As has been shown in Figure 2.5, a GPRS timeslot can be assigned to several users at the same time.

It is also possible to assign several timeslots to a single subscriber in order to increase his data transmission speed. In any case, the smallest transmission unit that can be assigned to a user is one block, which consists of four bursts on one timeslot on the air interface for GPRS and two bursts for EGPRS MCS 7-9. A block is also called a GPRS RLC/MAC (radio link control/medium access control) frame.

Temporary Block Flows (TBF) in the Uplink Direction Every RLC/MAC frame on the PDTCH or PACCH consists of an RLC/MAC header and a user data field. When a user wants to send data on the uplink, the terminal has to request resources from the network by sending a packet channel request message via the RACH or the PRACH as shown in Figure 2.13. The PCU then answers with a packet uplink assignment message on the AGCH. The message contains information in which timeslots the terminal is allowed to send data. As a timeslot in GPRS may not only be used exclusively by a single subscriber, a mechanism is necessary to indicate to a terminal when it is allowed to send on the timeslot. Therefore, the uplink assignment message contains a parameter called the uplink state flag (USF). A different USF value is assigned to every subscriber that is allowed to send on the timeslot. The USF is linked to the so-called temporary flow identity (TFI) of a temporary block flow (TBF). A TBF identifies data to or from a user for the time of the data transfer. Once the data transfer is finished the TFI is reused for another subscriber. In order to know when it can use the uplink timeslots, the terminal has to listen to the timeslots it has been assigned in the downlink direction. Every block that is sent in the downlink to a subscriber contains a USF in its header as shown in Figure 2.20. It indicates who is allowed to send in the next uplink block. By including the USF in each downlink block the PCU can dynamically schedule who is allowed to send in the uplink. Therefore, this procedure is also called dynamic allocation. The GPRS standard also defines two other methods of allocation: fixed allocation and extended dynamic allocation. As they are not used very widely today they are not further discussed. Note that the USF information in the header and data portion of a downlink block is usually not intended for the same user. This is due to the fact that the assignments of up- and downlink resources are independent. This makes sense when considering web surfing for example where it is usually not necessary to already assign downlink resources at the time the universal resource locator (URL) of the web page is sent to the network. For mobiles that have an uplink TBF established the network needs to send control information from time to time. This is necessary for example to acknowledge the receipt of uplink radio blocks. The logical PACCH that can be sent in a radio block instead of a PDTCH is used to send control information. The mobile recognizes its own downlink PACCH blocks because the header of the block contains its TFI value. The PCU will continue to assign uplink blocks until the mobile station indicates that it no longer requires blocks in the uplink direction. This is done with the so-called countdown procedure. Every block header in the uplink direction contains a four-bit countdown value. The value is decreased by the mobile for every block sent at the end of the data transfer. The PCU will no longer assign uplink blocks for the mobile once this value has reached 0. While coordinating the use of the uplink is quite efficient, this way it creates a high latency time if data is only sent sporadically. This is especially problematic during a webbrowsing session for two reasons: As shown at the end of this chapter, high latency has a big impact on the time it takes to establish TCP connections which are necessary before a web page can be requested. Furthermore, several TCP connections are usually opened to download the different elements like text, pictures, etc., of a web page so high latency

slows down the process in several instances. To reduce this effect the GPRS standard was enhanced by a method called the extended uplink TBF. In case both network and mobile device support the functionality, the uplink TBF is not automatically closed at the end of the countdown procedure but is kept open by the network until the expiry of an idle timer, which is usually set in the order of several seconds. While the uplink TBF is open, the network continues to assign blocks in the uplink direction to the mobile device. This enables the mobile to send data in the uplink quickly without requesting a new uplink TBF. The first mobile devices and networks that support extended uplink TBF appeared on the market in 2005 and a substantial improvement of web page download and delay times can be observed as shown at the end of the chapter.

Temporary Block Flows in the Downlink Direction If the PCU receives data for a subscriber from the SGSN it will send a packet downlink assignment message to the mobile station similar to the one shown in Figure 2.22 in the AGCH or the PAGCH. The message contains a TFI of a TBF and the timeslots the mobile has to monitor. The mobile will then start to monitor the timeslots immediately. In every block it receives it will check if the TFI included in the header equals the TFI assigned to it in the packet downlink assignment message as shown in Figure 2.21. If they are equal it will process the data contained in the data portion of the block. If they are not equal the mobile discards the received block. Once the PCU has sent all data for the subscriber currently in its queue it will set the final block indicator bit in the last block it sends to the mobile. Afterwards the mobile stops listening on the assigned timeslots and the TFI can be reused for another subscriber. In order to improve performance, the network can also choose to keep the downlink TBF established for several seconds so no TBF establishment is necessary if further data for the user arrives. In order to acknowledge blocks received from the network, the mobile station has to send control information via the logical PACCH. For sending control information to the network it is not necessary to assign an uplink TBF. The network informs the mobile in the header of downlink blocks which uplink blocks it can use to send control information.

Timing Advance Control The further a mobile is away from a BTS the sooner it has to start sending its data bursts to the network in order for them to arrive at the BTS at the correct time. As the position of the user can change during the data exchange it is necessary for the network to constantly monitor how far the user is away from the serving base station. If the user moves closer to the BTS the network has to inform the mobile to delay sending its data compared to the current timing. If the user moves farther away it has to start sending its bursts earlier. This process is called timing advance control. As we have seen in the previous paragraph the assignment of uplink and downlink resources is independent from each other. When downloading a large web page for example it might happen that a downlink TBF is assigned while no uplink TBF is established because the mobile has no data to send. Even though no uplink TBF is established, it is necessary from time to time to send layer 2 acknowledgment messages to the network for the data that has been received in the downlink. To send these messages quickly, no uplink TBF has to be established. In this case the PCU informs the mobile in the downlink TBF from time to time which block to use to send the acknowledgment. As this only happens infrequently the network cannot take the previous acknowledgment bursts for the timing advance calculation for the

following bursts. Because of this, a number of new methods have been standardized to measure and update the timing advance value while the mobile is engaged in exchanging GPRS data.

The Continuous Timing Advance Update Procedure In a GPRS 52-multiframe, frames 12 and 38 are dedicated to the logical PTCCH uplink and downlink. The PTCCH is further divided into 16 subchannels. When the PCU assigns a TBF to a mobile station the assignment message also contains an information element that instructs the mobile to send access bursts on one of the 16 subchannels in the uplink with timing advance 0. These bursts can be sent without a timing advance because they are much shorter than a normal burst. For more information about the access burst see Chapter 1. The BTS monitors frames 12 and 38 for access bursts and calculates the timing advance value for every subchannel. The result of the calculation is sent in the PTCCH in the following downlink block. As the PTCCH is divided in 16 subchannels, the mobile sends an access burst on the PTCCH and receives an updated value every 1.92 seconds.