ITessentials-auceg - CellularNetwork-Part1 PDF

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Wireless and Mobile Communications

Now that we have looked at networks, and the internet, it is time to understand the next major revolution that
has taken place in our world today - the mobile or cellular revolution.
Mobile and cellular communcations are essentially types of wireless communication. We could actually divide
wireless communication into two broad categories - fixed wireless communications, and mobile wireless
communications. Both categories have their own unique characteristics, in terms of user needs and the
technology employed. In fixed wireless communications, all we do is replace the wires used for transmission
by a wireless communication channel. This could be done for the purpose of saving on the cost of laying
cables, or in remote places where it would be difficult or impossible to lay cables. For instance, the use of
satellite based communication to provide communications service to remote areas is a typical example.
It is mobile wireless communication that is more challenging, as its goal is to provide anytime, anywhere
communications - communication on the move ! We have already had a glimpse of how this can be achieved
when we discussed about wireless LANs, where we had to accomodate mobile nodes as well. We will now
look at the mobile communications scenario a little more in detail.
Early mobile communications worked like radio or television communication, except that it was a two-way
communication. There would be one powerful transmitter and antenna at the highest spot in an area, and all
devices (mobile phones) within a certain distance (say 50km) from that central equipment would communicate
through that central equipment. A pair of frequencies would be used for the communication between the
central equipment, and the mobile phone - one for transmission and one for reception - to support full-duplex
communication. Of course, since multiple devices would need to share the channel, some kind of frequency
division multiplexing would be used to allocate specific channels to the mobile phones that need to
communicate. The major problems with this set-up are that the mobile devices would need powerful
transmitters to be able to communicate with the central equipment - making them bulky, and the number of
simultaneous calls that can be supported is limited by the available frequency bandwidth. Further, when the
mobile phone leaves the coverage area, its call would be dropped, and it would have to reinitiate the call with
the next system ( Fig. 4.1 ).
file:///F:/MIT/4th%20sem/IT%20Essentials/Sangeetha%20mam%20materials/Wikispaces%20materials/UNIT%20IV/ITessentials-auceg%20-%20Cellular
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Fig. 4.1 old mobile radio service (disconnected regions)
It was then that the idea of cellular communication was thought of. The idea was to use multiple low-power
transmitters (equipment) instead of one poweful transmitter. The many low-power equipments would be
distributed through out the region to be covered, with one equipment covering one small area - called the cell.
The mobile phones in a cell would use that cells radio equipment - called the base station - for their
communication. Each node would be assigned a pair of frequencies by the base station for its call - one
frequency to send to the base station (uplink frequency) and the other to receive (downlink frequency). The
same set of frequencies would be used in multiple cells thereby increasing the total number of calls that could
be supported. The structure of the mobile telephone network can thus be understood to be composed of
multiple base stations serving mobile telephones in their respective areas. The shape of the cell is chosen to
be hexagonal as it is found to be a good approximation to the circular omni-directional radio pattern, and is
economical and practical to implement. The name 'cell' for an area was given because of its honey-comb like
structure (refer fig. 4.2.).
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Fig. 4.2 Cellular communications structure
Since the power of the base station equipment is lower, the mobile phones have to be within the boundaries of
the cell to communicate with that base station. But the power required for the mobile phones is less making
them lighter and less expensive. If they move out of one cell to another cell, their call would now be serviced
by that base station. We will shortly look at how that is handled. Also, the number of simultaneous calls that
can be supported would be multiplied by the number of cells in the region when compared with the single
powerful equipment scenario. For example, let us say we could support 12 simultaneous conversations in the
single equipment mode. Now, if we were to divide the same region into 100 cells, with 12 conversations per
cell, we could theoretically support 1200 simultaneous conversations in the region - a major scale-up on the
number of calls. Of course, this would require 100 low power base stations.
Also, note that we said theoretically 1200 calls could be supported. This is assuming that the same 12 pairs
of frequencies are re-used in every cell. This may not be strictly possible, as we could have interference
between two transmissions in adjacent cells (especially if a mobile phone is near the cell boundary ). But, with
careful frequency planning, we could reuse the frquencies in cells which are sufficiently at a distance from
each other. Thus we can support a fairly larger number of calls at a lower cost.
Thus we can see that there are a few concepts that are central to the idea of cellular communications :
Frequency reuse
Call Handoff
Low power base stations
1. Frequency reuse
Reuse of frequency in different cells is the technique that increases the number of simultaneous calls that can
be supported, given a finite frequency spectrum. However, adjacent cells cannot use the same set of
frequencies, as it would cause interference. Remember that two calls (signals) using the same frequencies
would interfere with one another. Also, remember that the signals are transmitted with a limited power, and the
distance to which the signals would travel depends on the transmission power. Thus, signals of cells which are
at a sufficient distance from one another, (such that the signal from one cell will not travel all the way to the
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other ) will not cause interference. Hence, the same set of frequencies could be reused in the cells which are
at a safe distance.
This is the idea that is actually used. For this purpose, the cells are grouped into clusters. Given that the
shape of a cell is hexagonal, a cluster typically is a central cell plus all its six neighbours. That is we have a
cluster of size 7. See fig. 4.3.
Fig. 4.3 cluster of cells
Now, the cells can be seen as an arrangement of clusters - with each cluster having seven cells. Let us name
the 7 cells in each cluster as A,B,C,D,E,F, and G. With this arrangement, all cells with the same name (A to
G) are at a sufficient distance from one another, and can reuse the same frequencies without causing
interference (ideally).
Cells with the same name have the same set of frequencies. Here, because the number of sets of available
frequencies is 7, the frequency reuse factor is 1/7. That is, each cell is using 1/7 of available cellular channels.
The cells which use the same set of frequencies are called "co-channel" cells.
Even at such safe distances, practically, some interference can occur - such interference is called "co-channel
ineterference". Many techniques are employed to reduce this co-channel interference - we will not worry about
them right now.
Exercise : Can you give an arrangement of cells with a cluster size of 4 ?
2. Call Handoff
The notion of call handoff is another important aspect in cellular communications. Call handoff is the process
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by which the network aims to provide continuous service to the user of the mobile phone as he/she moves
from one cell to another. Handoff is the process of transferring an active call from one cell to another, without
dropping (disconnecting ) the call.
There are multiple strategies and mechanisms that can be used to handle this. We will look at one of them to
understand what is needed.
So far, we have only looked at base stations and mobile phones talking to ( talking to means communicating
with :) ) these base stations. Obviously, for a handoff to occur, the base stations have to talk to one another.
To understand how this is achieved, we must know the basic structure of a full cellular network, and the
various components it has. See Fig. 4.4.
Fig. 4.4 Cellular network

A group of base stations in an area are connected to an entity called the Base Station Controller (BSC). And,
the BSCs in turn are connected to a Mobile Switching Centre (MSC). It is also called the Mobile Telephone
Switching Office (MTSO). The MSC or MTSO is the central controller of the cellular system. It coordinates and
controls the BSCs and acts as a switch and provides connectivity to the Public Switched Telephone Network (
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PTSN). It is through the PSTN that calls can go out of this cellular network to other networks, and landlines
telephone network. The BSCs may be connected to the MSC using microwave link or telephone lines. ( Note
the similarity between this architecture and the WLAN architecture we looked at earlier).
Now, let us come back to the handoff process. Let us say the mobile phone which is referred to as Mobile
Station (MS) in cellular terminology, is now in the range of BS1 and is moving towards BS2. For handoff to
occur, BS1 has to detect that the mobile station is moving away from its region, and BS2 has to detect that it
is coming towards it. This is done by measuring the strength of the signal that the BS receives from the mobile
device. It is called Received Signal Strength (RSS). When the mobile station moves away from a BS, the RSS
of that mobile at that BS starts decreasing, and when it moves towards a BS, the RSS starts increasing. Thus
RSS is used as an indicator at the BS, to determine the movement of a Mobile from one BS to another BS. If
a mobile is moving from BS1 to BS2, RSS at BS1 decreases, and RSS at BS2 increases. This information is
conveyed to the MSC, which then facilitates the transfer from BS1 to BS2. A set of messages are exchanged
between the MSC, and the BSs, and then between the MObile device and the two BSs to transfer the call from
BS1 to BS2.
There are broadly two categories of handoff - Hard handoff and Soft handoff.
In hard handoff, the connection to the old BS is broken before the connection to the new BS is made. It is
referred to as "break-before-make" - break the old connection before making the new connection. Note that the
call is not dropped.
In soft handoff, the connection to the old BS is not broken until the connection to the new BS is made. it is
referred to as "make-before-break" handoff. During the transfer, both the BSs are connected to the mobile
station. There are finer refinements of this process, gving rise to variations in these handoff schemes. For
instance, we have something called
Mobile assisted handoff, where the mobile station decides which BS's RSS is higher and coveys that
information to the BSs. Similarly, other techniques exist.
3. Low power base stations
The power with which the base stations have to transmit is determined by the size of the cell. For a given
cellular network, the size of the cell need not be fixed. In regions where the mobile user density is high, we
could have a larger number of cells with smaller sizes. And in regions where the user density is low - as in
rural areas, we could have a smaller number of cells, with each cell covering a larger area. Depending on the
area that needs to be covered, the transmitter power of the base station would vary.
Initially, the network could be designed for a certain capacity, but if the number of mobile users increases in
the area, then we could split the cells into smaller cells and accomodate the higher density of users. See Fig.
4.5
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Fig.4.5 cell splitting

How does a cellular call take place ?
We have said that a set of frequencies are used in each cell. These frequencies are allocated to two types of
channels for the Mobile stations to communicate with the Base stations - Control channels, and Traffic
channels. The control channels are used for setting up and maintaining calls, and the traffic channels are used
for carrying voice or data. One traffic channel has to be allocated to a MS for it to transfer voice or data to the
BS. Each channel is typically a pair of frequencies - one for each direction - forward link and reverse link. (The
forward link is used for communication from BS to MS, and reverse link for MS to BS.) Now, a Mobile Station
needs to know which of those frequencies it can use at any given point of time. This pair of frequencies is
informed to the MS through the control channels. Let us look at how this is done.
Base stations will periodically broadcast information on different setup control channels. When a mobile unit is
turned on, it scans the control channels, and selects the strongest setup control channel. That is, it
automatically selects the BS with which it will associate. It will also look for a System Identification Code on
the Control channel that matches with that of its mobile service provider. It then exchanges a hand-shake with
the MSC that controls that network through that BS. The handshake is used to identify the user and register
its location. As long as the mobile unit is on, this scanning procedure will be carried out periodically. This
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helps to do a hand-off to another BS if the mobile unit moves from one cell to another.
Thus information on a mobiles position is available with the associated MSC.
Now, when a mobile wants to make a call, it does so by sending the number of the called unit on this selected
control channel. Before sending the information, it will check if the control channel is free, and then send this
information. The BS will send this request to the MSC. If the called number is within the area of that MSC,
then the MSC will try to complete the call by sending a paging message to certain BSs depending on the
position of the called mobile. Remember, the called mobile would also have registered its position with the
MSC if it is ON. So, the MSC will know where to look for it. The BSs will send the number on the control
channel. The called mobile is constantly monitoring the control channel. Hence, it will match its number with
the number on the control channel, and when it finds a match, will send a response to the MSC through the
BS. The MSC will now set up a circuit between the calling and called BSs. While doing so, it will select an
available traffic channel within each BS's cell, and notify the BSs. The BSs will in turn notify the MSs as to the
frequency they should use for the call. Once, the circuit is set up, the two MSs exchange information through
the BSs and the MSC. During the call if the MS moves from one cell to another, a handoff process including
shifting of frequencies is done by the BSs and the MSC without disturbing the call. When the call is
terminated the allocated frequencies are deallocacted. Even if the called number is outside the MSC, the MSC
will know how to reach it through an external network, and complete the call. We will look at how that is
handled later.
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Wireless and Mobile Communications

Fig. 4.1 old mobile radio service (disconnected regions)

Fig. 4.2 Cellular communications structure

Fig. 4.3 cluster of cells

Fig. 4.4 Cellular network

Fig.4.5 cell splitting

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