GSM Radio Network

Architecture

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 GSM

• The GSM Standard is the first international that

gives subscriber full access to the network of
various operating companies in all participating
countries.

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 GSM Operational Requirements

• International Roaming
• High Spectral Efficiency
• Improved Transmission Quality as compared to Analog
Systems. Voice is digitally coded. TDMA transmission
method.
• Data rate supported is 9.6-14.4 kbps

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 GSM Operational Requirements

• Large selection of interfaces to other services such as

PSTN/ISDN, PSPDN etc
• Cellular concept
• Frequency reuse concept
• Hexagonal cell structure

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 GSM ARCHITECTURE

Voice/Data-Circuit BTS
BSC
PSTN BTS
GMSC MSC

VLR HLR EIR BSC

BTS

BTS
AUC Netowrk
Management BTS

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 GSM ARCHITECTURE

MSC - Mobile switching Center

BSC - Base Station Controller
BTS - Base Transceiver Station
VLR – Visitor location register
HLR – Home location register
EIR – Equipment Identity register
AUC – Authentication center
SIM- Subscriber identity module
IMSI – International mobile subs identity (Stored in SIM &
HLR) UNIQUE NO.
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 SPECIFICATIONS

• Radio system.
• Access Method - TDMA/FDMA
• Frequency Bands
Mobile to Cell - 890-915 Mhz (UPLINK)
Cell to Mobile - 935-960 Mhz (DOWNLINK)
Therefore the frequencies for the uplink and the downlink are
different ( Frequency Division Duplex) and the bandwidth
of the GSM System is 25 Mhz..
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 SPECIFICATIONS

Cell To Mobile – Down Link

935-960 Mhz
1805-1880 Mhz

Mobile to Cell – Up Link

BTS
890-915 Mhz
1710-1785 Mhz

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 SPECIFICATIONS

• Channel Bandwidth – 200 Khz

• Number of Channels – 125 channels pairs
( 25 Mhz/200 Khz )are available spaced at 200 Khz
intervals.
• Duplex spacing-45 MHz

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 In 1800 MHz Band

•Bandwidth 200 KHz

•375 carrier frequency pairs
•Duplex spacing is 95 MHz.
•Up link freq-1710 – 1785 Mhz
•Downlink freq 1805 – 1880 Mhz

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 GSM-FDMA

890 915 935 960

25 MHz 25 MHz

2 2 3
1 3 1

Mobile to Base Base to Mobile

(MHz)
890.2 890.4 890.6 935.2 935.4 935.6
200 kHz
200 kHz
45MHz
Channel layout and frequency bands of operation

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 GSM-TDMA

Amplitude

45 MHz

8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
Frequency
F1 F2 F1’ F2’
(Cell Rx) (Cell transmit)

Typical TDMA/ FDMA frame structure

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 TDMA/FDMA

18 2
7 3
6 4 5
5 67
4 8
3
2
1

200 KHz
Time

Frequency

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 GSM ARCHITECTURE

BSIC – BASE STATION IDENTITY CODE.IT IS IDENTITY FOR

A CELL
IMEI – INTERNATIONAL MOBILE EQP IDENTITY, USED FOR
IDENTIFYING MS.FOR STOLEN ,GREY MARKET MS. AU FN
MSISDN-MOBILE SUBS ISDN NO,

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 GSM

PSTN

64 Kbps
MSC

BSC 64 Kbps

BTS 4*16 Kbps

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 MS FUNCTIONS

•Digitising
•Encoding, modulation
•Error protection
•Encryption
•Monitor power level & BER from its current BS & six
surrounding BS

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 MS FUNCTIONS

• At the time of manufacturing an international mobile

equipment identity (IMEI) is programmed in terminal.

•The (IMSI) international mobile subscriber identity is
programmed into SIM at the time of service provisioning
alongwith security parameter and algorithm. It allows
HLR to find subscriber information in data base.

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 BTS (BASE TRANSCEIVER STATION)
•Radio transmission/reception.
• Modulation/demodulation, equalisation.
•Measurement of dedicated links.
•Combiners/ duplexer.
•Can have 12 TRX in one rack and in two racks 24 TRX.
•Measurement for MS & give reports to BSC for
decision

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 BSC (BASE STATION CONTROLLER)

•Radio resource management, channel allocation.

Idle chl supervision.
•Processing of BTS measurements
•Power control of BTS and MS.
•Handover.Takes care of handover of intra BSS
calls & inform MSC.
•Control of BTS.
•Speech compression /decompression.
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 LOGICAL CHANNELS
•TCH – Traffic chl.Information exchanged between mobile user during
connection.
•CCH-control channels – used for signalling and system control
CCH

BROAD CONTROL
CHANNEL (BCCH) COMMON(CCCH) DEDICATED
CONTROL CHL CONTROL CHL
(BCCH,FCCH,SCH) (PCH,RACH, (DCCH)
AGCH) SDCCH,SACCH,
FACCH.

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 Logical channels

• Control Channel : Intended to carry signalling and

synchronisation for network management messages and
channel maintenance task.
– Broad Cast Channel BCCH
– Common Control Channel CCCH
– Dedicated Control Channel DCCH

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 Broadcast Channel

• Transmitted by the BTS and are intended to provide sufficient

information to the mobile station for it to synchronize with the
network.

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 Broadcast Channel

• Broadcast Control Channel BCCH

Informs the mobile station about specific parameters it
need to identify the network or to gain access to the
network
LAC (Location area code, Freq. Of neighboring cells,
Identity of network, BSIC etc.)

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 Broadcast Channel

• Frequency correction Channel FCCH

Informs the mobile station about the frequency reference
of the system. This logical channel is mapped onto the
freq. Correction burst. It appears on frequency correction
burst and freq. Corr. Burst contains only FCCH.

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 Broadcast Channel

• Synchronization Channel SCH

Informs the mobile station about the key it needs to be
able to demodulate the information coming from the
base station. It is mapped on to synchronization burst.

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 Common Control Channel

They support the establishment of a dedicated link

between a mobile and base station .

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 Common Control Channel

• Random Access Channel

It is used by the MS to request a dedicated channel from
the network. It is mapped into the random access burst
and contains the first message sent to the BTS.

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 Common Control Channel

• Paging Channel PCH

BTS calls individual MSs within its cell on this channel.

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 Common Control Channel

• Access Grant Channel AGCH

MS gets information from the BTS on which dedicated
channel it should use for its immediate needs from the
access grant channel. The information about the timing
advance also comes on this channel.

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 Dedicated Control Channel

• They are used for message transfer between the

network and the MS, not the traffic. The messages are
needed for registration, authentication and call set up.
They are also used for low level signalling messages for
channel maintenance.

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 Dedicated Control Channel

• Standalone Dedicated Control Channel : SDCCH

It is intended for the transfer of signaling information
between a mobile and a BTS

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 Dedicated Control Channel

• Fast Associated Control Channel : FACCH

If during a call there is a need for some heavy duty
signalling, then FACCH appears in place of the traffic
channel.

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 OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
• Subscribers are not allocated dedicated channels

• TCH Allocated to users only when needed

• Hence IDLE MODE & DEDICATED MODE

• DEDICATED MODE
-- When a full Bi -directional P to P CHL
has been allocated during an established call

• IDLE MODE
-- When MS is powered on (active)
without being in dedicated mode

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 OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
IDLE MODE
-- When MS is powered on (active)
without being in dedicated mode
• MS stays continuously in touch with BS
•Listens to transmissions from BS to intercept
Paging Messages ( for incoming calls)•

•Monitors Radio Environment in order to evaluate

Chl Quality & choose the most suitable BS

• Listens to BS to avail short message broadcast

service

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 OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
MOBILE O/G Call
• MS sends access over RACH
• System allocates SDCCH through AGCH
• Set up information exchanged over SDCCH
( Authentication , Measurement Reports,
Power Control)

• Lastly TCH is assigned through SDCCH when a

conversation can start

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 OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
MOBILE I/C Call

• Paging to MS through PCH since MS is monitoring PCH

• MS responds by sending a page response over RACH

• As a result system allocates SDCCH to MS over AGCH

• Set up information exchanged over SDCCH

( Authentication, Measurement Reports , Power Control)

• Lastly TCH is allocated to mobile over SDCCH .

Mobile starts conversation.

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 OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
IDLE MODE ACCESS PROCDURE DEDICATED MODE

• IDLE MODE ----FCCH

---- SCH
----BCCH

• MS O/G Call ----RACH

---- AGCH
----SDCCH
---- TCH

• MS I/C Call ---- PCH

----RACH
---- AGCH
----SDCCH
---- TCH

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For circulation to Trainees only