutions using data cards etc.
• Transparent channel with defined performance
• Billing typically per time unit and dependant on transport data rate
• Standard GSM: up to 14.4 kbit/s (more using HSCSD - High Speed Circuit
Switched Data)
 Packet Switched connectivity

Internet or
Mobile network different IP network

• Resources allocated only when data is transferred

• Same ”path” through network can be maintained (but not necessarily)
• Billing typically dependant on amount of data transferred (or fixed tarrifs)
• GPRS: Theoretically up to 171 kbit/s, typically 40 – 50 kbit/s
- 4 different quality classes for packet ”bearer services”:

Background Typically automatic download of email, MMS

Interactive Typically web/WAP-browsing, MMS, games
Streaming ”Network radio”, video streaming, web TV
Conversational Voice, video conferencing
 Mobile messaging formats

•SMS: Short Message Service

– Text based service to transfer up to 160 characters per message (solutions
exist to connect messages into longer messages, and also to carry other
types of content – ring tones, logos…)
•MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service
– A service for multimedia content, such as text, picture, sound, video
•Both SMS and MMS are ”store and forward” services, i.e.
messages are intermediately stored in the network
 Security functions

• The purpose of security functions is to protect users and

network against improper and illegal use:
– Verify that the user has a valid subscription
– Protect the user’s identity against tracking
– Protection against wiretapping on the radio connection

• The mechanisms in GSM are based on secure storage of

information in the user’s SIM card
 Roaming (1/2)

Home network

ISDN (country A)

International
network

Visiting network
ISDN (country B)

• Circuit switched call to a mobile in a visiting network

Roaming (2/2)

Home network

ISDN (country A)

International
network

Visiting network
ISDN (country B)

• Mobile to mobile call in a visiting network

– Effect referred to as ”tromboning”
 Choice of network

• In GSM the following procedure is followed:

– The latest used network is stored on the SIM
– As long as a cell that fulfils the criteria is available from this
network, the mobile will not search for alternatives (the
exception is national roaming, in which case the mobile will
periodically search for the home network and connect when
this becomes available)
– If the previously used network is not available, the mobile
searches for alternative networks
– The mobiles can perform manually or automatic choice of
network
Location Area / Routing Area (1/2)

HLR
RA 1 ..IMSI
LA 1 >LAI,RAI
..............

RA 2
LA 2

• In GSM this is defined as follows:

– Location area – LA is the area in which the network is ”searching” for a
registered mobile (not currently active) – for circuit switched services
– Routing area – RA: Similarly for packet switched service
Location Area / Routing Area (2/2)

• The dependency between LA and RA is dependant on the

practical realisation of the network. Normally they will be
identical
• LA and RA contain a number of cells that can be reached from
the MSC or SGSN
• LA and RA information for each mobile is stored in the HLR (in
the home network)
• The mobile is responsible for updating the LA/RA information
 Location update

• A location update is performed when:

– The mobile is connecting to a cell and discovers that the LAI read is
different than the one stored in the mobile
– The mobile has been turned on, but not used, for a pre-defined period of
time since the last location update (periodic location update)
• IMSI detach/attach:
– An additional function where the mobile informs that it is turned on or off
(in the same LA), saves resources on the radio interface and leads to
fater response on incoming calls
• Periodic detach
– A network functionality where the network assumes that the mobile has
been turned off if periodic location update has not been performed and no
other activity has been observed for a pre-defined amount of time
Handover

• To connect a call or communication session from one cell

to another (or to a different channel in the same cell)
• Is normally performed because the signal level from the
current cell is becoming to low, but can also be done for
different reasons, such as too much traffic in a cell
 Types of handover

• Intra cell (to another channel in

the same cell) (1)
• Inter cell, intra BSC (2)
• Inter BSC, intra MSC (3)
• Inter MSC (4)

• In addition inter system handover

can sometimes be performed,
e.g. GSM to UMTS
– Complicated, special rules apply

• Type of handover has network

implications, but the algorithms to
decide handover are the same
Content

• Introduction
• Network architecture
• Fundamental functionality
• Physical layer / radio interface
• Radio planning
• GSM in the future
GSM radio interface – Main
characteristics
• Frequency bands:
– GSM 900:
• 890 – 915 MHz: Uplink (MS transmit)
• 935 - 960 MHz: Downlink (MS receive)
– GSM 1800:
• 1710 - 1885 MHz: Uplink
• 1805 - 1880 MHz: Downlink

• Carrier bandwidth: 200 kHz

• Channels / carrier: 8
• Multiple access: TDMA / FDMA
• Duplex: FDD
• Gross bit rate pr carrier: 270,833 kbit/s
• Modulation: GMSK
• Spectrum efficiency: 1.35 bps/Hz
Radio parameters:

MS: BTS:
• Sensitivity: -104 (-102) dBm • Sensitivity: -104 (-104) dBm
• Typical – 106 dBm • Typical: – 107 dBm
• Max. output power: 33 (30) • Max. output power: 43 dBm
dBm

Numbers in parenthesis for GSM-1800

 Channels in GSM900

45 MHz

78 78
6 6
45 45
23 23
1 2 3 44 1 123 1241 1 2 3 4 123124

200 kHz
890 MHz 915 MHz 935 MHz 960 MHz

MS transmit MS receive
 TDMA - principle

• GSM uses TDMA within each carrier

• Each user occupies the entire carrier one time slot pr. time frame
– 8 slots per frame
 GSM Channel structure

25 MHz
• Logical channels built up
124 carriers of physical channels
– Control channels
– Traffic channels
Burst period Time slot 1 577 s
Time slot 2 =Physical
channel • Logical channels divided
…..
between:
– Dedicated channels
– Common channels
TDMA frame
= 4.615 ms

Time slot 8
GSM traffic channels

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 frame length: 120 ms

BP0 BP1 BP2 BP3 BP4 BP5 BP6 BP7 TDMA frame length: 4.6 ms

3 57 1 26 1 57 3 8.25
Data bit Training Data bit
sequence Normal burst

• Traffic channels (TCH) are used to carry voice or data

– Typically uses one time slot per frame
– Gross data rate per TCH: 22 kbps
• Effective data rate lower because of forward error correction
Some GSM control channels

BCCH Broadcast Control CHannel – Continuously transmitted from the BTS. Contains
information about cell identity, frequency etc.

FCCH Frequency Correction CHannel / Synchronisation CHannel – Used to

correct/synchronise the frequency (FCCH) + time synchronise to the frame
SCH
structure. Each cell has a FCCH and a SCH

RACH Random Access CHannel – Used by the mobile to send a request to the
network for access. This is a slotted Aloha channel, no pre-allocation possible

AGCH Access Grant CHannel – Used by the network to inform the mobile that access
has been granted and information about which channel to use

PCH Paging CHannel – Used by the network to notify users about incoming calls.
Error correction coding in GSM

• The different channels in GSM require different

degree of protection, and therefore have different
Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes
• However, three types of techniques are often
combined:
– Block coding, well suited to detect and correct bursts of error
– Convolutional coding, high performance but not optimal for
bursts of errors
– Interleaving, spreading neighbouring bits out, to decorrelate
the relative position
Block coding

• GSM uses two types of block codes:

– Fire code 224 / 184 (control channels only)
• k = 184
• t = 20

– Parity codes (only error detection, e.g. RACH)

• No block codes used on data channels

Convolutional coding

• When choosing depth (register length) in a

convolutional code there is a trade-off between
complexity and performance
– GSM uses a register length of 5
• Example of GSM ½ rate convolutional code shown in
figure (used e.g. on a number of traffic channels)
Interleaving

• “Whitening process", optimising the conditions for the convolutional coder

• Fundamentally important that the interleaving spreads the bit errors out
• Interleaving depth improves performance, but also increases delay
• GSM: Interleaving depth 4 – 19
• Figure shows example with interleaving depth 4
– Write in vertically, read out horizontally
– On reception, do the reverse process
 Forward error correction - Overview

Information
Inner
bits from Outer Block Encryption,
Convolutional Interleaving
source (voice, Coding modulation
coding
data)

Forward error Radio channel

correction + noise

Information Demod., ch.

Block Convolutional
bits to Denterleaving equalising,
decoding decoding
receiver decryption
Modulation

• Assuming that everyone is familiar with digital

modulation :-)
• Considerations upon choosing modulations scheme:
– Spectrum efficiency
– Out of band emission (rapid drop off desired to limit adjacent
channel interference)
– Constant envelope desired for low cost amplifiers, e.g. in
handheld equipment
• Always a trade off

• In GSM: GMSK – Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying is

used
 GMSK (1/2)

• Leftmost figure show spectrum for MSK, QPSK and BPSK

• Rightmost figure shows envelope for different ”QPSK type”
modulation schemes
– MSK has constant envelope, relatively low sidelobes
GMSK (2/2)

• GMSK further reduces sidelobes by using a Gaussian filter

– Cost: introduces inter-symbol-interference (ISI)
• Figures show time and frequency response
– GSM uses BT = 0.3
Channel equaliser

• Because of reflections, diffractions etc. in the radio channel, time

dispersion is often experienced
– Transmitted signal arriving at the receiver from various directions over a
multiplicity of paths
– Broadening of transmitted pulse, inter symbol interference (ISI)
– Frequency selective fading
• Must be counteracted by using some sort of equalisation
 Maximum likelihood sequence estimator

• GSM uses a Maximum Likelihood Sequence estimator (MLSE)

• MLSE looks conceptually like shown in the figure below
• The impulse response of the radio channel is calculated
• A Viterbi algorithm is used to estimate the most likely (Maximum Likelihood - ML)
symbol sequence
• MLSE is an optimal technique in terms of removing ISI, but the complexity
increases exponentially with the length of the channel response
• GSM uses a MLSE which operates over 5 bit periods (approx. 16 s)
 Power control

• GSM uses power control, adjusting transmit power level in

accordance with path loss
• Advantages:
– Reduces interference
– Reduces power consumption
• Can also be used on downlink

• Manner of operation, GSM:

– The system (BSC) measures bit error rate (BER)
– Transmit power adjusted up or down according to target value
– Step size 2 dB
– Maximum update interval: 60 ms
Power control - Example
Content

• Introduction
• Network architecture
• Fundamental functionality
• Physical layer / radio interface
• Radio planning
• GSM in the future
Fundamentals

• Planning and deploying a GSM network is from an

operator’s point of view a question of:
– Build as few sites as possible, while maintaining required
coverage and capacity
– Trade off
 Coverage limited and capacity limited

• A network can be either

– Coverage limited:
• The radio coverage decides the
BTS density
• Typically rural areas, large cells,
high masts
• Macrocells

– Capacity limited:
• The traffic decides the BTS
density
• Typically urban areas, small cells,
low BTS position
• Microcells
 Frequency reuse

• Frequencies can not be reused in every

cell due to co-channel interference (CCI)
• A cell cluster uses all the operator’s
frequencies (A, B, C, E, F, G, H in Figure)
• Co channel interference level decided by
– Cell clustre size, and thereby Frequency
reuse distance (D in Figure)
– Propagation properties
– Can be reduced by different techniques:
• Sectorisation
• Cell splitting

• Typical cell cluster size in GSM: 7

 Coverage map example

• Unfortunately cell
coverage is normally
neither hexagonal or
circular
• Figure shows
coverage example
from a city centre
• Complicates radio
planning
Hierarchical cell structures
• In a GSM system it is common that cells of different sizes co-exist in that
same area:
– Picocells, microcells, macrocells
• This is called hierarchical cell structure
• Can make handover (cell change) complicated. Often different types of
users are reserved for one cell type, e.g.:
– Users walking indoors on picocell, users walking outdoor on microcell,
users driving use macrocell
 Radio planning tools

• Radio planning is most often performed assisted by an

automated process using a computer
• Underlying functionality
– Digital maps
– Propagation modelling
– System parameters and system performance
– Traffic assumptions and theory
• Often theoretical computer based modelling can be
tuned by real life data
– Propagation measurements
– Live network traffic data
Example – Astrix
Content

• Introduction
• Network architecture
• Fundamental functionality
• Physical layer / radio interface
• Radio planning
• GSM in the future
 GSM development

• GPRS and EDGE has introduced packet data and support for
higher data rates into GSM
• UMTS is a 3G technology building on GSM core network, which
is “backwards compatible” with GSM
– GSM-UMTS handover supported
– Almost all UMTS terminals are also GSM terminals
• HSDPA / HSUPA (High Speed Downlink/Uplink Packet Access)
supports real mobile broadband
2G 2.5G 2.75G 3G 3.5G
1999 2002 2006/2007

UMTS HSDPA /
GSM GPRS
(WCDMA) HSUPA

171 kbit/s 2 Mbit/s 14.4 Mbit/s

EDGE

384 kbit/s
 Trends (1) – Convergence

• Mobile communications system become more

broadband
• At the same time computer network solutions start to
support mobility (e.g. WiFi, WiMAX)
– Mobile goes broadband and broadband goes mobile?
– Everything comes together?
Trends (2) – Horizontal integration

• The same services become available on different platforms and

on different devices
• IP is the glue
• Will mobile circuit switch disappear?

Service 1 Service 2 Service n

IP

WiMAX
Satellite

WLAN
Fixed

GSM
line

3G
Thank you for
your attention!