GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications, originally Groupe Spcial

Mobile), is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications

Standards nstitute (ETS) to describe protocols for second generation (!G)
digital cellular net"or#s used by mobile phones$ t is the de facto global
standard for mobile communications "ith over %&' mar#et share, and is
available in over !(% countries and territories$)!*
The GSM standard "as developed as a replacement for +rst generation ((G)
analog cellular net"or#s, and originally described a digital, circuit,s"itched
net"or# optimi-ed for full duple. voice telephony$ This "as e.panded over
time to include data communications, +rst by circuit,s"itched transport, then
pac#et data transport via G/0S (General /ac#et 0adio Services) and E1GE
(Enhanced 1ata rates for GSM Evolution or EG/0S)$
Subse2uently, the 3G// developed third generation (3G) 4MTS standards
follo"ed by fourth generation (5G) 6TE 7dvanced standards, "hich are not
part of the ETS GSM standard$
8GSM8 is a trademar# o"ned by the GSM 7ssociation$ t may also refer to the
initially most common voice codec used, 9ull 0ate$n (%:!, "or# began to
develop a European standard for digital cellular voice telephony "hen the
European Conference of /ostal and Telecommunications 7dministrations
(CE/T) created the Groupe Spcial Mobile committee and later provided a
permanent technical support group based in /aris$ 9ive years later, in (%:;,
(< representatives from (3 European countries signed a memorandum of
understanding in Copenhagen to develop and deploy a common cellular
telephone system across Europe, and E4 rules "ere passed to ma#e GSM a
mandatory standard$)3* The decision to develop a continental standard
eventually resulted in a uni+ed, open, standard,based net"or# "hich "as
larger than that in the 4nited States$)5*)<*)=*);* n (%:%, the Groupe Spcial
Mobile committee "as transferred from CE/T to the European
Telecommunications Standards nstitute (ETS)$)<*)=*)=*);*
n (%:; Europe produced the very +rst agreed GSM Technical Speci+cation in
9ebruary$ Ministers from the four big E4 countries cemented their political
support for GSM "ith the >onn 1eclaration on Global nformation ?et"or#s in
May and the GSM Mo4 "as tabled for signature in September$ The Mo4 dre",
in mobile operators from across Europe to pledge to invest in ne" GSM
net"or#s to an ambitious common date$ t got GSM up and running fast$
n this short 3;,"ee# period the "hole of Europe (countries and industries)
had been brought behind GSM in a rare unity and speed guided by four public
o@cials 7rmin Silberhorn (Germany), Stephen Temple (4A), /hilippe 1upuis
(9rance), and 0en-o 9ailli (taly)$):* n (%:% the Groupe Spcial Mobile
committee "as transferred from CE/T to the European Telecommunications
Standards nstitute (ETS)$)=*
n parallel, 9rance and Germany signed a Boint development agreement in
(%:5 and "ere Boined by taly and the 4A in (%:=$ n (%:= the European
Commission proposed reserving the %&& MC- spectrum band for GSM$ The
"orldDs +rst GSM call "as made by the former 9innish prime minister Carri
Col#eri to Aaarina Suonio (mayor in city of Tampere) on Euly (, (%%(, on a
net"or# built by Teleno#ia and Siemens and operated by 0adiolinBa$)%* The
follo"ing year in (%%!, the +rst short messaging service (SMS or 8te.t
message8) message "as sent and Fodafone 4A and Telecom 9inland signed
the +rst international roaming agreement$
Gor# began in (%%( to e.pand the GSM standard to the (:&& MC- fre2uency
band and the +rst (:&& MC- net"or# became operational in the 4A by (%%3$
7lso that year, Telecom 7ustralia became the +rst net"or# operator to deploy
a GSM net"or# outside Europe and the +rst practical hand,held GSM mobile
phone became available$
n (%%<, fa., data and SMS messaging services "ere launched commercially,
the +rst (%&& MC- GSM net"or# became operational in the 4nited States and
GSM subscribers "orld"ide e.ceeded (& million$ 7lso this year, the GSM
7ssociation "as formed$ /re,paid GSM SM cards "ere launched in (%%= and
"orld"ide GSM subscribers passed (&& million in (%%:$)=*
n !&&&, the +rst commercial G/0S services "ere launched and the +rst G/0S
compatible handsets became available for sale$ n !&&( the +rst 4MTS (G,
C1M7) net"or# "as launched, a 3G technology that is not part of GSM$
Gorld"ide GSM subscribers e.ceeded <&& million$ n !&&! the +rst
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) "ere introduced and the +rst GSM
net"or# in the :&& MC- fre2uency band became operational$ E1GE services
+rst became operational in a net"or# in !&&3 and the number of "orld"ide
GSM subscribers e.ceeded ( billion in !&&5$)=*
>y !&&<, GSM net"or#s accounted for more than ;<' of the "orld"ide
cellular net"or# mar#et, serving ($< billion subscribers$ n !&&< the +rst
CS1/7 capable net"or# also became operational$ The +rst CS4/7 net"or#
"as launched in !&&;$ Cigh,Speed /ac#et 7ccess (CS/7) and its uplin# and
do"nlin# versions are 3G technologies, not part of GSM$ Gorld"ide GSM
subscribers e.ceeded three billion in !&&:$)=*
The GSM 7ssociation estimated in !&(& that technologies de+ned in the GSM
standard serve :&' of the global mobile mar#et, encompassing more than <
billion people across more than !(! countries and territories, ma#ing GSM the
most ubi2uitous of the many standards for cellular net"or#s$)(&*
t is important to note that GSM is a second,generation (!G) standard
employing Time,1ivision Multiple,7ccess (T1M7) spectrum,sharing, issued by
the European Telecommunications Standards nstitute (ETS)$ The GSM
standard does not include the 3G 4MTS C1M7,based technology nor the 5G
6TE H91M7,based technology standards issued by the 3G//$)((*
Macau planned to phase out its !G GSM net"or#s as of Eune 5, !&(<, ma#ing
it the +rst region to decommission a GSM net"or#$)(!*GSM is a cellular
net"or#, "hich means that cell phones connect to it by searching for cells in
the immediate vicinity$ There are +ve diIerent cell si-es in a GSM net"or#J
macro, micro, pico, femto, and umbrella cells$ The coverage area of each cell
varies according to the implementation environment$ Macro cells can be
regarded as cells "here the base station antenna is installed on a mast or a
building above average rooftop level$ Micro cells are cells "hose antenna
height is under average rooftop levelK they are typically used in urban areas$
/icocells are small cells "hose coverage diameter is a fe" do-en metresK
they are mainly used indoors$ 9emtocells are cells designed for use in
residential or small business environments and connect to the service
providerLs net"or# via a broadband internet connection$ 4mbrella cells are
used to cover shado"ed regions of smaller cells and +ll in gaps in coverage
bet"een those cells$
Cell hori-ontal radius varies depending on antenna height, antenna gain, and
propagation conditions from a couple of hundred metres to several tens of
#ilometres$ The longest distance the GSM speci+cation supports in practical
use is 3< #ilometres (!! mi)$ There are also several implementations of the
concept of an e.tended cell,)(3* "here the cell radius could be double or
even more, depending on the antenna system, the type of terrain, and the
timing advance$
ndoor coverage is also supported by GSM and may be achieved by using an
indoor picocell base station, or an indoor repeater "ith distributed indoor
antennas fed through po"er splitters, to deliver the radio signals from an
antenna outdoors to the separate indoor distributed antenna system$ These
are typically deployed "hen signi+cant call capacity is needed indoors, li#e in
shopping centers or airports$ Co"ever, this is not a prere2uisite, since indoor
coverage is also provided by in,building penetration of the radio signals from
any nearby cell$