Experiment no.

AIM: study of AT commands

Apparatus: PC, Falcom, SIM card.
Theory:
GSM(Global system for mobile communication), is a standard set developed by European
Telecommunication standard institute (ETSI) to describe technologies for second generation
(2G) digital cellular networks. GSM is cellular network, which means that cell phones connect to
it by searching for cells in the immediate vicinity.
There are five different cell sizes in a GSM network—macro,micro,pico,femto and umbrella
cells. The coverage area of each cell varies according to the implementation environment. Macro
cells can be regarded as cells where the base station antenna is installed on the mast or building
above average roof top level. Micro cells are cells whose antenna height is under average roof
top level, they are typically used in urban areas. Pico cells are small cells whose coverage
diameter is a few dozen meters, they are mainly used indoors. Femtocells are cells designed for
use in residential or small business environments and connect to the service provider’s network
via a broadband internet connection. Umbrella cells are used to cover shadowed regions of
smaller cells and fill in gaps in coverage between those cells.
Cell horizontal radius varies depending on antenna height, antenna gain and propagation
conditions from a couple of hundred meters to several tens of kilometers. The longest distance
the GSM specification supports in practical use is 35 kilometers (22mi).
Indoor coverage is also supported by GSM. The modulation used in GSM is Gaussian minimum-
shift keying (GMSK), a kind of continuous-phase frequency shift keying. In GMSK, the signal to
be modulated onto the carrier is first smoothed with a Gaussian low pass filter prior to being fed
to a frequency modulated, which greatly reduces the interference to neighboring channels
(adjacent-channel interference).
GSM networks operate in a number of different carrier frequency ranges (separated into GSM
frequency ranges for 2G and UMTS frequency bands for 3G), with most 2G GSM networks
operating in the 900MHz or 1800MHz bands. Regardless of the frequency selected by an
operator, it is divided timeslots for individual phones to use.

GSM Network Structure:

The network is structured into a number of discrete sections:
 The Base Station Subsystem ( the base stations and their controllers).
 The Network and switching subsystem. This is sometimes also just called the core
networks.
 The GPRS Core Network (the optional part which allows packet based internet
connections).
 The operations support system (OSS) for maintenance of network.
 BTS = base transceiver station
BSC= base station controller
TRAU= Trans coder and rate adapter unit
MSC=mobile (services) switching centers
VLR= Visitor location register
AC= Authentication centre
HLR= Home Location Register
OSS= Operation sub-system including network management
SMSC= Short message service centre
VMS= Voice message system
EIR= Equipment identity register

GSM network Elements:

The mobile station:
MS=ME+SIM
Mobile Equipment (ME): Generic radio and processing functions to access the network,
human interface and/or interface to other terminal equipment.
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM): a smart card containing all the subscriber related
information, confidentiality related information. The SIM is a detachable smart card. This
allows the user to retain his or her information after switching handsets. Alternatively, the user
can also change operators while retaining the handset simply by changing the SIM.
The Base Station Subsystem (BSS)
BSS=BSC+BTS+TRAU
Base Station Controller (BSC): is in charge of the radio interface management, allocation and
release of radio channels, handover management ( up to some tens of BTS’s).
Base Transceiver Station (BTS): radio transmission and reception from antennas to the radio
interface specific signal processing, handling 1-10 radio carriers at a time.
Transcoder & Rate Adapter Unit (TRAU): GSM-specific speech encoding and decoding, bit
rate adaptation.
The Network & Switching Subsystem (NSS)
NSS = MSC+VLR+HLR+AC+EIR
Mobile services Switching Center (MSC): performs the basic switching function, coordinates
the set-up of calls to and from GSM users, manages communications between GSM and other
telecommunications networks.
Visitor Location Registers (VLR): database storing temporarily subscription data for those
subscribers currently located in the service area of corresponding MSC, holds data of their
current location area.
Home Location Register (HLR): database holding subscriber information relevant to the
provision of telecommunications services, some information related to the current location of
the subscriber (mainly under which MSC/VLR the user can be found).
Authentication Center (AC): database maintaining security related information of the
subscriptions.
Equipment Identity Register (EIR): database maintaining security related information of the
mobile equipment (separate from subscription).

The Operation Sub-System (OSS)

Operation Sub-System (OSS): (1) network operation enabling the operator to observe system
load,Blocking rates, handovers, etc. and providing means to modify network configuration, (2)
equipment maintenance aiming at detecting, locating and correcting faults, (3) subscription
management for registeringnew subscriptions, modifying and removing subscriptions, as well
as billing information. Tasks (1) & (2) are major part of Network Management System (NMS).
Task (3) is more service management, not directly related to network status.
Value Add Services
The services offered in the basic GSM network are similar to those available in sophisticated
PSTN network. Mobility is the main feature differentiating the basic GSM system from fixed
telephony system.
On top of this, the first services adding value to the GSM network have been Short Message
Services (SMS) and Voice Messaging System (VMS).
Services in GSM:
 Speech-probably the most important also in the future.
 Circuit switched data – currently up to 38, 4Kbits commercially available, more soon.
  Packet data – available.
 Short message – point-to-point & broadcast. Supplementary Services – call forwarding,
barring, etc.
A GSM modem is a specialized type of modem which accepts a SIM card, and operates over a
subscription to a mobile operator, just like a mobile phone. From the mobile operator
perspective, a GSM modem looks just like a mobile phone.
When a GSM modem is connected to a computer, this allows the computer to use the GSM
modem to communicate over the mobile network. While these GSM modems are most
frequently used to provide mobile internet connectivity, many of them can also be used for
sending and receiving SMS and MMS messages.

AT Commands:
AT style commands are used for controlling a GSM phone or modem. Commands always start
with AT (which means ATtention) and finish with s <CR> character.
Responses start and end with <CR><LF>. If command syntax is incorrect, an ERROR string is
returned.
If command syntax is correct but with some incorrect parameters, the +CME ERROR: <Err>or
+CMS ERROR: <SmsErr> strings are returned with different error codes. If the command line
has been performed successfully, an OK string is returned.
The words, “Mobile Station” (MS) or “Mobile Equipment” (ME) are used for mobile terminals
supporting GSM services.
A call from a GSM mobile station to the PSTN is called a “mobile originated call” (MOC) or
“outgoing call”,and a call from a fixed network to a GSM mobile station is called a “mobile
terminated” (MTC) or “incoming call”.

PROCEDURE:
1. Insert SIM card in SIM socket.
2. Install Falcom software given in software CD.
3. Connect COM 1 cable from COM1 socket of trainer to COM1 socket of Computer.
4. Run Falcom Software.
5. The software will run AT commands and will show signal Strength. If there is any
error, push Reset switch to reset initial conditions.
6. From Falcom software panel make voice call. To disconnect the call, type ATH
command.
7. Similarly receive voice call. To disconnect the call, type ATH command.
8. Send SMS using SMS call center number.
9. Receive SMS.
10. Run various AT Commands as given in AT Commands manual.
OBSERVATIONS:
AT Commands Verified:
1. Set up a call: The ATD command is used to set a voice, data or fax call. For a voice
call, the application sends the following ASCII string to product: (the bearer may be
selected previously, if not a default bearer is used). SYNTAX: ATD <nb>; where <nb>
is the destination phone number.
2. Reject A Call: The ATH command is used by the application to disconnect the remote
user. SYNTAX: ATH
3. Answer A Call: When the product receives a call, it sets the RingInd signal and sends
the ASCII “RING” or “+CRING :<type>” string to the application. Then it waits for
the application to accept the call with the ATA command. SYNTAX: ATA
4. Redial Last Telephone Number: To redial last number. SYNTAX:ATDL
5. Automatic Answer: This determines and controls the product’s automatic answering
mode. SYNTAX: ATS0=0; Automatic answer off. ATS0=<Value>; <Value> gives
the number of rings before the phone is automatically answered.
6. Send Message: The <address> field is the address of the terminal to which the
message sent.
SYNTAX: Command Syntax: AT+CMGS=<da> [<toda>] <CR>
Command Given: AT+CMGS=”number”<CR>
Hello<ctr-Z>
7. Call Forwarding: This command allows control of the “Call Forwarding”
supplementary service.
SYNTAX: AT+CCFC=<reson>,<mode>[,<number>[,<type>,
[,<class>[,<subaddr>[,<satype[,<time>]>]]]]]
8. Call Waiting: This command allows control of the call waiting supplementary service.
SYNTAX:
Command: AT+CCWA = <n>,[<mode>[,<class>]]

CONCLUSION:

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