GPRS Architecture

BSS Rao GSM Faculty

NEs Involved in Data call

MS
BTS
BSC
PCUSN
SGSN
GGSN
CGF

GPRS Architecture

Mobile Station

GPRS MS includes two components:

MT (Mobile Terminal). Typically a handset
used to access the radio interface.
TE (Terminal Equipment). Typically a laptop
or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

Could be one unit combing the

functionalities of a MT and a TE.

PCUSN(Packet control
unit support Node)
The PCU separates the circuit switched
and packet switched traffic from the user
and sends them to the GSM and GPRS
networks respectively.
PCUSN is introduced as separate
element in BSS to introduce the function
of PCU

SGSN
LIG

DNS
Rou
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ng R
esol SGSN
utio
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GTP Tunne

Gb

PCUSN

Gn

Mob
Man
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men
Bi
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t
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Re
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Location

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Services

MS

CP
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Ga

GMLC

CGF

GGSN

HLR

SGSN
SGSN is hosted on the Passport
platform.
SGSN performs: Mobility
management, routes packet data,
authentication, encryption,
compression

GGSN (Gateway GPRS

Support Node)
A packet processing node in the wireless
packet network
it serves as the boundary between the
wireless network and other public or private
networks.

Remote Authentication
Dial-In User Service
(RADIUS) Functions
SGSN

IP Backbone

MS
Log-in, Password
GGSN

Frame
Relay
Network
Is this a
legitimate user?

RADIUS server

Function of RADIUS
Server
The authentication verifies that the user
is a legitimate user by means of a
username and a password. This can be
done by using an external RADIUS
server.

DHCP( Dynamic Host

Configuration Protocol )
.
When a subscriber joins the network (upon
activation):

The network sends a request for a temporary IP

address to the DHCP server for a client.
The DHCP server assigns host configuration
information to this client from the pool of
dynamic addresses. It assigns dynamic IP
addresses to networked devices as needed, and,
by doing this, reduces the administrative burden
of manually configuring computers for network
use.

DHCP Function

GGSN

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SGSN
This will be my address:
136.147.102.26

(3) Give the en

d user this one
:
136.147.102.26

GPRS Network

(2) End user n

eeds IP addre

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IP Backbone

DHCP

Internet

CGF
The billing is always sent to the primary CGF
server if possible; the secondary is used only if
the primary cannot be reached.
The CGF is composed of three following
entities:

Collection Cartridge
Aggregation Processor
Distribution Cartridge

Collection Cartridge
Collects billing records from the GPRS nodes
using GTP.
Aggregates several billing records produced
during a PDP session into a single GPRS
accounting record.
Note that billing records coming from
different Collectors cannot be aggregated
(two Collectors are seen as two different
billing stream by an Aggregator).

Aggregation Processor
Aggregates several billing records
produced during a PDP session into a
single GPRS accounting record.
Note that billing records coming
from different Collectors cannot be
aggregated (two Collectors are seen
as two different billing stream by an
Aggregator

Distribution Cartridge
Provides access to the GPRS accounting
records by the customer Billing System. The
available interfaces are FTP of ASCII or ASN.1
files. The Billing Center may request the
records, or the Distribution Cartridge may set
to push the records to the Center without
request.

(CGF) Functions
CGF

S-CDR and M-CDR

Collector
SGSN

Core
network

Billing Files
Transfer

GTP
GTP

GGSN

G-CDR

Aggregator
&
Distributor

Billing Records:
PDP session duration
GPRS QoS Negotiated
Input Octets
Output Octets
Hot Billing

Get billing files

Billing
Center

SMSC Function
SGSN
Gd

SIG
(IP)

SGSN sends SMS messages over Gd to SIG.

The SIG then sends this over SS7 to the SMSC

(
d
G

7
S
S

SMSC

Nortel Implementation
MSC-VLR
PSTN/
ISDN

HLR
TCU

A
Gs

BTS

Gd

Ater

BSC

Agprs

Gr

SMSC

GMLC
LEA

SCP
LiG

Gn

Gb
PCUSN

Lg
Ge

SIG

Le

Lh

External LCS
Clients

SGSN

Ga
CGF

Ga

Gi
GGSN

PSPDN

Gp
SGSN of
other
PLMN

Interfaces
Ga - between SGSN or GGSN and a
CGF
Gb- between PCUSN and SGSN
Gr - between SGSN and HLR
extension of MAP.
Ge - between SGSN and SCP

Interfaces
Gn
- between SGSN and GGSN using GTP
protocol (tunnel).
Gi
- between GGSN and PDNs (Public Data
Networks - IP and X.25).
Gs
- between SGSN and MSC/VLR (via SIG),
for some simultaneous GPRS and
GSM operation (same as BSSMAP but optional).
Gd
- between SGSN and SMS-C (via SIG) to
deliver SMS messages via GPRS
(same as MAP).

Interfaces
Lg
- between GMLC (Gateway Mobile
Location Center) and SIG
Le
- between GMLC and LCS (Location
Services) clients
Lh
- between GMLC and HLR

GPRS Working
When a user begins on GPRS service,typically
it will run automatically scan for local GPRS
channel
If an appropriate channel is detected, the
device will attempt to attach to the network
SGSN receives the attach request,fetches the
subscriber profile info. From the HLR and
authenticated user

GPRS Working
SGSN uses the profile info. Including
Access point name (which identifies the
network and operator) to determine
which GGSN to route to
The selected GGSN perform RADIUS
authentication and allocate dynamic IP
address before setting up the connection
to outside networks

GPRS working
This process is called the Packet data
profile context activation.
When the mobile device is powered off or
moved out of GPRS coverage area,
PDP context is deactivated and the
device is detached from the network

GPRS Attach function

Authenticate the mobile

Generate the ciphering key
Enable the ciphering
Allocate temporary identity (TLLI)
Copy subscriber profile from HLR to
SGSN

After GPRS Attachment

The location of the mobile is tracked
Communication between MS and SGSN is
secured
Charging information is collected
SGSN knows what the subscriber is allowed
to do
HLR knows the location of the MS in
accuracy of SGSN

GPRS Detachment
MS initiated Detachment:
Network Initiated Detachment

MS Initiated Detachment

Network Initiated
Detachment