HLR (Home Location Register)

It is a permanent databaseabout Mobile subscribers genreally 1 per GSM operator in a area. For every incoming call the current location of the subscriber is found from HLR which queries the serving VLR for routing information

It contains
1. List of all subscribers in the circle 2. IMSI

3. Service Subscription information

4. Billing Information 5. Information about current location 6. Service restrictions 7. Supplementary services 8. Mobile terminal charceteristics

VLR (Visiting Location Register)

It is a temprory database, one VLR per MSC. It contains information about subcribers who are currently in the sevice are covered by MSC/VLR It contains information about 1. Current location information about the MS(Location area ,cell identitities) 2. TMSI (Temporary mobile station identity) 3. Features currently activated

Equipment Identity Register

Maintains information about authenticate terminals so that fraudulent stolen , non-type-approved terminals can be denied service Maintains White gray and black lists that may be consulted by networl for checking authenticity of terminal requesting service

Logical Channels
1. Traffic Channel (TCH) 2. Control Channels (CCH)

TCH

Speech

------ Full Rate(22.8 Kb/s) Half Rate 11.4 KBp/s Data-------------- 9 .8 Kb/s 4.6 Bb/s Speech 2.4 Kb/s

BCCH (Broadcast)

FRREQUENCY CONTROL(FCCH) SYNCHRONISATION (SCH)

CCH

CCCH (Common)

Paging (PCH) Access Grant (AGCH) Random Accee (RACH)

DCCH

Fast Associated (FACCH) Slow assiciated (SACCH) Stand Alone(SDCCH)

GSM Traffic Channels

Full Rate : User data in one TS per

frame
Half Rate : User data in one TS per

alternate frame

Full Rate Speech and Data Channels

1. Full Rate Speech channel TCH/FS : Raw data rate 13 kbps. Coded data rate 22.8 kbps

2. Full Rate data channel TCH/F9.6: Raw data rate 9.6 kbps. Coded data rate 22.8 kbps
3. Full Rate Dta channel for 4.8 Kbps- carries raw user data at 4.8 Kbbps + Forward error correcting coding data is sent at 22.8 Kbps 4. Full Rate Dta channel for 2.4 Kbps- carries raw user data at 4.8 Kbbps with additional forward error correction data is sent at 22.8 Kbps

Half Rate Speech and Data Channels

1. Half Rate Speech Channel TCH/HS sampling rate half of the full rate:: Raw data rate : 6.5 kbps :Channel coding is added to digitised speech Coded data rate : 11.4 kbps.

Half Rate Data channel : TCH/H4.8. carries raw user with additional forward error correction applied , The data rate 4.8 kbps is sent at 11.4 kbps Half Rate data channel :TCH/H2.4- carriers raw user data at 2.4 Kbps, additional forward error correction , the data is sent at 11.4 Kbps

GSM Control Channels

Broadcast Channel : BCH Common Control Channel:CCH Dedicated Control Channel:DCCH

Broadcast Control Channels:BCH

Operates in Forward link. Transmits data in first Time slot of certain GSM frames

34 ARFCNS / Forward Link Data transmission in To time slot (a) Broadcast control channel BCCH- Unidirectional BS to MS (b) Frequency correction channel FCCH Accurate tuning to BS (c) Synchronization channel - SCCH Frame Synchronisation

Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH)

Forward control Channel.Brodcasts information such as

1.
2. 3. 4.

Cell and network identity

Operating charecteristics of cell(Current control channel, channel avaliabilty,congestion) List of channels currently in use within the cell Frame 2 to 5 in control multi frame contains BCCH data

Frequency Correction Channel (FCCH)

Occupies TS0 of every First Frame Frame 0. Repated every 10 Frames in the Control chgannel multiframe. Allows susbcriber unit to synchronize its internal frequency to exact frequency of Base sation

FCCH Data Burst

3 Start bits

142 bits of all zeroes

3 stop bits

8.25 bits guard period

Synchronization Channel (SCH)

Broadcast in TS0 of a Frame Immediately after every FCCH frame 1. Use to identify the serving Base station so that ech mobile unit can synchronize with it 2. The frame number is sent with Base station identity code. 3. Since different users may be at different distances fro BS it is necessary to adjust timing information so that received signal is synchronized with BS clock. 4. BS issues coarse timing advancement commands to MS via SCH 5. SCH is transmitted once every 10 Frames

SCH Burst

3 start

64 39 data bits Training bits 39 Data bits

bits

3 stop bits

8.25 bits Guard period

Control Multi-frame

3 B

4 B

5 B

6 C

10 F

11 S

20 F

21 S

49 C

50

F : FCCH burst(BCH) S : SCH burst (BCH) B : BCCH burst(BCH) C : PCH/AGCH burst(CCCH)

I : Idle

Common Control Channels (CCCHs)

1. Paging Channels(PCH) (Forward Link/Down Link/)

2. Random Access Channels(RACH) (Reverse Link/Uplink)

3. Access Grant Channel(AGCH) (Forward Link/Down Link/)

Paging Channel(PCH)
Provides paging signals from BS to all mobiles in a cell

Notifies subcsriber regarding incoming call

Transmit IMSI of Target Subscriber on an incoming call Broadcast ASCII text messages to all subscribers as a part of the SMS feature.

Random Access Channel (RACH)

Reverse Link. Uses all the 51 control frames.

1. Used by subcriber to acknowledges page freom PCH

2. Used by Mobiles to originate a call 3. In establishing service BS responds to RACH by allocating channel and assigning a standalone dedicated channel (SDCCH) for signalling during call.

Access Grant Channel(AGCH)

Used by BS to provide forward link communication to mobile Assign Dedicated resources to mobile Instructs the mobile to operate in a particular physical channel in response to a RACH sent by a mobile station in a previous CCCH frame. Used by BS to respond to RACH sent by mobile station It is the final CCH sent by BS before user is moved off Control Channel

Dedicated Control Channels (DCCHs)

There are 3 types of dedicated Control channels 1) Stand alone dedicated control channel 2) Slow associated control channel 3) Fast associated control channel They are Bi-directional. DCCH can exist in any time slot and in any frame except in TS0 of BCH ARFCN

Stand alone dedicated control channel(SDCCH)

Carries signaling data between base station and mobile .
SDCCH ensures that MS and Base station remain connected while the BS and MSC verify subscriber unit and allocate resources. SDCCH is an intermediate channel which accepts newly connected call from the BCHand hold the traffic while waiting for Base station to allocate TCH SDCCH is used to send authentication and alert messages.

Slow Associated Control Channel(SACCH)

0 1 .. 12 S 13 . 24 I/S

SACCH is always associated with TCH or SDCCH. Each ARFCN carries SACCH data for all its cuurent users

On the Forward Link/Downlink: used to send slow but continuously cahnging information such as transmit Power level instructions, Timing Advance Instructions
On the Reverselink/Uplink Link : SACCH carries information of RSSI(Received Signal Strength Info) , quality of TCH,BCH measurement results of Neighboring cell. SACCH is transmitted on 13th Frame and 26th Frame.

Fast Associated Control Channel(FACCH)

3 57 1 26 1 57 3 8.25

Stealing Flags

Carries urgent messagescontains same type of inforamtion as SDCCH. FACCH is assigned whenever SDCCH has not been dedicated for a user and there is urgent message such as handoff request FACCH gains access to aTime slot by setting frames from the traffic channel.This is done by stting Stealing bits.If stealing bita are set the TS contains FACCH data

Location Updating
VLR Old
BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS

BSC 1 BSC 4 1 4 1

MSC Old MSC New 4 VLR New 1

HLR

1. MS sends location update request to VLR new

Location Updating
VLR Old
BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS

BSC 1 BSC 4 4 1

MSC Old MSC New 4 VLR New 1

HLR

1 2. VLR sends to HLR the address of the VLR new and IMSI of MS.This updating of HLR not required if the new area is served by the same VLR

Location Updating
VLR Old
BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS

BSC 1 BSC 4 1 4 1

MSC Old MSC New 4 VLR New 1

HLR

3.Service and security related data for the MS is downloaded to the new VLR

Location Updating
VLR Old
BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS

BSC 1 BSC 4 1 4 1

MSC Old MSC New 4 VLR New 1

HLR

4. The MS is sent an acknowledgement of successful location update.

Location Updating
5 VLR Old
BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS

BSC 1 BSC 4 1 4 1

MSC Old MSC New 4 VLR New 1

HLR

5. The HLR requests the old VLR to delete the data relating to the MS

Mobile Call Origination

1 BSC MSC GMSC

1
1
BTS

VLR

LE PSTN

Telephone

1.The MS sends the dialed number indicating service requested to the MSC

Mobile Call Origination

MSC GMSC

BSC

2
VLR LE PSTN Telephone

BTS

2. The MSC checks from the VLR if the MS is allowed the requested service.

Mobile Call Origination

3 BSC MSC GMSC

VLR
BTS

LE PSTN

Telephone

3. If the call is allowed the MSC routes the call to GMSC

Mobile Call Origination

MSC 4 VLR
BTS

BSC

GMSC

LE PSTN

Telephone

4. The GMSC routes the call to the local exchange of called user

Mobile Call Origination

MSC GMSC

BSC

VLR
BTS

LE PSTN 5

Telephone

5. The LE applies ringing to the called terminal

Mobile Call Origination

MSC GMSC

BSC

6
VLR
BTS

LE PSTN

Telephone

6. Answer back ring tone from the called terminal to LE

Mobile Call Origination

MSC GMSC 7 VLR
BTS

BSC

7
LE PSTN Telephone

7
7. Answer back signal is routed to MS through MSC which also completes the speech path to the MS

Mobile Call Termination

11 6

BSC
10 11 11

MSC
4 9
5 8 3 , 7

GMSC
2

12

VLR
BTS

LE PSTN
1

Telephone

1.PSTN user dials the MSISDN of the called user in GSM

2. lE routes the call to the GMSC of the called GSM user

3. The GMSC uses the dialled MSISDN number to determine the serving HLRfor the GSM user and interrogates it to obtain the required routing number 4. The HLR requests the current serving VLR for the called party MSN for a MSRN(MS Roaming Number) so that call can be correctly routed through MSC 5.The VLR passes the MSRN to HLR 6 HLR passes the MSRN to the GMSC 7 Using MSRN the GMSC routes the call to the serving MSC

8 MSC interrogates the VLR for the current loaction area identity(LAI) for the MS
9 VLR provides current LAI for MS to MSC 10 MSC pages the MS via appropriate BSS.The MS responds to the page and sets up the necessary signalling links

11. When BSS has established necessary radio links.MSC is informed and call is delivered to MS
12. When MS answers the call connection is completed to aclling PSTN user

Authentication and Encryption Sequence

BSC BTS 1 HLR 2 1. A terminal location update VLR sends IMSI to HLR. 2. HLR returns security triplets(RAND,SRES,Kc) VLR MSC

Authentication Sequence
3 BTS BSC 3 MSC

3
3 HLR VLR

3. VLR sends RAND to MS

Authentication Sequence
4 BTS BSC 4 MSC

4
4 HLR VLR

4. MS calculates SRES and returns to VLR. It also calculates cipher key Kc

Authentication Sequence
5 BTS BSC 5 MSC

5
HLR VLR

5. If the SRES returned by the MS matches with the stored SRES, VLR sends the cipher key Kc to BTS which uses Kc for ciphering the radio path.

INTER MSC HANDOVER VLR A 1 4

BTS A BTS B

BSC A

MSC A

HLR

3
BSC B 7

2
MSC B

VLR B

1. BSC A informs MSC A tha t MS needs handover from BTS A to BTS B 2. MSCA informs MSC B that handover from BTS A to BTS B is underway 3. MSC A commands BSC A/BTS A to proceed with handover to BTS B 4. BTS A commands MS to change to a specified channel on BTS BB 5. MS informs BTS B that it is on the specified channel on BTS B 6. BTS B informs BSC A/MSC A that handover is complete 7. MSC B informs MSC A that handover to BTS B is complete

Speech coding in GSM Signal Processing

Mobile Station A/D Segment ation RPE/LT E Channel Encoder Interleav er Modulat or Duplexer

8kHz sampling 13 bits/sample

160 sampless 260 bits/frame 13 bits/sample 13 bits/sample

22.8 Kb/s 450 bits/frame

33.85 Kb/s per user 270.8 Kb/s per burst

D/A

DeSegme ntation

RPE/LT E Decoder

Channel Decoder

DeInterle aver

DeModul ator

Duplexer

Base Station

Speech coding in GSM

Digitised speech is passed at 64 Kbps though a speech coder which compresses the 64 Kbps PCM speech to 13 Kbps data rate. The transcoder models the vocal tract of the user and generates a set of Filter parameters that are used to represent a segment of speech (20 ms) and only the Filter parameters and impulse input to the filter are transmitted on the radio interface GSM transcoder also permits detection of silent periods in speech sample during which the transmitter is turned off to save battery power The Transcoded speech is error protected by passing it through a channel encoder, which utilizes both parity code and convolution code. Channel encoding increases bit rate from 13 Kbps (260 Kb/20 ms speech) 22.8 Kbps(456bits/20 ms) for GSM full rate coder and (11.4Kbps ,16 slots per frame) for GSM half rate coder. The interleaved data is then modulated by means of Gaussian Minimum shift keying(GMSK) and passed through Duplexer which provides filtering to isolate transmit and receive signals

GSM speech coding leads to better speech quality. It introduces additional delayed. Dealy introduced by speech coding(20 ms) , interleaving(37 ms) , A/D conversion(8 ms) , and processing for transmission and switching (15 ms) add up to 80 ms For connection to PSTN this 80 ms delay is in addition to existing PSTN delay. Therefore echo controlling devices become neccesssary for GSM calls that use PSTN