Module 3 Wireless Systems and Standards

AMPS,GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A.

Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS)

– Developed in North America, two 25-MHz bands

allocated to AMPS
• One for transmission from base to mobile unit
• One for transmission from mobile unit to base
– Each band split in two to encourage competition
(12.5MHz per operator)
– Channels of 30 KHz: 21 control channels (FSK), 395
traffic channels (FM voice) per operator
– Frequency reuse exploited (N = 7)
 AMPS Operation
• Subscriber initiates call by keying in phone
number and presses send key
• MTSO verifies number and authorizes user
• MTSO issues message to user’s cell phone
indicating send and receive traffic channels
• MTSO sends ringing signal to called party
• Party answers; MTSO establishes circuit and
initiates billing information
• Either party hangs up; MTSO releases circuit,
frees channels, completes billing
 Difference between First generation
and Second Generation Systems
• Digital traffic channels – first-generation systems
are almost purely analog; second-generation
systems are digital
• Encryption – all second generation systems
provide encryption to prevent eavesdropping
• Error detection and correction – second
generation digital traffic allows for detection and
correction giving clear voice reception
• Channel access – second generation systems
allow channels to be dynamically shared by a
number of users
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication)

– Pan-European standard (ETSI, European

Telecommunications Standardisation Institute)
– simultaneous introduction of essential services in three
phases (1991, 1994, 1996) by the European
telecommunication administrations (Germany: D1 and D2)
 seamless roaming within Europe possible
– today many providers all over the world use GSM (more
than 184 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia,
America)
– more than 747 million subscribers
– more than 70% of all digital mobile phones use GSM
– over 10 billion SMS per month in Germany, > 360
billion/year worldwide
Performance characteristics of GSM (wrt. analog sys.)

• Communication
– mobile, wireless communication; support for voice and data services
• Total mobility
– international access, chip-card enables use of access points of
different providers
• Worldwide connectivity
– one number, the network handles localization
• High capacity
– better frequency efficiency, smaller cells, more customers per cell
• High transmission quality
– high audio quality and reliability for wireless, uninterrupted phone
calls at higher speeds (e.g., from cars, trains)
• Security functions
– access control, authentication via chip-card and PIN
 Disadvantages of GSM
• There is no perfect system!!
• no end-to-end encryption of user data
• no full ISDN bandwidth of 64 kbit/s to the user, no transparent B-
channel

• reduced concentration while driving

• electromagnetic radiation

• abuse of private data possible

• roaming profiles accessible

• high complexity of the system

• several incompatibilities within the GSM standards
 GSM – Specifications (Specs)
• Maximum cell radius (R): 35 km
• Frequency: around 900 MHz
• Maximum vehicle speed (Vm):250 km/hr
• Maximum coding delay: approx. 20 ms
• Maximum delay spread (m): 10 s
• Bandwidth: Not to exceed 200 kHz

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 GSM – Frequency Spectra
• GSM Radio frequency spectra:
– GSM 900 – Standard
– GSM 1800 - DCS ( Digital Cellular System)
– GSM 1900 - PCS ( Personal Communcation System)

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 GSM uses paired radio channels

890MHz 915MHz 935MHz 960MHz

0 124 0 124

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 GSM - Radio channels

• Time division multiple access-TDMA

• 124 radio carriers, inter carrier spacing 200kHz.
• Uses two 25 MHz band
• 890 to 915 MHz mobile to base - UPLINK
• 935 to 960 MHz base to mobile - DOWNLINK
• 8 channels/carrier
• GSM combines FDM and TDM: bandwidth is
subdivided into channels of 200kHz, shared by up
to eight stations, assigning slots for transmission
on demand.

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 GSM Architecture
The GSM network architecture consists of three
major subsystems:
– Mobile Station (MS)
– Base Station Subsystem (BSS)
– Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS)
 GSM Architecture

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The Network Switching System (NSS)
NSS is a GSM element that provides flow
management and call processing for mobile devices
moving between base stations. The switching
system consists of the following functional units:
• Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC)
• Home Location Register (HLR)
• Visitor Location Register (VLR)
• Equipment Identity Register (EIR)
• Authentication Center (AuC)
 Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC):

• Mobile Switching Center is integral to the

GSM network architecture’s central network
space.
• The MSC supports call switching across
cellular phones and other fixed or mobile
network users.
• It also monitors cellular services, including
registration, location updates, and call
forwarding to a roaming user.
 Home Location Register (HLR)
• The HLR is regarded as the most significant
database because it preserves enduring records
about users.
• Stores user data of all Subscribers related to the
GMSC
– International Mobile Subscriber Identity(IMSI)
– Users telephone number (MS ISDN)
– Subscription information and services
– VLR address
– Reference to Authentication center for key (Ki)
• Referred when call comes from public land
network
 Visitor Location Register (VLR)
• VLR is a database that provides subscriber information
necessary for the MSC to service passengers.
• Database that contains Subscriber parameters and
location information for all mobile subscribers
currently located in the geographical area controlled by
that VLR
• Identity of Mobile Subscriber
• Copy of subscriber data from HLR
• Generates and allocates a Temporary Mobile
Subscriber Identity(TMSI)
• Location Area Code
• The visitor location register can also be run as a
standalone program, but it is usually implemented as a
component of the MSC.
 Equipment Identity Register (EIR)
• EIR is a database that contains a list of all valid
mobile station equipment within the
network, where each mobile station is identified
by its International Mobile Equipment
Identity(IMEI).
• EIR has three databases.,
– White list - For all known, good IMEI’s
– Black list - For all bad or stolen handsets
– Grey list - For handsets/IMEI’s that are
on observation
 Authentication Center (AuC)
• The AUC is a unit that offers verification and encryption
factors to ensure the user’s identity and the privacy of
every call.
• The verification center is a secure file that contains the
user’s private key in the SIM card.
• The AUC shields network operators from various types of
fraud prevalent in the modern-day cellular world.
• Stores Subscriber authentication data called Ki, a copy of
which is also stored in in the SIM card
• Generates security related parameters to authorize a
subscriber (SRES-Signed RESponse)
• Generates unique data pattern called Cipher key (Kc) for
user data encryption
• Provides triplets - RAND, SRES & Kc, to the HLR on request.
 The Mobile station (MS)
• The mobile station is a cell phone with a display, digital
signal processor, and radio transceiver regulated by a
SIM card that functions on a system.
• Hardware and the SIM card are the two most essential
elements of the MS.
• The MS (Mobile stations) is most widely recognized by
cell phones, which are components of a GSM mobile
communications network that the operator monitors
and works.
• Currently, their size has shrunk dramatically while their
capabilities have skyrocketed. Additionally, the time
between charges has been significantly improved.
 The base station system (BSS)
• Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
• Base Station Controller (BSC)
 Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
• The BTS is responsible for radio connection
protocols with the MS and contains the cell’s
radio transceivers.
• Companies may implement a significant
number of BTSs in a big metropolitan area.
• Each network cell has transceivers and
antennas that make up the BTS.
• Based on the cell’s consumer density, every
BTS includes anywhere from one to sixteen
transceivers.
 Base Station Controller (BSC)
• Provides all the control functions and physical links
between the MSC and BTS
• External Interfaces
– ‘Abis’ interface towards the BTS
– ‘A’ interface towards the MSC
• Monitors and controls several BTSs
• Management of channels on the radio interface
• Alarm Handling from the external interfaces
• Performs inter-cell Handover
• Switching from ‘Abis’ link to the ‘A’ link
• Interface to OMC for BSS Management
 Overview of Interfaces
• Um
– Radio interface between MS and BTS
– each physical channel supports a number of logical
channels
– It is called Um because it is the mobile analog to the U
interface of ISDN.
• Abis
– Between BTS and BSC
– primary functions: traffic channel transmission,
terrestrial channel management and radio channel
management
• A
– Between BSC and MSC
– Primary functions: message transfer between different
BSCs to the MSC
 GSM Services
• Four Classes of Services in GSM
– Bearer Services (BS)
– Teleservices (TS)
– Supplementary Services (SS)
– Value-added Services (VAS)
 Bearer Services
• Provide lower layer access (GSM layers 1-3)
• Classified by demands bearer service makes
on network
• In order to provide end-to-end bearer GSM
must connect to other networks
– PSTN, ISDN, PSPDN, CSPDN
 Tele Services
• A Teleservice utilises the capabilities of a Bearer Service to
transport data, defining which capabilities are required and
how they should be set up
• Voice Calls: The most basic Teleservice supported by GSM is
telephony. This includes Full-rate speech at 13 Kbps and
emergency calls, where the nearest emergency service
provider is notified by dialing three digits.
• Videotext and Facsmile: Another group of teleservices
includes Videotext access, Teletex transmission, Facsimile
alternate speech
• Short Text Messages:
• SMS (Short Messaging Service) service is a text messaging
which allow you to send and receive text messages on your
GSM Mobile phone.
• in addition to simple user generated text message services -
include news, sport, financial, language and location based
services, as well as many early examples of mobile commerce
such as stocks and share prices, mobile banking facilities and
leisure booking services.
 Supplementary Services
Supplementary services are provided on top of
teleservices or bearer services, and include
features such as
- caller identification
- call forwarding
- call waiting
- multiparty conversations
- barring of outgoing (international) calls