¾ GSM basic

Petr Vacek
e-mail: petr.vacek@rdc.cz

¾GSM schedule
9 PLMN features
9 Structure of GSM network
9 Functions of network elements
9 Basic procedures

¾PLMN features
9 High speed quality through digital transmission
9 Authentication and ciphering
9 International roaming
9 Access to all fixed and mobile network
9 Use of SS7 signaling system in the NSS

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 ¾GSM network structure

¾GSM network structure

9 NSS - Network Switching Subsystem
9 BSS - Base Station Subsystem
9 OSS - Operation & Support Subsystem

¾Network Switching Subsystem

9 MSC - Mobile Switching Center
9 HLR - Home Location Register
9 VLR - Visitor Location Register
9 AuC - Authentication Center
9 EIR - Equipment Identity Register

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 ¾Mobile Switching Center
9 Switching and call routing
9 Charging
9 Service provisioning
9 Communication with HLR
¾Home Location Register
9 Subscriber identity
• MSISDN (Mobile
Subscriber ISDN Number)
• IMSI (International Mobile
Subscriber Identity)
• LMSI (Local Mobile
Subscriber Identity)
9 Subscriber location
information
• Address of MSC, VLR
9 Communication with VLR
9 Control of handover
9 Control of connected
BSC’s
9 Access to Internet
¾MSC service area
9 Subscriber services
• Basic (voice, data, fax,
SMS)
• Supplementary (CFU, CFB,
CLIP, CLIR, HOLD,...)
9 Subscriber authentication
information
• Triplet (SRES, Kc, RAND)
9 IN parameters
9 Message Waiting Data
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 ¾Visitor Location Register
9 Subscriber identity
• IMSI, TMSI, Address of HLR
9 Subscriber location information
• LA (Location Area), Cell Id
9 Subscriber supplementary services
9 Subscriber authentication information
• Triplet, CKSN (Ciphering Key Sequence Number)

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¾Authentication Center
9 Triplet
• RAND (RANDom number)
• SRES (Signed RESponse)
• Kc (Ciphering Key)
9 Algorithms
• A3, A5, A8
9 Function
• Subscriber authentication
• Ciphering procedure

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¾Equipment Identity Register

9 Database of IMEI (International Mobile
Equipment Identity)
9 White list
9 Gray list
9 Black list

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 ¾GSM network structure
9 BSS - Base Station Subsystem
9 NSS - Network Switching Subsystem
9 OSS - Operation & Support Subsystem

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¾Base Station Subsystem

9 BSC - Base Station Controller
9 TC - Transcoder Controller
9 BTS - Base Transceiver Station

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¾Base Station Controller

9 Radio network management
9 Transmission network management
9 BTS management
9 TRAU management
9 Handling of MS connections
9 Internal BSC operation and maintenance

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 ¾Transcoder Controller
9 Transcoding
• GSM ↔ PCM
9 Rate adaptation
• 16 kbit/s ↔ 64 kbit/s

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¾Base Transceiver Station

9 Radio resources
9 Signal processing
9 Signal link management
9 Synchronization
9 Local maintenance handling
9 Functional supervision and testing

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¾GSM network structure

9 BSS - Base Station Subsystem
9 NSS - Network Switching Subsystem
9 OSS - Operation & Support Subsystem

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 ¾Operation & Support Subsystem
9 ADC – Administrative Centre
9 NMC – Network Management Centre
9 OMC – Operation & Maintenance Centre

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¾GSM numbering and identification parameters

9 MSISDN
9 MSRN
9 IMSI
9 TMSI
9 LMSI
9 IMEI
9 LAI
9 CGI

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¾MSISDN

Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (15 digits)

National mobile number

CC NDC SN

CC – Country Code
NDC – National Destination Code
SN – Subscriber Number

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 ¾MSRN

Mobile Subscriber Roaming Number

SN
VCC VNDC
(VMSC+VSN)

VCC – Visitor Country Code

VNDC – Visitor National Destination Code
VMSC – Visitor MSC number
VSN – Visitor Subscriber Number

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¾IMSI

International Mobile Subscriber Identity (max 15 digits)

MCC MNC MSIN

MCC – Mobile Country Code (3 digits)

MNC – Mobile Network Code (2 or 3 digits)
MSIN – Mobile Subscriber Identification Number

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¾TMSI

Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (4 octets)

TMSI

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 ¾LMSI

Local Mobile Subscriber Identity (4 octets)

LMSI

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¾IMEI

International Mobile Equipment Identity (15 digits)

TAC FAC SNR spare

TAC – Type Approval Code (6 digits)

FAC – Final Assembly Code (2 digits)
SNR – Serial Number (6 digits)

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¾LAI

Location Area Identification

MCC MNC LAC

MCC – Mobile Country Code (3 digits)

MNC – Mobile Network Code (2 or 3 digits)
LAC – Location Area Code (4 digits)

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 ¾CGI

Cell Global Identity

MCC MNC LAC CI

MCC – Mobile Country Code (3 digits)

MNC – Mobile Network Code (2 or 3 digits)
LAC – Location Area Code (4 digits)
CI – Cell Identity (4 digits)

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¾Traffic cases schedule

9 Authentication and ciphering
9 Location update
9 Charging
9 Mobile originated call
9 Mobile terminating call
9 Handover
9 Mobile originated SMS
9 Mobile terminated SMS

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¾Authentication and ciphering

Generating triplet

RAND
RAND

A3 SRES

A3
Kc
Ki

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 ¾Authentication and ciphering
Subscriber authentication

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¾Authentication and ciphering

Ciphering

data
Kc

Cipher data
A5 XOR

TDMA frame number

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¾Location Update in BSS

MS BTS BSC MSC/VLR

LU request

Authentication procedure

Ciphering procedure

TMSI reallocation procedure

LU accept

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 ¾Location Update in NSS

MS A BSS MSC new HLR/EIR MSC old

LU request
Identification procedure

Update location
Cancel location

Insert subs. data

Update location ack

LU accept

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¾Charging

CDR – Call data record

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¾Mobile originated call

MS BSS MSC/VLR

CM-Service request

Authentication procedure

Ciphering procedure

TMSI reallocation procedure

Setup (MSISDN)

TCH assignment

Alerting

Connect

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 ¾Mobile terminating call
GMSC HLR MSC/VLR BSS MS

SRI
Provide MSRN

MSRN
SRI [MSRN]

Routing the call [MSRN]

Paging

Answer to paging

Authentication, ciphering

Setup

Assignment TCH

Alerting

Connect Connect

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¾Intra BSC Handover

MS BTS new BTS old BSC MSC/VLR

Call in progress

TCH activation

Handover command

Handover access

Handover complete
Handover complete

TCH release

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¾Intra MSC Handover

MS BTS old BTS new BSC old BSC new MSC/VLR

Call in progress

Handover required

Handover request
TCH activation
Handover request ack

Handover command

Handover access
Handover detect

Handover complete
Handover complete

Connection release
TCH release

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 ¾Inter MSC Handover
BSC A MSC A MSC B BSC B

Call in progress

Handover required
Prepare handover
Handover request

Handover accept
Prepare handover ack

Handover command Connection establishment

Handover detection Handover detection

Handover complete Handover complete

Clear connection
Call in progress

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¾Mobile originated SMS

MS VLR MSC SMS-IWMSC SC

Short message

Info for MO-SMS

Forward message

Short message

Short message ack Forward message ack Short message ack

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¾Mobile terminated SMS

MS VLR MSC HLR SMS-GMSC SC

Short message
SRI

Forward message

Info for MT-SMS

Short message

Short message ack

Forward message ack
Short message ack

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