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10. GPRS-Identities
This chapter describes identifiers and addresses used to identify GPRS subscribers, terminal endpoints like Mobile Stations and connections between GPRS network elements. Some of these identifiers are already existing in GSM networks to identify subscribers and / or elements and their use will be kept up in GPRS networks: IMSI: The International Mobile Subscriber Identity is used to uniquely identifier a subscriber in a GSM / GPRS network. Each subscriber is internationally addressed and identified by this 15 digit long number.
Not more than 15 digits 3 digits 2 or 3 digits

MCC

MNC NMSI IMSI

MSIN

Figure: Structure of the IMSI MSISDN: The Mobile Subscriber ISDN-Number is the telephone number used to call a subscriber. In GPRS this is not absolutely required for a MS. Packet data transfer can also be initiated by addressing the IP-address of the subscriber that will be transferred to the IMSI.
CC NDC SN

National (significant) mobile number Mobile station international ISDN number

Figure: Structure of the MSISDN IMEI: The International Mobile Equipment Identity is also used in GPRS-networks to identify the used mobile equipment, the terminal endpoint or the device.
6 digits TAC 2 digits FAC 6 digits SNR 1 digit spare

IMEI 15 digits

Figure: Structure of the IMEI

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TMSI, respectively P-TMSI, Packet Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity: One of the security aspects discussed in mobile communication is the problem of user tracing, finding out the location of a subscriber. To avoid this, GSM network has defined the TMSI, the Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, a only temporary valid telephone number sent on the air interface in a paging call or in a service request message. This temporarily valid number is reassigned in ciphered mode and avoids that a foreign receiver can find out the position of the subscriber by tapping the radio link. This procedure is continued in GPRS networks with only a redefinition of the parameter. In a packet switched network, the temporarily valid identification number is called Packet-TMSI, P-TMSI. The P-TMSI consists of 4 Octets and is assigned by the network, concrete, by the SGSN. The distinction in GSM and GPRS between the awarded TMSI, respectively P-TMSI numbers are done by the two most significant bits. If these both bits are having the value 11, this signifies, that the following number describes the Packet-TMSI, the values 00, 10 or 01 are indicating the TMSI number in a circuit switched GSM network. LAI, Location Area Identification: This identifier is identical with the Location Area Identifier already known of the circuit switched case. It is constructed by the Mobile Country Code MCC, Mobile Network Code MNC and Location Area Code LAC.
LAC MCC MNC Location Area Identification

Figure: Structure of the LAI

= LAI

= RAI = CI LAI = Location Area Identity RAI = Routing Area Identity CI = Cell Identity
Figure: Routing Area Identity Routing Area Identity, RAI: Possesses the same functions and characteristics as the just described Location Area Identity. Though, GPRS has the general characteristic, that a MS can be always on, i.e. the MS is continuously in Standby-state. But there shall be
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transmitted packet oriented data in an asynchronous mode and a continuous physical connection does not exist. The subscribers location may vary between two packet data transfer sessions. This requests an renewed paging request message sent to the MS if it is about downlink data to be transferred. But the expenditure of signalling for paging messages shall be reduced. This is the main reason for the new appointment of the location area description and it is called Routing Area. Its characteristic is to define a reasonable size of an area in which MSs are paged. Its dimension is maximal the same dimension than a Location Area, but prediction estimates a much smaller dimension. The MS must notify the network of changes in routing area. This procedure is called Routing Area Update and it is absolutely comparable to the already known Location Update procedure in GSM. A Routing Area is a subset of only one Location Area and is identified by the RAI:
RAI
=

LAI

RAC

MCC

MNC

LAC

RAC

Figure: Structure of the RAI Cell Global Identity, CGI: Some states of the GPRS Mobility Management require the exact knowledge in the network about the MSs actual radio cell, for example the ready state requires this information in the SGSN. The identifier to indicate and store this information is the Cell Global Identity, CGI. It is constructed belong the following figure:
MCC MNC LAC CI

Location Area Identification Cell Global Identification (CGI)

Figure: Cell Global Identity The CGI is not touched or influenced by the definition of the Routing Area PDP-Adresse: With this identifier surges another different aspect between CS-GSM networks and PS PS-GPRS-networks. Up to now it was completely sufficient to identify fully a subscriber with its IMSI number. Corresponding services and quality of service profiles are stored in the registers HLR and VLR. GPRS allows the usage of the transmitting channel radio link for different applications in a simultaneous mode. For example an IP-PDU has to be delivered to a certain MS and contains after the receipt to the application Electronic Mail while another IP-PDU sent on the same radio connection contains in the MS to another application downloading a website of an internet server. Consequently there must be an additional identifier to enable the receiver side to distinguish between the different received packet units and concatenate the data of one application. This identifier is the GPRS Packet Data Protocol address and it identifies the protocol, in that mode the data of the certain application are present. This identifier is a network internal identifier it is not transparent to the user. The transportation of the data through the GPRS network is performed by external protocols, for example the network throughput protocol Internet Protocol. Such a PDP-Address can be assigned permanently or temporarily to a single subscriber, as static PDP-address or as dynamic-PDP-address. Used are for example:
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- IP version 4 Addresses, - IP version 6 Addresses, - or X.25 Addresses, depending of the way of the used protocols on the network side. Temporary Logical Link Identity, TLLI: Between the Mobile Station and the switching node SGSN is existing a logical connection. This signifies, that both endpoints have a knowledge of each other and know to which endpoint-address every packet has to be sent to. For example it is the knowledge of a postman where to deliver the letter if he reads the address on it. Such a logical link exists between the MS and the SGSN and is identified with the TLLI. It is only known by these two network elements and only valid in the certain routing area. The TLLI is calculated in a mathematical process out of the P-TMSI number. Data Link Connection Identifier, DLCI: Is used by the protocol layer LLC to identify uniquely and unambiguously a connection between the SGSN and the MS. The LLC is the data transport layer for data of higher layer protocols, like the SNDCP, but also for control instances like GPRS Mobility Management GMM or the Session-Management. To which higher layer protocol, or service requester the LLC PDU contains is identified by the Service Access Point SAP. This identifier describes the access point to hand out the primitive to the next higher layer. The DLCI consists of the SAP and the TLLI, identifying the destination subscriber.
Identifies LLC peer-to-peerconnection Identifies a specific M S Included in L L C -Header I n c l u d e d in t h e R L C/ M A C Header

DLCI
Data Link Connection Identifier

SAP

TLLI
T e m p o r a r y L o g i c a l Link Identifier

Service Access Point

Identifies upper or l o w e r l a y e r, i.e.: G M M, SNDCP, TOM, SMS, R L C/MAC, B S S G P

Figure: Structure of the DLCI

GMM

SNDCP

SMS

LLC

Identified by SAP

MS Side Rohde & Schwarz Trainingcenter, V 1.1

Identified by TLLI

SGSN Side

Figure: Usage of SAP and TLLI

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Network Layer Service Access Point, NSAPI: The Service Access Point, SAP identifies normally in the OSI-Model the transition point between two adjacent protocol layers, i.e. between one layer and its layer below and above. The NSAPI is the special case to identify concretely the access point between the SNDCP-Protocol layer and the layers being higher. Task of the SNDCP is, to tunnel the data between MS and the SGSN. With the aid of the NSAPI the access point PDP-SAP can be determined and the receiving SNDCP-layer has information to which service requesting layer the packet data unit has to be handed out. This guarantees, that the data is delivered to the right PDP-Address, respectively to the right application. On the network side there will be taken a combination between the packet data unit and the PDP-address. For that, the NSAPI is necessary.

GPRS MS

X.121 address SAP NSAPI-1

Identifies Logical Link between SGSN and MS

GGSN associated with: X.121 address

Gi

External PDN X.121

Identifies Application on MS-Side

TLLI
NSAPI-2 IP address SAP

SGSN
GGSN associated with: IP address Gi

External PDN IP

Use of TLLI and NSAPI to transmit Data

Figure: Combination and usage of TLLI and NSAPI

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Tunnel Identifier, TID: The data transport between the GGSN and the SGSN is performed with the usage of the GPRS Tunnelling Protocol, GTP. The TID is a combination of IMSI and NSAPI, that identifies unambiguously the PDP-context, respectively the corresponding subscriber and its requested application.

T u n n e l Identifier , TID , b e t w e e n S G S N a n d G G S N
SGSN
Gn

GGSN
I P/ X.25

Gi

SNDCP

GTP
UDP / TCP IP L2 L1

GTP
UDP / TCP IP L2 L1

TID identifies L i n k b e t w e e n G G S N a n d S G S N

Figure: Tunnel Identifier used to identifier the packet data unit transfer between SGSN and GGSN GSN Adresse: In the GPRS-Backbone-network, the packet data units are conveyed with the aid of the Internet Protocol. Therefore it is necessary that each node possesses its own internet address to be available for data reception. This address can be of the type IPv4 or IPv6. It is important to know, that this IP-address forms a network internal address, that is not accessible from the external internet. Each of this IP-addresses can be combined with one or more logical GSN names, that may correspond to so called DNS-names (Domain Name Server). Each switching node GSN that communicates additionally with the GSM-network elements, e.g. the registers HLR or VLR must additionally possess an SS7-Address.

GSN Address Address Type Address Length Address

2 bits

6 bits

4 to 16 octets

Figure: Structure of the GSN Address

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The type of address indicates if it is about to be an IPv4 or IPv6 address, the Address Length field indicates the length of the GSN-address and the Address field contains an IP-Address. Access Point Name, APN: The Access Point Name, APN determines in the GPRS backbone or core network, which GGSN shall be used for the access to external networks. In the GGSN internally, this identifier APN, can be used to indicate the external data network. The APN consists of: APN Network Identifier, describing the external data network connected to the GGSN. This part is mandatory. APN Operator Identifier, an optional field to identify the PLMN that owns the appropriate GGSN.

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