The GSM technical specifications define the different elements within the GSM network

architecture. It defines the different elements and the ways in which they interact to enable the
overall system operation to be maintained.
The GSM network architecture is now well established and with the other later cellular systems
now established and other new ones being deployed, the basic GSM network architecture has
been updated to interface to the network elements required by these systems.
Despite the developments of the newer systems, the basic GSM system architecture has been
maintained, and the network elements described below perform the same functions as they did
when the original GSM system was launched in the early 1990s.GSM network architecture
elements
The GSM network architecture as defined in the GSM specifications can be grouped into four
main areas:

Mobile station (MS)

Base-Station Subsystem (BSS)

Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS)

Operation and Support Subsystem (OSS)

The different elements of the GSM network operate together and the user is not aware of the
different entities within the system.
A basic diagram of the overall GSM system architecture with these four major elements is
shown below:

Simplified GSM Network Architecture Diagram

Mobile station
Mobile stations (MS), mobile equipment (ME) or as they are most widely known, cell or mobile
phones are the section of a GSM cellular network that the user sees and operates. In recent
years their size has fallen dramatically while the level of functionality has greatly increased. A
further advantage is that the time between charges has significantly increased.
There are a number of elements to the CELL PHONE , although the two main elements are
the main hardware and the SIM.
The hardware itself contains the main elements of the mobile PHONE including the display,
case, battery, and the electronics used to generate the signal, and process the data receiver
and to be transmitted. It also contains a number known as the International Mobile Equipment
Identity (IMEI). This is installed in the phone at manufacture and "cannot" be changed. It is
accessed by the network during registration to check whether the equipment has been
reported as stolen.
The SIM or Subscriber Identity Module contains the information that provides the identity of the
user to the network. It contains are variety of information including a number known as the
International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).

Base Station Subsystem (BSS)

The Base Station Subsystem (BSS) section of the GSM network architecture that is
fundamentally associated with communicating with the mobiles on the network. It consists of
two elements:

Base Transceiver Station (BTS): The BTS used in a GSM network comprises the
radio transmitter receivers, and their associated antennas that transmit and receive to
directly communicate with the mobiles. The BTS is the defining element for each cell.
The BTS communicates with the mobiles and the interface between the two is known
as the Um interface with its associated protocols.

Base Station Controller (BSC): The BSC forms the next stage back into the GSM
network. It controls a group of BTSs, and is often co-located with one of the BTSs in its
group. It manages the radio resources and controls items such as handover within the
group of BTSs, allocates channels and the like. It communicates with the BTSs over
what is termed the Abis interface.

Network Switching Subsystem (NSS)

The GSM system architecture contains a variety of different elements, and is often termed the
core network. It provides the main control and interfacing for the whole mobile network. The
major elements within the core network include:

Mobile Switching services Centre (MSC):

The main element within the core

network area of the overall GSM network architecture is the Mobile switching Services
Centre (MSC). The MSC acts like a normal switching node within a PSTN or ISDN, but
also provides additional functionality to enable the requirements of a mobile user to be
supported. These include registration, authentication, call location, inter-MSC
handovers and call routing to a mobile subscriber. It also provides an interface to the
PSTN so that calls can be routed from the mobile network to a phone connected to a
landline. Interfaces to other MSCs are provided to enable calls to be made to mobiles
on different networks.

Home Location Register (HLR):

This database contains all the administrative

information about each subscriber along with their last known location. In this way, the
GSM network is able to route calls to the relevant base station for the MS. When a user
switches on their PHONE , the phone registers with the network and from this it is
possible to determine which BTS it communicates with so that incoming calls can be
routed appropriately. Even when the phone is not active (but switched on) it re-registers
periodically to ensure that the network (HLR) is aware of its latest position. There is
one HLR per network, although it may be distributed across various sub-centres to for
operational reasons.

Visitor Location Register (VLR): This contains selected information from the HLR
that enables the selected services for the individual subscriber to be provided. The VLR
can be implemented as a separate entity, but it is commonly realised as an integral part
of the MSC, rather than a separate entity. In this way access is made faster and more
convenient.

Equipment Identity Register (EIR):

The EIR is the entity that decides whether a

given mobile equipment may be allowed onto the network. Each mobile equipment has
a number known as the International Mobile Equipment Identity. This number, as
mentioned above, is installed in the equipment and is checked by the network during
registration. Dependent upon the information held in the EIR, the mobile may be
allocated one of three states - allowed onto the network, barred access, or monitored in
case its problems.

Authentication Centre (AuC):

The AuC is a protected database that contains the

secret key also contained in the user's SIM card. It is used for authentication and for
ciphering on the radio channel.

Gateway Mobile Switching Centre (GMSC): The GMSC is the point to which a ME
terminating call is initially routed, without any knowledge of the MS's location. The
GMSC is thus in charge of obtaining the MSRN (Mobile Station Roaming Number) from
the HLR based on the MSISDN (Mobile Station ISDN number, the "directory number"
of a MS) and routing the call to the correct visited MSC. The "MSC" part of the term
GMSC is misleading, since the gateway operation does not require any linking to an
MSC.

SMS Gateway (SMS-G):

The SMS-G or SMS gateway is the term that is used to

collectively describe the two Short Message Services Gateways defined in the GSM
standards. The two gateways handle messages directed in different directions. The
SMS-GMSC (Short Message Service Gateway Mobile Switching Centre) is for short
messages being sent to an ME. The SMS-IWMSC (Short Message Service InterWorking Mobile Switching Centre) is used for short messages originated with a mobile
on that network. The SMS-GMSC role is similar to that of the GMSC, whereas the
SMS-IWMSC provides a fixed access point to the Short Message Service Centre.

Operation and Support Subsystem (OSS)

The OSS or operation support subsystem is an element within the overall GSM network
architecture that is connected to components of the NSS and the BSC. It is used to control and
monitor the overall GSM network and it is also used to control the traffic load of the BSS. It
must be noted that as the number of BS increases with the scaling of the subscriber population
some of the maintenance tasks are transferred to the BTS, allowing savings in the cost of
ownership of the system

One of the key elements of a mobile PHONE or cellular telecommunications system, is that
the system is split into many small cells to provide good frequency re-use and coverage.
However as the mobile moves out of one cell to another it must be possible to retain the
connection. The process by which this occurs is known as handover or handoff. The term
handover is more widely used within Europe, whereas handoff tends to be use more in North
America. Either way, handover and handoff are the same process.
GSM uses a variety of channels in which the data is carried. In GSM, these channels are
separated into physical channels and logical channels. The Physical channels are determined
by the timeslot, whereas the logical channels are determined by the information carried within
the physical channel. It can be further summarised by saying that several recurring timeslots
on a carrier constitute a physical channel. These are then used by different logical channels to
transfer information. These channels may either be used for user data (payload) or signalling to
enable the system to operate correctly.

Common and dedicated channels

The channels may also be divided into common and dedicated channels. The forward common
channels are used for paging to inform a mobile of an incoming call, responding to channel
requests, and broadcasting bulletin board information. The return common channel is a
random access channel used by the mobile to request channel resources before timing
information is conveyed by the BSS.
The dedicated channels are of two main types: those used for signalling, and those used for
traffic. The signalling channels are used for maintenance of the call and for enabling call set
up, providing facilities such as handover when the call is in progress, and finally terminating the
call. The traffic channels handle the actual payload.
The following logical channels are defined in GSM:
TCHf - Full rate traffic channel.
TCH h - Half rate traffic channel.
BCCH - Broadcast Network information, e.g. for describing the current control channel
structure. The BCCH is a point-to-multipoint channel (BSS-to-MS).
SCH - Synchronisation of the MSs.

FCHMS - frequency correction.

AGCH - Acknowledge channel requests from MS and allocate a SDCCH.
PCHMS - terminating call announcement.
RACHMS - access requests, response to call announcement, location update, etc.
FACCHt - For time critical signalling over the TCH (e.g. for handover signalling). Traffic burst is
stolen for a full signalling burst.
SACCHt - TCH in-band signalling, e.g. for link monitoring.
SDCCH - For signalling exchanges, e.g. during call setup, registration / location updates.
FACCHs - FACCH for the SDCCH. The SDCCH burst is stolen for a full signalling burst.
Function not clear in the present version of GSM (could be used for e.g. handover of an eightrate channel, i.e. using a "SDCCH-like" channel for other purposes than signalling).
SACCHs - SDCCH in-band signalling, e.g. for link monitoring.

GSM INTERFACE
One of the key elements of the development of the GSM, Global System for Mobile
Communications was the development of the GSM air interface. There were many
requirements that were placed on the system, and many of these had a direct impact on the air
interface. Elements including the modulation, GSM slot structure, burst structure and the like
were all devised to provide the optimum performance.
During the development of the GSM standard very careful attention was paid to aspects
including the modulation format, the way in which the system is time division multiplexed, all
had a considerable impact on the performance of the system as a whole. For example, the
modulation format for the GSM air interface had a direct impact on battery life and the time
division format adopted enabled the cellphone handset costs to be considerably reduced as
detailed later.

GSM signal and GMSK modulation characteristics

The core of any radio based system is the format of the radio signal itself. The carrier is
modulated using a form of phase sift keying known as Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying
(GMSK). GMSK was used for the GSM system for a variety of reasons:

It is resilient to noise when compared to many other forms of modulation.

Radiation outside the accepted bandwidth is lower than other forms of phase shift
keying.

It has a constant power level which allows higher efficiency RF power amplifiers to be
used in the handset, thereby reducing current consumption and conserving battery life.

Note on GMSK:
GMSK, Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying is a form of phase modulation that is used in a number of portable
radio and wireless applications. It has advantages in terms of spectral efficiency as well as having an almost
constant amplitude which allows for the use of more efficient transmitter power amplifiers, thereby saving on
current consumption, a critical issue for battery power equipment.

Click on the link for a GMSK tutorial

The nominal bandwidth for the GSM signal using GMSK is 200 kHz, i.e. the channel bandwidth
and spacing is 200 kHz. As GMSK modulation has been used, the unwanted or spurious
emissions outside the nominal bandwidth are sufficiently low to enable adjacent channels to be
used from the same base station. Typically each base station will be allocated a number of
carriers to enable it to achieve the required capacity.
The data transported by the carrier serves up to eight different users under the basic system by
splitting the carrier into eight time slots. The basic carrier is able to support a data throughput
of approximately 270 kbps, but as some of this supports the management overhead, the data
rate allotted to each time slot is only 24.8 kbps. In addition to this error correction is required to
overcome the problems of interference, fading and general data errors that may occur. This
means that the available data rate for transporting the digitally encoded speech is 13 kbps for
the basic vocoders.

GSM slot structure and multiple access scheme

GSM uses a combination of both TDMA and FDMA techniques. The FDMA element involves
the division by frequency of the (maximum) 25 MHz bandwidth into 124 carrier frequencies
spaced 200 kHz apart as already described.

The carriers are then divided in time, using a TDMA scheme. This enables the different users
of the single radio frequency channel to be allocated different times slots. They are then able to
use the same RF channel without mutual interference. The slot is then the time that is allocated
to the particular user, and the GSM burst is the transmission that is made in this time.
Each GSM slot, and hence each GSM burst lasts for 0.577 mS (15/26 mS). Eight of these
burst periods are grouped into what is known as a TDMA frame. This lasts for approximately
4.615 ms (i.e.120/26 ms) and it forms the basic unit for the definition of logical channels. One
physical channel is one burst period allocated in each TDMA frame.
There are different types of frame that are transmitted to carry different data, and also the
frames are organised into what are termed multiframes and superframes to provide overall
synchronisation.

GSM slot structure

These GSM slot is the smallest individual time period that is available to each mobile. It has a
defined format because a variety of different types of data are required to be transmitted.
Although there are shortened transmission bursts, the slots is normally used for transmitting
148 bits of information. This data can be used for carrying voice data, control and
synchronisation data.

GSM slots showing offset between transmit and receive

It can be seen from the GSM slot structure that the timing of the slots in the uplink and the
downlink are not simultaneous, and there is a time offset between the transmit and receive.
This offset in the GSM slot timing is deliberate and it means that a mobile that which is
allocated the same slot in both directions does not transmit and receive at the same time. This
considerably reduces the need for expensive filters to isolate the transmitter from the receiver.
It also provides a space saving.

GSM burst
The GSM burst, or transmission can fulfil a variety of functions. Some GSM bursts are used for
carrying data while others are used for control information. As a result of this a number of
different types of GSM burst are defined.

Normal burst uplink and downlink

Synchronisation burst downlink

Frequency correction burst downlink

Random Access (Shortened Burst) uplink

GSM normal burst

This GSM burst is used for the standard communications between the basestation and the
mobile, and typically transfers the digitised voice data.
The structure of the normal GSM burst is exactly defined and follows a common format. It
contains data that provides a number of different functions:
1. 3 tail bits: These tail bits at the start of the GSM burst give time for the transmitter to
ramp up its power
2. 57 data bits: This block of data is used to carry information, and most often contains
the digitised voice data although on occasions it may be replaced with signalling
information in the form of the Fast Associated Control CHannel (FACCH). The type of
data is indicated by the flag that follows the data field
3. 1 bit flag: This bit within the GSM burst indicates the type of data in the previous field.
4. 26 bits training sequence: This training sequence is used as a timing reference and
for equalisation. There is a total of eight different bit sequences that may be used, each
26 bits long. The same sequence is used in each GSM slot, but nearby base stations
using the same radio frequency channels will use different ones, and this enables the
mobile to differentiate between the various cells using the same frequency.
5. 1 bit flag Again this flag indicates the type of data in the data field.
6. 57 data bits Again, this block of data within the GSM burst is used for carrying data.
7. 3 tail bits These final bits within the GSM burst are used to enable the transmitter
power to ramp down. They are often called final tail bits, or just tail bits.

8. 8.25 bits guard time At the end of the GSM burst there is a guard period. This is
introduced to prevent transmitted bursts from different mobiles overlapping. As a result
of their differing distances from the base station.

GSM Normal Burst

GSM synchronisation burst

The purpose of this form of GSM burst is to provide synchronisation for the mobiles on the
network.
1. 3 tail bits: Again, these tail bits at the start of the GSM burst give time for the
transmitter to ramp up its power
2. 39 bits of information:
3. 64 bits of a Long Training Sequence:
4. 39 bits Information:
5. 3 tail bits Again these are to enable the transmitter power to ramp down.
6. 8.25 bits guard time: to act as a guard interval.

GSM Synchronisation Burst

GSM frequency correction burst

With the information in the burst all set to zeros, the burst essentially consists of a constant
frequency carrier with no phase alteration.
1. 3 tail bits: Again, these tail bits at the start of the GSM burst give time for the
transmitter to ramp up its power.
2. 142 bits all set to zero:

3. 3 tail bits Again these are to enable the transmitter power to ramp down.
4. 8.25 bits guard time: to act as a guard interval.

GSM Frequency Correction Burst

GSM random access burst

This form of GSM burst used when accessing the network and it is shortened in terms of the
data carried, having a much longer guard period. This GSM burst structure is used to ensure
that it fits in the time slot regardless of any severe timing problems that may exist. Once the
mobile has accessed the network and timing has been aligned, then there is no requirement
for the long guard period.
1. 7 tail bits: The increased number of tail bits is included to provide additional margin
when accessing the network.
2. 41 training bits:
3. 36 data bits:
4. 3 tail bits Again these are to enable the transmitter power to ramp down.
5. 69.25 bits guard time: The additional guard time, filling the remaining time of the
GSM burst provides for large timing differences.

GSM Random Access Burst

GSM discontinuous transmission (DTx)

A further power saving and interference reducing facility is the discontinuous transmission
(DTx) capability that is incorporated within the specification. It is particularly useful because
there are long pauses in speech, for example when the person using the mobile is listening,
and during these periods there is no need to transmit a signal. In fact it is found that a person
speaks for less than 40% of the time during normal telephone conversations. The most
important element of DTx is the Voice Activity Detector. It must correctly distinguish between

voice and noise inputs, a task that is not trivial. If a voice signal is misinterpreted as noise, the
transmitter is turned off an effect known as clipping results and this is particularly annoying to
the person listening to the speech. However if noise is misinterpreted as a voice signal too
often, the efficiency of DTX is dramatically decreased.
It is also necessary for the system to add background or comfort noise when the transmitter is
turned off because complete silence can be very disconcerting for the listener. Accordingly this
is added as appropriate. The noise is controlled by the SID (silence indication descriptor).

GSM band allocations

There is a total of fourteen different recognised GSM frequency bands. These are defined in
3GPP TS 45.005.
BAND

UPLINK
(MHZ)

DOWNLINK
(MHZ)

COMMENTS

380

380.2 389.8

390.2 - 399.8

410

410.2 419.8

420.2 - 429.8

450

450.4 457.6

460.4 - 467.6

480

478.8 486.0

488.8 - 496.0

710

698.0 716.0

728.0 - 746.0

750

747.0 762.0

777.0 - 792.0

810

806.0 821.0

851.0 - 866.0

850

824.0 849.0

869.0 - 894.0

900

890.0 915.0

935.0 - 960.0

P-GSM, i.e. Primary or standard

GSM allocation

900

880.0 915.0

925.0 - 960.0

E-GSM, i.e. Extended GSM

allocation

900

876.0 - 915

921.0 - 960.0

R-GSM, i.e. Railway GSM

allocation

BAND

UPLINK
(MHZ)

DOWNLINK
(MHZ)

900

870.4 876.0

915.4 - 921.0

1800

1710.0 1785.0

1805.0 1880.0

1900

1850.0 1910.0

1930.0 1990.0

COMMENTS

T-GSM

GSM frequency band usage

The usage of the different frequency bands varies around the globe although there is a large
degree of standardisation. The GSM frequencies available depend upon the regulatory
requirements for the particular country and the ITU (International Telecommunications Union)
region in which the country is located.
As a rough guide Europe tends to use the GSM 900 and 1800 bands as standard. These
bands are also generally used in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
For North America the USA uses both 850 and 1900 MHz bands, the actual band used is
determined by the regulatory authorities and is dependent upon the area. For Canada the 1900
MHz band is the primary one used, particularly for urban areas with 850 MHz used as a
backup in rural areas.
For Central and South America, the GSM 850 and 1900 MHz frequency bands are the most
widely used although there are some areas where other frequencies are used

Requirements for GSM handover

The process of handover or handoff within any cellular system is of great importance. It is a
critical process and if performed incorrectly handover can result in the loss of the call. Dropped
calls are particularly annoying to users and if the number of dropped calls rises, customer
dissatisfaction increases and they are likely to change to another network. Accordingly GSM
handover was an area to which particular attention was paid when developing the standard.

Types of GSM handover

Within the GSM system there are four types of handover that can be performed for GSM only
systems:

Intra-BTS handover: This form of GSM handover occurs if it is required to change

the frequency or slot being used by a mobile because of interference, or other reasons.
In this form of GSM handover, the mobile remains attached to the same base station
transceiver, but changes the channel or slot.

Inter-BTS Intra BSC handover: This for of GSM handover or GSM handoff occurs
when the mobile moves out of the coverage area of one BTS but into another
controlled by the same BSC. In this instance the BSC is able to perform the handover
and it assigns a new channel and slot to the mobile, before releasing the old BTS from
communicating with the mobile.

Inter-BSC handover: When the mobile moves out of the range of cells controlled by
one BSC, a more involved form of handover has to be performed, handing over not
only from one BTS to another but one BSC to another. For this the handover is
controlled by the MSC.

Inter-MSC handover:

This form of handover occurs when changing between

networks. The two MSCs involved negotiate to control the handover.

GSM handover process

Although there are several forms of GSM handover as detailed above, as far as the mobile is
concerned, they are effectively seen as very similar. There are a number of stages involved in
undertaking a GSM handover from one cell or base station to another.
In GSM which uses TDMA techniques the transmitter only transmits for one slot in eight, and
similarly the receiver only receives for one slot in eight. As a result the RF section of the mobile
could be idle for 6 slots out of the total eight. This is not the case because during the slots in
which it is not communicating with the BTS, it scans the other radio channels looking for
beacon frequencies that may be stronger or more suitable. In addition to this, when the mobile
communicates with a particular BTS, one of the responses it makes is to send out a list of the
radio channels of the beacon frequencies of neighbouring BTSs via the Broadcast Channel
(BCCH).
The mobile scans these and reports back the quality of the link to the BTS. In this way the
mobile assists in the handover decision and as a result this form of GSM handover is known as
Mobile Assisted Hand Over (MAHO).
The network knows the quality of the link between the mobile and the BTS as well as the
strength of local BTSs as reported back by the mobile. It also knows the availability of channels
in the nearby cells. As a result it has all the information it needs to be able to make a decision
about whether it needs to hand the mobile over from one BTS to another.

If the network decides that it is necessary for the mobile to hand over, it assigns a new channel
and time slot to the mobile. It informs the BTS and the mobile of the change. The mobile then
retunes during the period it is not transmitting or receiving, i.e. in an idle period.
A key element of the GSM handover is timing and synchronisation. There are a number of
possible scenarios that may occur dependent upon the level of synchronisation.

Old and new BTSs synchronised: In this case the mobile is given details of the new
physical channel in the neighbouring cell and handed directly over. The mobile may
optionally transmit four access bursts. These are shorter than the standard bursts and
thereby any effects of poor synchronisation do not cause overlap with other bursts.
However in this instance where synchronisation is already good, these bursts are only
used to provide a fine adjustment.

Time offset between synchronised old and new BTS: In some instances there may
be a time offset between the old and new BTS. In this case, the time offset is provided
so that the mobile can make the adjustment. The GSM handover then takes place as a
standard synchronised handover.

Non-synchronised handover: When a non-synchronised cell handover takes place,

the mobile transmits 64 access bursts on the new channel. This enables the base
station to determine and adjust the timing for the mobile so that it can suitably access
the new BTS. This enables the mobile to re-establish the connection through the new
BTS with the correct timing.

Inter-system handover
With the evolution of standards and the migration of GSM to other 2G technologies including to
3G UMTS / WCDMA as well as HSPA and then LTE, there is the need to handover from one
technology to another. Often the 2G GSM coverage will be better then the others and GSM is
often used as the fallback. When handovers of this nature are required, it is considerably more
complicated than a straightforward only GSM handover because they require two technically
very different systems to handle the handover.
These handovers may be called intersystem handovers or inter-RAT handovers as the
handover occurs between different radio access technologies.
The most common form of intersystem handover is between GSM and UMTS / WCDMA. Here
there are two different types:

UMTS / WCDMA to GSM handover: There are two further divisions of this category
of handover:
o

Blind handover: This form of handover occurs when the base station hands off
the mobile by passing it the details of the new cell to the mobile without linking

to it and setting the timing, etc of the mobile for the new cell. In this mode, the
network selects what it believes to be the optimum GSM based station. The
mobile first locates the broadcast channel of the new cell, gains timing
synchronisation and then carries out non-synchronised intercell handover.
o

Compressed mode handover: using this form of handover the mobile uses the
gaps I transmission that occur to analyse the reception of local GSM base
stations using the neighbour list to select suitable candidate base stations.
Having selected a suitable base station the handover takes place, again
without any time synchronisation having occurred.

Handover from GSM to UMTS / WCDMA: This form of handover is supported within
GSM and a "neighbour list" was established to enable this occur easily. As the GSM /
2G network is normally more extensive than the 3G network, this type of handover
does not normally occur when the mobile leaves a coverage area and must quickly find
a new base station to maintain contact. The handover from GSM to UMTS occurs to
provide an improvement in performance and can normally take place only when the
conditions are right. The neighbour list will inform the mobile when this may happen.