OMF001003 GSM BSS

Communication Flow

Huawei Wireless Training Department

 Foreword

Course Purpose:
Grasp the means of interface trace and the method
of analyzing it to aid us for fault handling.
How to learn this course:
Copy the interface trace result files.
Use the maintenance consoles interface trace review
function to study,
Attention:
Itis strictly forbidden to use the interface tracing
function when the system is busy or the system is
under heavy duty.
Course Content

Location Update Flow

Call Setup(Originating)
Intra-BSC Handover
Inter-BSC Handover
BSC Normal Release

BSC Local-end Release

Case Analysis
 I. Location Update Flow

Purpose of Location Update:

To inform the system the LA in which the MS is
to facilitate paging.

When need the MS perform

Location Update
Getting into a new LA
Periodical Location Update
 Location Update Flow
MS BTS BSC MSC
Reference Channel_req Channel_Required(2)
A-bis_logon saved Channel_Active(3)
trace result file.)
Channel_Active_Ack(4)
Note:
The message IMMEDIATE ASSIGN COMMAND (5)
number in this First SABM
page is the SN of Establish_IND(Location Updating Req) (6)
the messages in CR(Complete_L3_
the result file. information)

CC

Location Updating Accepted (10) (NOTE 1)

TMSI Reallocation Complete(NOTE 2) (11)

(NOTE 3) Clear_CMD
SABM: Set asynchronous balanced
mode command--Initial access frame Clear_CMP
UA: Unnumbered acknowledgement
response
 Notes
NOTE 1:Authentication, Encryption, Identity
After establishing the SCCP connection between BSC and MSC
there might be authentication and encryption in an intacte location
update flow.
For Huawei MSC, authentication and encryption are all optional. And
normally authentication is mandatory and encryption is optional in
practical situation.
Huawei BSS system supports encryption algorithm A5/1 and A5/2.
Identification: The ID in Est_IND message reported by the MS is
TMSI. When VLR cannot identify the TMSI or TMSI authentication
fails, MSC will start Identification flow. That means MSC will send
transparent transfer message Identity Request to MS and MS
will report Identity Response message which involves IMSI.
 Notes

NOTE 2:
To reallocate TMSI or not during location update
is optional in MSC.
If MSC chooses Reallocate TMSI during location
update to No MS will not report TMSI
Reallocation Complete message.

NOTE3:
In this flow we have simplified the release flow.
To know more detailed refer to the BSC Normal
Release Flow.
 Abnormal Occasion

BSC receives Location Updating Rejected

message from MSC. The possible reason is
listed below:

A. MSC has not configured the CGI which has

been configured in BSC.

B. Communication failed between MSC and

VLR.

C. MS has not been registered in HLR.

 II. Call Setup Flow (Originating)
MS BTS BSC MSC
Channel_req Channel_Required (0)
Channel_Active (1)
Channel_Active_Ack (2)
IMMEDIATE ASSIGN COMMAND (3)
First SABM Establish_IND(CM Service Req) (5)
CR(Complete_L3_information) (0)
CC (1)
CM Service Accepted (9) (NOTE 1) (2)
Reference File: Setup (10) (3)
A-bis_Whole Call Processing (11) (4)
(NOTE 2) Assignment_Req (5)
A_whole Channel_Active (12)
Channel_Active_Ack (13)
ASSIGNMENT COMMAND (14)
First SABM Establish_IND (18)
ASSIGNMENT CMP (23)
Assignment_CMP (7)
Alerting (40)
Connect (63) (18)
Connect Ack (65) (19)
(NOTE 3) (21)
Conversation
Disconnect (200) (24)
Release (201) (25)
Release Complete (203) (28)
Clear_CMD
(NOTE 4) (32)
Clear_CMP
(33)
NOTE 1: Class Mark Update Flow

1. Authentication, encrytion, identification are

optional. See Note 1 in Location Update Flow.
2. Class mark update flow:
For dual-band MS, after the SCCP
connection is established and before
receiving message "CM Service Accepted"
there will be a class mark update flow.
CR message reports the information of class
mark 2. And in the class mark update flow,
MS will report class mark 3 information which
is related to the dual-band capabilty.
 NOTE 2: Assignment Method

Early Assignment
MSC sends Assignment_Req before
Alerting;
Late Assignment
MSC sends Assignment_Req
after.Alerting.
Very Early Assignment
In Immediate Assignment TCH is directly
assigned. When MSC sends Assignment
_Req message, BSC will not assign new
channel but perform Mode Modify flow.
After Mode Modify BSS will report
Assignment _CMP message to MSC.
Very Early Assignment
 Abnormal Situation

Abnormal Occasion 1: MSC has sent Assignment_Req

and BSC does not send ASSIGNMENT CMD but sends a
Assignment_Fail message. Possible reason:
A. BSC has not available TCH.
B. The CIC assigned by the MSC is not idle in BSC.
C. There are transmission faults or interference in the uplink.
BTS cannot receive the uplink signal correctly.
Abnormal Occasion2: BSC has sent ASSIGNMENT CMD
message but MS sends ASSIGNMENT FAIL. Possible
reason:
Downlink bit error rate is too high.
 III. Intra-BSC Handover

MS BTS1 BSC BTS2 MS MSC

Measure Report from MS

Channel_Active (124)

Channel_Active_Ack (125)

HANDOVER COMMAND (126)

Handover Access
Handover_Detect (127)
PHYINFO

PHYINFO

Reference File: First SABM

Establish_IND (128)
A-bis_whole
HANDOVER COMPLETE (132)
Handover_Performed

(NOTE 2)
 Notes

NOTE1:Asynchronous Handover and Synchronous Handover

Intra-BSC asynchronous handover:
BTS1 and BTS2 do not belong to the same base station.
Thus the target BTS shall send PHY INFO message.
Intra-BSC synchronous handover:
BTS1 and BTS2 belong to the same base station. Actually
they are too cells of one base site. In such occasion there
will not be PHY INFO message, After Handover Access
message, MS will send SABM very rapidly.

NOTE2
After reporting Handover_Performed message to MSC, BSC
will start the local-end release flow for the previous channel (in
BTS 2).
 Abnormal Occasion

Abnormal Occasion

In case of intra-BSC asynchronous handover,

when BTS1 has sent PHY INFO message to
the maximum time but still cant the MS
access the new channel, BTS1 will send
CONN FAIL IND message. Its causing value
is handover access failure. When BSC
receives this message it will start local-end
release flow to release the channel in BTS1.
 IV. Inter-BSC Handover

MS BTS1 BSC1 MSC BSC2 BTS2 MS

(NOTE 1)
Measure Report from MS
Handover_Required Handover_Request
Channel_Active

Channel_Active_Ack
Handover_Request_Ack
Handover_CMD
HANDOVER COMMAND Handover Access
Handover_Detect
Handover_Detect PHY INFO

PHY INFO
First SABM
Establish_INO

HANDOVER COMPLETE
Handover_Cmp
Clear_CMD
(NOTE 2) Clear_CMP
 Notes

NOTE1: Two different handover occasions

of inter-BSC handover
Intra-MSC inter-BSC Handover:
Two BSCs belong to the same MSC.
Inter-MSC Handover:
Two BSCs do not belong to the same MSC.
The A-interface messages are same for the
two occasions above.
NOTE2
When BSC1 receives Clear_CMD message from MSC it
will start local-end release flow for the previously
occupied channel in BTS1.
 V. BSC Normal Release Flow

MS BTS BSC MSC

(NOTE 1) Disconnect (200)

Release (201)
Reference File: Release Complete (203)
A-bis_whole
Clear_CMD
Clear_CMP
CHANNEL RELEASE (204)
Deactive_SACCH (205)
First DISC Release_IND (206)
UA RF_Release_Req (207)
RF_Release_Req_ACK (208)
 Notes

NOTE1Two occasions of release

NSS originating release

MS originating release

In these two different occasions all the

messages are same except the direction of the
first 3 messages.
 VI. Local-end Release Flow

MS BTS BSC MSC

Deactive_SACCH (133)
Reference File: Release_Req(LOCAL END) (NOTE 1) (134)
A-bis_whole
Release_Confirm (136)

RF_Release_Req (135)

RF_Release_Req_ACK (137)
 VII. Case Analysis

Case Description

BSCs ASSIGNMENT CMD message

has been sent but the BTS sends
several EST IND messages. Later MS
sends ASSIGNMENT FAIL message
and the causing value is Protocol
error unspecified.
 Case Analysis

Case Analysis

By analyzing the messages we can find that MS has reported

several EST IND message before ASSIGNMENT FAIL
message.
When BTS receives a SABM frame it will report an EST IND
message to BSC. So we know now that the MS must have
sent many SABM frame to the BTS.
BTS can decode the SABM frame sent by MS but MS cannot
decode the UA frame sent by BTS. And this causes that the
BTS reports many EST IND messages.
 Case Analysis

Case realize:
In the lab we can simulate. Disconnect the TX antenna to make
the downlink signal pure. Trace the A-bis signaling we can find
that BTS sends several EST IND messages to BSC for the
newly assigned TCH but cant succeed. And then MS sends
ASSIGNMENT FAIL via the previous SDCCH and the causing
value is Protocol error unspecified.

Conclusion:
Inthe field when it appears many ASSIGNMENT FAIL
messages, the main reason might be the pure downlink
receiving power level or receiving quality.
Connection between TRX and SCU (CDU).
 Appendix: Power Class

Phase 2 MS output Power Class and the exact power

relations.

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 Power Control Level

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Phase 2 MS 3 3
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