Data & Computer

Communications
Cellular Networks &
Communications
Cellular Networks & Communications
A cellular network or mobile network is a
communication network where the last link is
wireless.
The network is distributed over land areas called
cells, each served by at least one fixed-
location transceiver, known as a cell site or base
station.
This base station provides the cell with the network
coverage which can be used for transmission of
voice, data and others.
A cell might use a different set of frequencies from
neighboring cells, to avoid interference and provide
guaranteed service quality within each cell.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Cellular
networks offer a number of desirable
features.
More capacity than a single large transmitter,
since the same frequency can be used for multiple
links as long as they are in different cells
Mobile devices use less power than with a single
transmitter or satellite since the cell towers are
closer
Larger coverage area than a single terrestrial
transmitter, since additional cell towers can be
added indefinitely and are not limited by the
horizon
Cellular Networks & Communications
The most common example of a cellular network is a mobile
phone (cell phone) network.
A mobile phone is a portable telephone which receives or
makes calls through a cell site (base station), or transmitting
tower.
Radio waves are used to transfer signals to and from the cell
phone.
Modern mobile phone networks use cells because radio
frequencies are a limited, shared resource.
Cell-sites and handsets change frequency under computer
control and use low power transmitters so that the usually
limited number of radio frequencies can be simultaneously
used by many callers with less interference.
Cellular Networks & Communications
A cellular network is used by the mobile phone
operator to achieve both coverage and capacity for
their subscribers.
Large geographic areas are split into smaller cells to
avoid line-of-sight signal loss and to support a large
number of active phones in that area.
All of the cell sites are connected to telephone
exchanges (or switches), which in turn connect to
the public telephone network.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Structure of the mobile phone cellular
network
A simple view of the cellular mobile-radio network
consists of the following:
A network of radio base stations forming the base
station subsystem.
The core circuit switched network for handling voice
calls and text
A packet switched network for handling mobile data
The public switched telephone network to connect
subscribers to the wider telephony network
Cellular Networks & Communications
In a cellular radio system, a land area to be supplied
with radio service is divided into cells, in a pattern
which depends on terrain and reception
characteristics but which can consist of roughly
hexagonal, square, circular or some other regular
shapes, although hexagonal cells are conventional.
Each of these cells is assigned with multiple
frequencies (f1 f6) which have corresponding radio
base stations.
The group of frequencies can be reused in other
cells, provided that the same frequencies are not
reused in adjacent neighboring cells as that would
cause co-channel interference.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Cellular Networks & Communications
Cell towers frequently use a directional signal to improve
reception in higher-traffic areas.
Cell phone companies use this directional signal to improve
reception along highways and inside buildings like stadiums
and arenas.
As a result, a cell phone user may be standing in sight of a
cell tower, but still have trouble getting a good signal
because the directional antennas point in a different
direction.
Although the original cell towers created an even,
omnidirectional signal, were at the centers of the cells and
were omnidirectional, a cellular map can be redrawn with
the cellular telephone towers located at the corners of the
hexagons where three cells converge.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Each tower has three sets of
directional antennas aimed in
three different directions with
120 degrees for each cell
(totaling 360 degrees) and
receiving/transmitting into
three different cells at
different frequencies.
This provides a minimum of
three channels, and three
towers for each cell and
greatly increases the chances
of receiving a usable signal
from at least one direction.
Cellular Networks & Communications
A cellular network consists of both land and radio based
sections. Such a network is commonly referred to as a PLMN -
public land mobile network. The network is composed out of
the following entities:
Mobile station (MS) - Device used to communicate over the cellular
network.
Base station tranceiver (BST) - Transmitter/ receiver used to transmit/
receive signals over the radio interface section of the network.
Base station controller (BSC) - Controls communication between a
group of BST's and a single MSC.
Mobile switching centre (MSC) - The heart of the network, sets up and
maintains calls made over the network.
Public switched telephone network (PSTN) - The land based section of
the network.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Cellular Networks & Communications
The BST's and their controlling BSC are often collectively
referred to as the base station subsystem (BSS).
The cellular topology of the network is a result of limited radio
spectrum. In order to use the radio spectrum efficiently, the
same frequencies are re-used in non-adjacent cells.
A geographic region is divided up into cells.
Each cell has a BST which transmits data via a radio link to MS's
within the cell.
A group of BST's are connected to a BSC.
A group of BSC's are in turn connected to a mobile switching
center (MSC) via either microwave links or telephone lines.
The MSC connects to the public switched telephone network
(PSTN), which switches calls to other mobile stations or land
based telephones.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Mobile Station (MS)
The Mobile Station (MS) communicates the information
with the user and modifies it to the transmission protocols
of the air interface to communicate with the BSS.
The mobile station has two elements Mobile Equipment
(ME) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).
Mobile
Equipment (ME) ME is a piece of hardware that the
customer purchases from the equipment manufacturer.
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) This is a smart card issued at
the subscription to identify the specifications of a user such as
address and type of service. The calls in the GSM are directed to
the SIM rather than the terminal.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Base Station (BS)
A base station transmits and receives user data.
When a mobile is only responsible for its user's data transmission and
reception, a base station is capable to handle the calls of several subscribers
simultaneously.
Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
The user data transmission takes place between the mobile phone and the
base station (BS) through the base transceiver station.
A transceiver is a circuit which transmits and receives, i.e., does both.
Mobile Switching Center (MSC)
MSC is the hardware part of the wireless switch that can communicate with
PSTN switches using the Signaling System 7 (SS7) protocol as well as other
MSCs in the coverage area of a service provider.
The MSC also provides for communication with other wired and wireless
networks as well as support for registration and maintenance of the
connection with the mobile stations.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Channels It is a range of frequency allotted to particular service or systems.
Control Channel Radio channel used for transmission of call setup, call request,
call initiation and other beacon or control purposes.
Forward Control Channel(FCC) Radio channel used for transmission of
information from the base station to the mobile
Reverse Channel(RC) Radio channel used for transmission of information from
the mobile to base station.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Voice Channel(VC) Radio channel used for voice or data transmission.
Handoff It is defined as the transferring a call from the channel or base station
to another base station.
Roamer A mobile station which operates in a service area other than that from
which service has been subscribed
Transceiver A device capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving radio
signals.
Cellular Networks & Communications
A mobile station (little
car) arrives in a cell
served by some BSC.
It sends a message
identifying itself to the
BSC.
The BSC sends this
message to the MSC which
enters the identity of the
mobile station in its
visiting location register
(VLR).
The MSC then notifies the
server on the service
providers premises that it
must update the home
location register (HLR)
with the new information
about the mobile station's
location.
Cellular Networks & Communications
Mobility Management
The management of mobile station location
information is handled by the mobility
management scheme.
A centralized database then stores a list of all the
mobile stations in the network, and the BSC's they
are currently registered with.
A distributed database system is used to keep the
database at the BSC and the centralized one at
the server provider's premises synchronized.