A PRACTICAL TRAINING SEMINAR REPORT ON MOBILE COMMUNICATION

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING) Session- 2010-11

SUBMITTED TO: Mr. GAJANAND GUPTA SUBMITTED BY: MEGHA GOYAL (E&C) V SEM ROLL NO.-52

( A VENTURE OF SEEDLING GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS)

JAIPUR NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, JAIPUR

(A VENTURE OF SEEDLING GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS) CANDIDATES DECLARATION

I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the report entitled MOBILE COMMUNICATION by MEGHA GOYAL in partial fulfillment of requirements for the award of degree of B.Tech. (2010&E&C) submitted in the department of electronics and communication at jaipur national university, jaipur is an authentic record of my own work carried out during a period from 10.06.2010 to 25.07.2010 under the supervision of MR.ANKIT SANI . SIGNATURE OF THE STUDENT:

The B.tech 3rd year E&C seminar presentation of MEGHA GOYAL has been held on and accepted.

Signature of examiner 1 examiner 2

Signature of

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It has been a wonderful and enlightening for me as an undergraduate student take training at NITS EDUCATION, Jaipur. I thank my Head Of Department, Mr. Lakshminarayan and Mr. Gajanand for giving support to my training subject. I express my sincere thanks to Mr. Ankit Sani for his inexplicable guidance, incessant encouragement and constant support. Above all, I would like to thank all those members of NITS EDUCATION who helped me to complete my training work. MEGHA GOYAL

ABSTRACT
Mobile telephony adoption is on the rise. wireless subscribers will reach 1 billion worldwide by 2002 . Recent technological innovations have also dramatically enhanced the capabilities of the wireless telephone . No longer restricted to voice communications, wireless devices are now also able to transmit and manipulate data. Leveraging the power of these new technologies, various business sectors are working together to offer a wide array of services, including voice communications, short messaging, information services, web surfing, location-based services, and ecommerce. Each sector is looking for the next "killer application," yet we are still learning about people's information and communication needs while "on the go" . Additionally, it is difficult to anticipate what new possibilities or challenges are created for the user upon the introduction of these new computational capabilities. The GSM system has become the most popular system for mobile communication in the world. Criminals commonly use GSM phones, and it is therefore a need for forensic investigators to understand which evidence can be obtained from the GSM system. This report With GSM, systems for mobile communication reached a global scale. In the western world, it seems everyone has their own mobile phone, and GSM has taken more and more of the market. GSM allows users to roam seamlessly between networks, and separate the user identity from the phone equipment. A GSM network is composed of several functional entities, whose functions and interfaces are defined. GSM system defines 2 truly open interfaces. The first one is between the mobile station & the base station named AIR INTERFACE. The second one is between the mobile service switching centre MSC & the Base Station Controller (BSC) called A INTERFACE. Intelligence between the interfaces increases with complications in the interface. Hence in GSM, the decentralized intelligence is implemented by dividing the whole network into three separate subsystems. BSS NSS NMS

briefly explains the basics of the GSM system.

Table Of Contents
1.

Introduction to Mobile Communication

1.1 1.2 1.3 First Generation cellular system Second Generation (2G) cellular system Third Generation cellular (3G) system

2.

Global System for Mobile

2.1 2.2 2.3 Introduction GSM Architecture GSM Subsystem

3.

Cellular System Design in GSM

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Introduction Frequency Reuse Channel Assignment strategies Handover for successful Mobility Interference

4.

GSM Call Processing

4.1 4.2 4.3 Location Update Call set-up in a GSM network Transmission of Radio & communication channels

Introduction to Mobile Communication

The technology of communication & connecting people has evolved dramatically since Gugliemo Marconi first demonstrated radios ability to provide continuous contact with ships sailing the English Channel in 1897. The Fixed Wire line phone available in almost each & every home or office in the world is now considered obsolete. To keep up with the ever increasing pace of life, people need something that helps them stay connected to the world while they are mobile. Mobile telephony is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The ability to provide wireless communications to an entire population was considered impossible until Bell Laboratories developed the cellular concept in 1960s & 1970s. Wireless communications era was born in 1970s with the development of highly reliable, miniature, solid-state radio frequency hardware. The worlds first cellular system was implemented by Nippon Telephone & telegraph company (NTT) in Japan in 1979. This system uses 600 FM duplex channels (25 kHz for each one-way link) in the 800 MHz band.

1.1 First Generation Cellular System

Since the mid 1990s, the cellular communications industry has witnessed explosive growth. Mobile radio transmission systems may be classified as simplex, half duplex or full duplex. In simplex systems, communication is possible in only one direction.Full-duplex systems allow simultaneous radio transmission & reception between a subscriber & a base station, by providing two simultaneous but separate channels (FDD) or adjacent time slots on a single radio channel (TDD) for communication to & from user. 1st Generation Cellular Characteristics Widespread Introduction in early 1980s Analogue modulation Frequency Division Multiple Access Voice traffic only No inter-network roaming possible Insecure air interface

The First Generation Problems Problems with the analog systems included: Limited capacity could not cope with increase in subscribers Bulky equipment Poor reliability Lack of security air interface analogue signals could be intercepted Incompatibility between systems in different countries - no roaming To improve on the analog systems, the European Conference of Posts a Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) established Groupe Specia Mobile (GSM) to set a new standard The system developed became the Global System for Mobile Communications (also GSM)

1.2 Second Generation (2G) Cellular Networks

Second generation standards use digital modulation formats & TDMA/FDD & CDMA/FDD multiple access techniques. Time Division Duplexing (TDD) is based on the possibility of sharing a single radio channel in time, so that a portion of time is used to transmit from the base station to the mobile, & the remaining time is used to transmit from mobile to the base station. 2nd Generation Characteristics Widespread Introduction in 1990s Uses digital modulation Variety of multiple access strategies More efficient use of radio spectrum Voice and low rate circuit switched data International roaming capability Secure air interface Compatibility with ISDN

1.2.1

2.5 G Mobile Networks

2.5G Characteristics 2.5G Characteristics Available now... Digital modulation Voice and intermediate rate circuit/packet

switched data 2G technology roaming Secure air interface Based upon existing dominant 2G standards such as GSM and cdmaOne Enhanced data rates EDGE, a revision by the 3GPP organization to the older 2G GSM based transmission methods, utilizing the same switching nodes, basestation sites and frequencies as GPRS, but new basestation and cellphone RF circuits. It is based on the three times as efficient 8PSK modulation scheme as supplement to the original GMSK modulation scheme. EDGE is still used extensively due to its ease of upgrade from existing 2G GSM infrastructure and cell-phones.

Chapter 9 1. 2.5 G: 2.5G is a stepping stone between 2G and 3G cellular wireless technologies. The
term "second and a half generation" is used to describe 2G-systems that have implemented a packet switched domain in addition to thecircuit switched domain. It does not necessarily provide faster services because bundling of timeslots is used forcircuit switched data services (HSCSD) as well. The first major step in the evolution of GSM networks to 3G occurred with the introduction of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). CDMA2000 networks similarly evolved through the introduction of 1xRTT. The combination of these capabilities came to be known as 2.5G. GPRS could provide data rates from 56 kbit/s up to 115 kbit/s. It can be used for services such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and for Internet communication services such as email and World Wide Web access. GPRS data transfer is typically charged per megabyte of traffic transferred, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether the user actually is utilizing the capacity or is in an idle state. 1xRTT supports bi-directional (up and downlink) peak data rates up to 153.6 kbit/s, delivering an average user data throughput of 80-100 kbit/s in commercial networks.[3] It can also be used for WAP, SMS & MMS services, as well as Internet access

1.3 Third Generation (3G) wireless networks

3G is the technology for multi-megabit Internet access, communications using Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), voice activated calls or unparalleled network capacity. They aim to receive live music, conduct interactive web sessions & have simultaneous voice & data access. Wideband CDMA is a 3G technology also called Universal mobile telecommunications Services (UMTS).

3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications, is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT 2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union.[1] Application services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment. To meet the IMT-2000 standards, a system is required to provide peak data rates of at least 200 kbit/s. Recent 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers. The following standards are typically branded 3G: : China. EDGE , a revision by the 3GPP organization to the older 2G GSM based transmission The original and most widespread radio interface is called W-CDMA. The TD-SCDMA radio interface, was commercialised in 2009 and is only offered in

methods, utilizing the same switching nodes, basestation sites and frequencies as GPRS, but new basestation and cellphone RF circuits. It is based on the three times as efficient 8PSK modulation scheme as supplement to the original GMSK modulation scheme. EDGE is still used extensively due to its ease of upgrade from existing 2G GSM infrastructure and cell-phones. EDGE combined with the GPRS 2.5G technology is called EGPRS, and allows peak

data rates in the order of 200 kbit/s, just as the original UMTS WCDMA versions, and thus formally fullfills the IMT2000 requirements on 3G systems. However, in practice EDGE is seldom marketed as a 3G system, but a 2.9G system. EDGE shows slightly bettersystem spectral efficiency than the original UMTS and CDMA2000 systems, but it is difficult to reach much higher peak data rates due to the limited GSM spectral bandwidth of 200 kHz, and it is thus a dead end.

Global System for Mobile

2.1 INTRODUCTION

At the beginning of the 1980s it was realized that the European countries were using many different, incompatible mobile phone systems. At the same time, the need for telecommunication system was remarkably increasing. Due to this, CEPT (Conference European des Postes Et Telecommunications) founded a group to specify common mobile system for Western Europe. This was named GROUPE SPECIALE MOBILE & the system name GSM arose. The most common expression nowadays is Global System for Mobile communications. The specifications for this system are as follows: There should be several network operators for each country. This would lead to competition in tariffs & service provisioning & it was assumed to be the best way to ensure the rapid expansion of the GSM system; The price of the equipment will fall & the users would find the price reducing. The GSM system must be an open system, meaning that it should contain well-defined interfaces between system parts. This enables the equipments from several manufacturers to coexist & hence improves the cost efficiency of the system from the operator point of view. GSM networks must be built without causing any major changes to the already existing Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN).

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In addition to the commercial demands above, other main objectives were defined as: The system must be Pan European. The system must maintain a good speech quality. The system must use radio frequencies as efficiently as possible. The system must have high/adequate capacity. The system must be compatible with the ISDN & other data communication specifications. The system must maintain security concerning both subscriber & transmitted information.

Advantages of GSM GSM uses radio frequencies efficiently, and due to digital radio path, the system tolerates more intercell disturbances. The average quality of speech achieved is better than in analogue cellular systems. Data transmission is supported throughout the GSM system Speech is encrypted & subscriber information security is guaranteed. Due to the ISDN compatibility, new services are offered compared to the analogue systems. International roaming is technically possible within all countries using GSM system. The large market increases competition & lowers tariffs both for investment & usage.

2.2

GSM Architecture

Open Interfaces of GSM The purpose behind the GSM specifications is to define several open interfaces, which then are limiting certain parts of the GSM system. Because of this interface openness, the operator maintaining the network may obtain different parts of the network from different GSM network suppliers, which helps the economic aspects of implantation. A GSM network is composed of several functional entities, whose functions and interfaces are defined. GSM system defines 2 truly open interfaces. The first one is between the mobile station & the base station named AIR INTERFACE. The second one is between the mobile service 11

switching centre MSC & the Base Station Controller (BSC) called A INTERFACE. Intelligence between the interfaces increases with complications in the interface. Hence in GSM, the decentralized intelligence is implemented by dividing the whole network into three separate subsystems: Network Switching Subsystem (NSS): The actual network needed for establishing calls is composed of the NSS & BSS. NSS takes care of call control functions. Calls are connected by and through NSS Base Station Subsystem (BSS): It is responsible for radio path control & every call is connected through the BSS. Network Management Subsystem (NMS): it is the operation & maintenance related part of the network & it is needed for the control of the whole GSM network.

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BTS BTS BSC

HLR

VLR

AUC PSTN

MSC
ISDN BTS BSC

Data NW

NSS
BTS

BSS

OMC

NMS

Fig. 2.1 GSM Architecture

2.3

GSM Subsystems

The functions of the various subsystems NSS, BSS & NMS are as follows: 13

2.3.1 (NSS):

Network

Switching

Subsystem

Its elements are MSC (Mobile Services Switching Subsystem) VLR (Visitor Location Register) HLR (Home Location Register) The functions of NSS are: Call Control- It identifies the subscriber, establishes a call & clear the connection at the end Charging- This collects the charging information about a call such as the number of caller & called subscriber, the time & type of transaction & transfer it to the billing centre Mobility Management- It maintains the information about the location of subscriber. Signaling with other networks & BSS- This provides the interfacing with the BSS & PSTN Subscriber Data Handling- This is the permanent data storage in the HLR & Temporary data storage in the VLR Locating the subscriber- This locates a subscriber before establishing a call

2.3.2

Base Station Subsystem

Its elements are BSC (Base Station Controller)- This central element controls radio network. It handles connection between MSC & NSS, Mobility management, raw data collection, Air & A interfacing signaling support BTS (Base transceiver Station )- it maintains AIR interface signaling & speech processing TC (Transcoder)- It takes care of trans coding. It is capable of converting speech from 1 digital coding format to another & vice versa. The functions are: Radio Path Control- BSS controls radio resources. GSM specifications define 120 different parameters for each BTS which handle kind of handovers, paging organization, radio power level control & BTS Identification. BTS & TC control- BSC is capable of separating a BTS from network & collecting ALARM information. Synchronization- BSS uses hierarchical synchronization meaning MSC synchronizes BSC, which synchronizes BTS. If there is synchronization error, calls may be cut or call quality may not be best possible. AIR & A interfacing- it implements various protocols for 14

interfacing. Connection Establishment between MS & NSS- BSS is located between AIR & A interface. If a call has to be established, MS must have a connection through these two interfaces. Mobility Management & Speech transcodingHandovers & speech coding are managed. Collection of Statistical Data- BSS collects a lot of short term statistical data that is further sent to NMS for call processing.

2.3.3 (NMS):

Network Management Subsystem

It monitors various functions & elements of the network. It communicates with these elements over a Data Communication Network (DCN). Its functions are divided into three categories: Fault Management- Ensures smooth functioning & rapid fault repairs. It informs the operator about current status about the alarms & their history. Configuration Management- It maintains up to date info about the operation & configuration status about the network elements. It takes care of the radio network, software & hardware management of the network elements, time synchronization & security operations. Performance Management- NMS collects measurement data from individual elements & store them in a data base. Hence it helps to compare the real & planned performance.

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Cellular System Design in GSM

3.1 Introduction
Consider a Mobile system which uses a pair of simplex channels of two different frequencies for communication with a mobile phone. Thus each single subscriber would require a set of two different frequencies. If a city has even one lac subscriber, then the bandwidth required would be in the order of several MHz (100,000*2). If a circle contains several such cites, then the BW required will be extremely high. Unfortunately, there is a limit to everything & BW allotted for mobile communication by CEPT is no exception. This also makes the provision for more than one service provider in a circle impossible. The BW allotted for mobile communication is only 50 MHz. Hence a solution should be found out to accommodate ever increasing number of subscribers & service providers in the allotted BW. Reusing a frequency was an obvious solution. Providing a good coverage for uninterrupted service to the customers was another important issue. The design objective of the early mobile radio systems was to achieve a large coverage area by using a single, high powered transmitter with a tall antenna. While this approach achieved very good coverage, it also meant that it was impossible to reuse those same frequencies throughout the system, since any attempt to achieve frequency reuse would result in interference. The cellular concept was a major breakthrough in solving the problem of spectral congestion & user capacity. It offered very high capacity in a limited spectrum allocation without any major technological changes. The cellular concept allows to replace a single, high powered transmitter (large cell) with many low powered transmitters (small cells), each providing a coverage to only a small portion of the service area. Each base station is allocated a portion of the total number of channels available to the entire system, & nearby base stations are assigned different groups of channels so that all the available channels to a relatively small number of neighboring base stations. Hence the interference between neighboring cells is also minimized. As the demand for services increases (i.e. as more channels are needed within a particular market), the number of base stations may be increased (along with the corresponding decrease in the transmitted power to avoid added interference), thereby providing additional capacity with no additional increase in radio spectrums. This fundamental principle is the foundation for all modern wireless

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communication systems, since it enables fixed number of channels to serve an arbitrarily large number of subscribers by reusing the channels throughout the coverage area. The cellular concept also has the advantage of all the mobile handsets anywhere in the world to be manufactured with the same set of channels. 3.2

Frequency Reuse

Intelligent allocations & frequency reuse forms the basis of cellular radio system. Each cellular base station is allocated a group of radio channels to be used within a small geographical area called a cell. Base stations in adjacent cells are assigned channel groups which contain completely different channels than neighboring cells. By limiting the coverage area within the boundaries of a cell, the same group of channels may be used to cover different cells that are separated from one another by large distances enough to keep interference levels within tolerable limits. The design process of selecting & allocating channel groups for all of the cellular base stations within a system is called frequency reuse or frequency planning.

Fig. 3.1 Cellular frequency reuse where same letter indicate same frequency Figure 3.1 indicates frequency reuse concept, where cells labeled with the same letter use the same group of channels. The frequency reuse plan is overlaid upon a map to indicate where different frequency channels are used. The hexagonal cell shape is conceptual & simplistic model of the radio coverage for each base station, but it has been universally adopted since the hexagon permits easy & manageable analysis of a cellular system. The actual radio coverage of a cell is known as footprint & is determined from field measurements or propagation prediction models.

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A circular shape for representing a cell structure is not accepted (though a circle can accommodate largest area of all the basic symmetrical geometric shapes) because the area between adjacent circles cannot be overlaid upon a map without leaving gaps or creating overlapping regions, as is visible in the following figure:
Coverage less area

Fig 3.2 A failed circular shape cell concept Thus, when considering geometric shapes which cover entire region without overlap & with equal area, the choices are a square, an equilateral triangle & a hexagon. However any engineering problem must be considered taking into account the worst case. The worst cases in a cell are weakest mobiles within a footprint, & these are typically located at the edge of a cell. For a given distance between the center of a polygon & its farthest perimeter points, the hexagon has the largest area of the three (closest shape resembling a circle). Thus the hexagon geometry approximates a circular pattern which would occur for an omni directional base station antenna & free space propagation. 3.3

Handover for successful mobility

Maintaining the traffic connection with a moving subscriber is made possible with handover function. When a mobile moves into a different cell while a conversation is in progress, the MSC automatically transfers the call to a new channel belonging to the new base station. These handover operations involve identifying a new base station & require the voice & control signals be allocated to channels associated with the new base station. Processing handoffs is an important task in mobile system because without it mobility cannot be implemented. Handovers must be performed successfully & as infrequently as possible, & be imperceptible to the users. In order to meet these requirements, system designers must specify an optimum signal level at which to initiate a handover. Once a particular signal level is specified as the minimum usable signal for acceptable voice quality at the base station receiver (normally taken as between -90 dBm & -100 dBm), a slightly stronger signal level is

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used as a threshold at which a handover is made. This margin given by:

Delta D = P R HANDOFF - P

R MINIMUM

This margin cannot be too large or too small. If D is too large, unnecessary handovers which burdens MSC may occur. If D is too small, there may be insufficient time to complete a handover before a call is lost due to weak signal. Hence D is chosen carefully to meet these conflicting requirements. Let us analyze this thing graphically. Consider a mobile is moving from place A (in cell coverage 1) to place B (in cell coverage 2) as shown below. To maintain this moving call, handover of the call has to be highly precise in time.

Cell 1 A B

Cell 2

Fig 3.3a A call requiring a handoff

3.4 Interference
Interference is the major limiting factor in the performance of cellular system. Sources of interference include another mobile phone in the same cell, a call in progress in a neighboring cell, other base stations operating in the same frequency band, or any non cellular system which inadvertently, leaks energy into the cellular band. Interference on voice channels causes cross talk, where the subscriber hears interference in the background due to an undesired transmission. Interference on control channels leads to missed & blocked calls due to errors in the digital signaling.

Interference is more severe in urban areas, due to greater RF noise floor & the large number of base station mobiles. It is a major culprit for being a bottleneck in increasing capacity & is often responsible for

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dropped calls. The two major types of system-generated cellular interference are Co Channel Interference Adjacent Channel Interference

Controlling interference from out of band users, which arises without warning due to front end overload of subscriber equipment or intermittent intermodulation products, is most difficult to control. A major source of out-of-band interference is a transmitter from competing cellular providers carriers, since competitors often locate their base stations in close proximity to one another in order to provide comparable coverage to customers. 3.5.1 Co-Channel Interference. Frequency reuse applies that in a given coverage area there are several cells that use the same set of frequencies. These cells are called co-channel cells, & the interference between signals from these cells is called co-channel interference. Unlike thermal noise which can be overcome by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), co channel interference cannot be combated by simply increasing carrier power of a transmitter. This is because an increase in carrier power increases the interference to neighboring cochannel cells. To reduce co-channel interference, co-channels must be physically separated by a minimum distance to provide sufficient isolation due to propagation.

3.5.2

Adjacent channel interference

Interference resulting from signals which are adjacent in frequency to the desired signal is called adjacent channel interference. It results from imperfect receiver filters, which allow nearby frequencies to leak into the passband. In the near-far effect, an adjacent channel user is transmitting in very close range to subscribers base station on a desired channel. Alternatively, the near-far effect occurs when a mobile close to a base station transmits on a channel close to one being used by a weak mobile. The base station may have difficulty in discriminating the desired mobile user from the bleedover caused by the close adjacent channel. Mobile. Adjacent channel interference can be minimized through careful filtering & channel assignments. Since each cell s given only a fraction of the available channels, a cell need not be assigned channels which are all adjacent in frequency. Hence by keeping the frequency separation as large as possible adjacent channel interference can be minimized. Base station receivers are 20

preceded by a high Q cavity filter in order to reject adjacent channel interference.

GSM Call Processing

Connecting People is the basic service of all telephone networks. Hence a network must be able to set up & maintain a call which involves a number of tasks: Identifying the called person Determining the location Routing the call to him Ensuring that the connection is sustained as long as the conversation lasts. After the transaction, the connection is terminated & calling user is charged for the service he has used.

In a fixed telephone network, providing & managing connections is a relatively easy process because telephones are connected by wires to the network & their location is permanent. In a mobile network, the establishment of call is a far more complex task as the wireless connection enables the user to move at their own free will providing they stay within the service area network.

4.1 Registration & Database

To establish a call in GSM system, the network has to find out solutions to three problems: Where is the subscriber Who is the subscriber What does the subscriber want

The subscriber has to be located & identified to provide him with the requested service. Consider the following example to understand the process: A well known engineer is traveling around the world. He decides to spend a night in a hotel in Surat. The first thing he will do is to contact at the reception desk for registration. Basically, the reception desk is an office that supports registration. The receptionists records the registration in a database which we call the visitors register.

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The receptionist carefully checks the passport of engineer. The passport is also a Database. She finds the basic facts such as citizenship, identification & his name & name of the issuing authority. The receptionist contacts the embassy issuing this passport & informs them about the engineer. Then he is admitted into the hotel & the embassy of the engineers country notes down the latest information about his location. In other words, this is a transaction between the two offices, & as a result, Identification & Localization of the customer takes place in both the databases. In this example, the embassy maintains the database which contains the basic data of all citizens who are traveling around the world & record their movements. When the registration is completed, the engineer goes to his room. We can say that he is using the service provided by the hotel. As all the hotels in the world give this type of service which is called basic service & the additional service provided is called supplementary services. Now the engineer leaves this place & goes to another place. He registers in the hotel & once again the receptionist informs the embassy in the home country. Registration in Surat is cancelled & new registration is made & the location data in the home register is brought up to date. We have thus made a successful location update. The register of the embassy in engineers home country resembles the HOME LOCATION REGISTER (HLR) in the GSM system. The hotels register resembles the VISITOR LOCATION REGISTER (VLR) in the GSM system.

The network keeps track of the subscribers location with the help of databases. Let us study the various databases of GSM system in detail.

4.1.1 MODULE

The

SUBSCRIBER (SIM card)

IDENTITY

From the users point of view, the first & most important database is inside the mobile phone. This is known as the SIM Subscriber 22

Identity Module. It is a small memory device mounted on a card & contains user specific identification. The SIM card be taken out of one mobile equipment & inserted into another. In the GSM network, SIM card identifies the user just like the passport in the above example. The SIM card contains the Identification number of user. a list of service that the user has subscribed to . a list of available network. Tools needed for authentication & ciphering depending on the type card. Storage space for messages such as phone number & SMS.

A home operator issues a SIM card when user joins the network by making a service subscription. The home operator of the subscriber can be anywhere in the world but for practical reasons, the subscriber chose one of the operator in the country where he spends most of his time. 4.1.2 The HOME LOCATION REGISTER (HLR) The home operator of the subscriber also needs to know the location of the subscriber & so it maintains another register just as the embassy in above example which is called a Home Location Register (HLR). The HLR stores the basic data of the subscriber on permanent basis. The only variable data in the HLR is the current location (VLR address) of subscriber. 4.1.3 The VISITOR LOCATION REGISTER (VLR) A complete coverage area of a service area is provided is divided further into smaller area each maintaining its own Visiting Location Register (VLR). The VLR keeps track of the subscribers in that particular area. The VLR is integrated into Mobile Switching Centre (MSC). However in the VLR, the subscriber data is stored temporarily. When the subscriber moves to another VLR area, its data is erased from old VLR & stored in the new VLR.

4.2 Location Update:

No matter how often or how quickly a mobile user moves, the network must be able to locate him continuously. The transaction 23

that enables the network to keep track of subscriber is called location update. The mobile constantly receives the information sent by the network. This information includes Identification of the current VLR area which it stores in its memory. Every time the network broadcasts the ID of the area, mobile compares this information to the area ID stored in its memory. When the 2 IDs are no longer same, the mobile sends a request to the network i.e. a registration enquiry to the area it has just entered. The network on receiving this, registers the mobile in new VLR area. Simultaneously the subscribers HLR is informed about the new VLR location & the data concerning the subscriber is cleared from the previous VLR.

HLR

VLR MSC (OLD)

VLR MSC (NEW)

Location update Mobile moves

SIM

Fig 4.1 Elements involved in location update.

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MS

BSS

MSC

VLR

HLR

Location Update Request

Request Subscriber ID

Send Subscriber ID Request Subscriber INFO

Send Subscriber INFO Authentication

Authentication Response All OK, HLR UPDATE

Fig. 4.2 Location Update procedures In this way network can keep track of the subscriber all the time, however, that is only a part of the job!

GSM Identifiers
IMEI International Mobile Equipment Identifier IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identifier TMSI Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity MSISDN Mobile Subscriber ISDN number MSRN Mobile Station Roaming Number LAI Location Area Identity CI Cell Identifier BSIC Base Station Identity Cod

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IMEI International Mobile Equipment Identifier. The IMEI is an internationally-unique serial number allocated to the MS hardware at the time of manufacture. It is registered by the network operaand (optionally) stored in the AuC for validation purposes. IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identifier When a subscriber registers with a network operator, a unique subscriber IMSI identifier is issued and stored in the SIM of the MS. An MS can only function fully if it is operated with a valid SIM inserted into an <MS with a valid IMEI. TMSI Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity A TMSI is used to protect the true identity (IMSI) of a subscriber. It is issue by and stored within a VLR (not in the HLR) when an IMSI attach takes pla or a Location Area (LA) update takes place. At the MS it is stored in the M SIM. The issued TMSI only has validity within a specific LA. MSISDN Mobile Subscriber ISDN number The MSISDN represents the true or dialled number associated with the subscriber. It is assigned to the subscriber by the network operator at registration and is stored in the SIM. It is possible for an MS to hold multip MSISDNs, each associated with a different service. MSRN Mobile Station Roaming Number The MSRN is a temporary, location-dependant ISDN number issued by the parent VLR to all MSs within its area of responsibility. It is stored in the VLR and associated HLR but not in the MS. The MSRN is used by the VLRassociated MSC for call routing within the MSC/VLR service area. LAI Location Area Identity Each Location Area within the PLMN has an associated internationallyunique identifier (LAI). The LAI is broadcast regularly by BTSs on the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH), thus uniquely identifying each cell with an associated LA. The purpose of LAs is covered later in this course. CI Cell Identifier The CI an identifier assigned to each cell within a network. However, the CI is only unique within a specific Location Area. When combined with the internationally unique LAI for its associated LA, the Global Cell Identity (GCI) is produced which is also internationally unique. BSIC Base Station Identity Code Each BTS is issued with a unique identity, the BSIC and is used to distinguish neighbouring BTSs.

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4.3

Call Set up in a GSM network

Let us study the process involved in setting up calls to & from the mobile phones. There are various cases.

4.3.1

Call from fixed landline phone to a GSM phone

The steps when a call is made from fixed landline network to GSM phone are: 1. A subscriber in a fixed network dials to mobile station. The dialed no. is called MSISDN (Mobile Subscriber International ISDN Number) which is MSISDN = CC + NDC + SN CC - Country Code which is ++91 for India NDC - National Destination Code like 9898x for Airtel in Gujarat SN - Subscriber Number which is a five digit 2. The PSTN exchange analyses the dialed no. for finding mobile network in which the called subscriber has made subscription. The PSTN identifies the mobile network on basis of NDC after which it accesses the mobile network via nearest Gateway Mobile Switching Centre (GMSC). the his the the

3. The GMSC analyses the MSISDN in the same way as the PSTN exchange did. Hence it obtains the HLR address in which the subscriber is permanently registered. This can only be determined by the two databases HLR & VLR. At this stage, the GMSC only knows the HLR address & so sends a message (MSISDN) to the HLR. This is called HLR Enquiry. 4. The HLR identifies the called subscriber & checks its database to determine the subscriber location. HLR knows in which VLR the subscriber is currently registered. HLR is regularly updated about the mobiles present VLR through location update procedure. A speech connection is a network service & it can be handled by an MSC only. Therefore to enable a traffic connection, may be 2 MSCs will have to be connected GMSC (contacted by PSTN network) & 27

destination MSC. HLR acts as a coordinator between the GMSC & Destination MSC. The HLR database has following fields: HLR MSISDN : IMSI : VLR address Subscriber data : ++91 98980 59784 404 98 9898059784 xyz services

Here identification involved is International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMSI) to identify the subscriber in the mobile network (length 15 digits) MCC : Mobile Country Code (three digits e.g. 404 for INDIA) MNC : Mobile Network Code (two digits e.g. 98 for AIRTEL) MSIN : Mobile subscriber Identification Identity (Ten digits) Why is IMSI used for network registration rather than MSISDN alone?? --- The length of the country code is different for each no. during international roaming. If the MSISDN number were used for registration, then we would also need a length indicator for each field to prevent the various parts of number from getting mixed up. Hence if the length of the field is fixed, no extra field is needed. Also, MSISDN identifies the service used as speech, data fax etc. Therefore one subscriber may have several MSISDNs depending on the services he uses, but only one IMSI. 5. Now the HLR interrogates the MSC/VLR that is currently serving the called subscriber. This step is required because the current status of the mobile station is stored in the VLR database & we need to know the status to avoid setting up a call to a subscriber whose phone is switched off. Also, we need to have some sort of information that enables the GMSC to route the call to the target MSC, wherever it is. 6. After receiving the message from HLR, the serving MSC/VLR generates temporary Mobile Station Roaming Number (MSRN) & associates with the IMSI. The roaming number is used in initiating the connection:

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MSRN = CC + NDC + SN Though the MSRN & the MSISDN have same structure, the MSISDN is used to interrogate the HLR, whereas the MSRN is the response given by the serving MSC/VLR & it is used for routing the call. The SN field of MSRN is actually an internal number that is temporarily associated with the IMSI. The MSRN doesnt merely identify the subscriber, it also points to exchange itself so that all intermediate exchanges, if there are any, know where the call is to be routed. Since the roaming no. is temporary, it is available for establishing other traffic connections after the call has been set up. Hence the SN field in the MSISDN points to the database entry in the HLR & the SN field in MSRN points to the database entry in VLR. 7. The MSC/VLR sends the roaming number to HLR but it doesnt analyze it because MSRN is used for traffic transactions only & the HLR doesnt handle traffic. It is only a database that helps in locating subscribers & coordinates call set up. Therefore HLR simply sends the MSRN forward to the GMSC that originally initiated the process. 8. When the GMSC receives the message containing the MSRN, it analyses the message. The roaming number identifies location of the subscriber- this routing process identifies the destination of the call- the serving MSC/VLR. 9. The final phase of routing process is taken care of by the serving MSC/VLR. In fact, the serving MSC/VLR also has to receive the roaming number so that it knows that it is not a new call but one that is going to terminate here. By checking the VLR it recognizes the number & so it is able to trace the called subscriber 10. Once the location area LA is found out, the destination MSC/VLR initiates a paging process to locate the subscriber. The GMSC/VLR & MSC/VLR has now been connected via a traffic & signaling channel & the call set up has almost been completed. The caller is connected to the PSTN exchange, PSTN is connected to the GMSC & the GMSC is connected to the MSC/VLR that is serving the called subscriber but we have not yet established the connection to the called subscriber. In order to set up the connection we have to understand how the subscriber is located.

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As we do not know the exact location of the subscriber, it seems inevitable that we have to search for him in the entire VLR service area. This could be a wide geographical area & so finding a subscriber requires a lot of work for MSC/VLR. Hence dividing the area in smaller sections is a better option. This is called a location area managed by MSC/VLR. Each VLR contains several location areas. We can find the location area in which we search for the subscriber in case there is a call addressed to a mobile station. VLR contains following data: IMSI LAC DATA MSRN 404 98 9898059784 404 98 8976 abc 123 45 678901

Each LA is defined by a location area identity LAI = MCC + MNC + LAC MCC Mobile Country Code MNC - Mobile Network Code LAC - Location Area Code

4.3.2

Mobile originated call

The mobile subscriber dials a number & sends a request to network in which he is currently registered as a visitor. After receiving the request, the network analyses the data of the calling subscriber in order to do three things: Authorize the use of the network Activate the requested service Route the call

Call may have 2 types of destination: Mobile stations or A fixed line phone. If the call is addressed to a fixed line network, it is routed to PSTN which in turn routes to the destination. If the call is to a mobile in the same network, the MSC starts the HLR enquiry procedure as above. The following diagram

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PSTN

GMSC

HLR

MSC

VLR

BSS

MS

1.Channel assignment

2.Security procedures

3 Call Set up

4 check services

5 all ok 6. call is proceeding 7 traffic channel allocated

8. set up the call

9.call set up complete

10.alert

11 voice transfer

Fig 4.3 Mobile originated call procedure

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4.4 Transmission of radio & terrestrial channels

In a mobile communication network, part of the transmission connection network uses a radio link & another part uses 2 Mbit/s PCM (E1 carrier system). Radio Transmission is used between the mobile station & the base transceiver station & the information must to be adapted to be carried over 2Mbit/s PCM transmission to the remainder of the network. The frequency ranges of GSM 900, GSM 1900 & GSM 1800 are indicated below:

BAND GSM 900: GSM 1800 GSM 1900

UPLINK 890 915 MHz 1710 1785 MHz 1850 1910 MHz

DOWNLINK 935 960 MHz 1805 1880 MHz 1930 1990 MHz

Bharti Cellular Ltd. (Airtel) has been assigned the GSM 1800 Band for its operations in Gujarat. The radio carrier frequencies are arranged in pairs . In GSM 900 it is 45 MHz & in 1800 it is 95 MHz. The number of channels can be found out by: GSM 900: BW = 25 MHz, Channel width = 200 KHz Channels = 25 M / 200 k = 125 But 1 is used for channeling Hence total channels = 124 GSM 1800: BW = 75 MHz, Channel width = 200 KHz Channels = 75 M / 200 k = 375 But 1 is used for channeling Hence total channels = 374 GSM 1900 : BW = 60 MHz, Channel width = 200 KHz Channels = 60 M / 200 k = 300 But 1 is used for channeling

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Hence total channels = 299 Why is Downlink higher than Uplink frequency ?? -. The higher the frequency, higher is the attenuation & hence higher power is required. Since BTS has big electrical power source while MS has a small battery, BTS is made to operate at higher frequency.

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CONCLUSION:We have come a way ahead in terms of telecommunication starting from 1G to 3G.Now communicating people through mobile has become an easy task and a part of one life.Every new technology bring with its new facilities & improvements to mobile world.In this roject I have studied about the moble communication and the basic funadamentals of GSM system which is the most widespread moble communication system. GSM has taken more and more of the market.GSM allows users to roam seamlessly between networks and seprate the user identity from phone equipment

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References:BOOKS: B.P.Lathi(Modern Digital & Analog Comunicaton System) Theodore S. Rappaport(Wireless Communication)

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