Introduction to GSM, the Global System for Mobile Communication

1. Introduction: The Evolution of Mobile Telephone Systems

Cellular is one of the fastest growing and most demanding telecommunications
applications. Today, it represents a continuously increasing percentage of all new
telephone subscriptions around the world. Currently there are more than 45
million cellular subscribers worldwide, and nearly 50 percent of those subscribers
are located in the United States. It is forecasted that cellular systems using a
digital technology will become the universal method of telecommunications. By
the year 2005, forecasters predict that there will be more than 100 million
cellular subscribers worldwide. It has even been estimated that some countries
may have more mobile phones than fixed phones by the year 2000.
The concept of cellular service is the use of low-power transmitters where
frequencies can be reused within a geographic area. The idea of cell-based
mobile radio service was formulated in the United States at Bell Labs in the early
1970s. However, the Nordic countries were the first to introduce cellular services
for commercial use with the introduction of the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) in
1981.
Cellular systems began in the United States with the release of the advanced
mobile phone service (AMPS) system in 1983. The AMPS standard was adopted
by Asia, Latin America, and Oceanic countries, creating the largest potential
market in the world for cellular.
In the early 1980s, most mobile telephone systems were analog rather than
digital, like today's newer systems. One challenge facing analog systems was the
inability to handle the growing capacity needs in a cost-efficient manner. As a
result, digital technology was welcomed. The advantages of digital systems over
analog systems include ease of signaling, lower levels of interference, integration
of transmission and switching, and increased ability to meet capacity demands.
Table 1 charts the worldwide development of mobile telephone systems.
2. GSM
GSM stands for Global System for Mobiles. This is a world-wide standard for
digital cellular telephony, or as most people know them Digital Mobile
Telephones. GSM was created by the Europeans, and originally meant "Groupe
Special Mobile", but this didn't translate well, so the now common more globally
appealing name was adopted. GSM is a published standard by ETSI, and has now
enjoys widespread implementation in Europe, Asia, and increasingly America.
There are many arguments about the relative merits of analogue versus digital,
but for my mind it comes down to this: Analogue sounds better and goes further,
Digital doesn't sound as good, but does a whole lot more.Check out the links
page for sites that have some good discussion on the Digital v Analogue debate.
Examples of what digital can do that analogue doesn't (or doesn't do very well)
are, Fax send & receive, Data calls, and Messaging.

Throughout the evolution of cellular telecommunications, various systems have

been developed without the benefit of standardized specifications. This
presented many problems directly related to compatibility, especially with the
development of digital radio technology. The GSM standard is intended to
address these problems.
From 1982 to 1985 discussions were held to decide between building an analog
or digital system. After multiple field tests, a digital system was adopted for GSM.
The next task was to decide between a narrow or broadband solution. In May
1987, the narrowband time division multiple access (TDMA) solution was chosen.
3. The GSM Network
GSM provides recommendations, not requirements. The GSM specifications
define the functions and interface requirements in detail but do not address the
hardware. The reason for this is to limit the designers as little as possible but still
to make it possible for the operators to buy equipment from different suppliers.
The GSM network is divided into three major systems: the switching system (SS),
the base station system (BSS), and the operation and support system (OSS).

The Switching System

The switching system (SS) is responsible for performing call processing and
subscriber-related functions. The switching system includes the following
functional units.

home location register (HLR)The HLR is a database used for storage and
management of subscriptions. The HLR is considered the most important
database, as it stores permanent data about subscribers, including a
subscriber's service profile, location information, and activity status. When
an individual buys a subscription from one of the PCS operators, he or she
is registered in the HLR of that operator.

mobile services switching center (MSC)The MSC performs the telephony

switching functions of the system. It controls calls to and from other
telephone and data systems. It also performs such functions as toll
ticketing, network interfacing, common channel signaling, and others.

visitor location register (VLR)The VLR is a database that contains

temporary information about subscribers that is needed by the MSC in
order to service visiting subscribers. The VLR is always integrated with the
MSC. When a mobile station roams into a new MSC area, the VLR
connected to that MSC will request data about the mobile station from the
HLR. Later, if the mobile station makes a call, the VLR will have the
information needed for call setup without having to interrogate the HLR
each time.

authentication center (AUC)A unit called the AUC provides

authentication and encryption parameters that verify the user's identity
and ensure the confidentiality of each call. The AUC protects network
operators from different types of fraud found in today's cellular world.

equipment identity register (EIR)The EIR is a database that contains

information about the identity of mobile equipment that prevents calls
from stolen, unauthorized, or defective mobile stations. The AUC and EIR
are implemented as stand-alone nodes or as a combined AUC/EIR node.

The Base Station System (BSS)

All radio-related functions are performed in the BSS, which consists of base
station controllers (BSCs) and the base transceiver stations (BTSs).

BSCThe BSC provides all the control functions and physical links
between the MSC and BTS. It is a high-capacity switch that provides
functions such as handover, cell configuration data, and control of radio
frequency (RF) power levels in base transceiver stations. A number of
BSCs are served by an MSC.

BTSThe BTS handles the radio interface to the mobile station. The BTS is
the radio equipment (transceivers and antennas) needed to service each
cell in the network. A group of BTSs are controlled by a BSC.

The Operation and Support System

The operations and maintenance center (OMC) is connected to all equipment in
the switching system and to the BSC. The implementation of OMC is called the
operation and support system (OSS). The OSS is the functional entity from which
the network operator monitors and controls the system. The purpose of OSS is to
offer the customer cost-effective support for centralized, regional, and local
operational and maintenance activities that are required for a GSM network. An
important function of OSS is to provide a network overview and support the
maintenance activities of different operation and maintenance organizations.
Additional Functional Elements
Other functional elements shown in Figure 2 are as follows:

message center (MXE)The MXE is a node that provides integrated voice,

fax, and data messaging. Specifically, the MXE handles short message
service, cell broadcast, voice mail, fax mail, e-mail, and notification.

mobile service node (MSN)The MSN is the node that handles the mobile
intelligent network (IN) services.

gateway mobile services switching center (GMSC)A gateway is a node

used to interconnect two networks. The gateway is often implemented in
an MSC. The MSC is then referred to as the GMSC.

GSM interworking unit (GIWU)The GIWU consists of both hardware and

software that provides an interface to various networks for data
communications. Through the GIWU, users can alternate between speech
and data during the same call. The GIWU hardware equipment is
physically located at the MSC/VLR.

4. GSM Network Areas

The GSM network is made up of geographic areas. These areas include cells,
location areas (LAs), MSC/VLR service areas, and public land mobile network
(PLMN) areas.

The cell is the area given radio coverage by one base transceiver station. The
GSM network identifies each cell via the cell global identity (CGI) number
assigned to each cell. The location area is a group of cells. It is the area in which
the subscriber is paged. Each LA is served by one or more base station
controllers, yet only by a single MSC (see Figure 4). Each LA is assigned a
location area identity (LAI) number.

An MSC/VLR service area represents the part of the GSM network that is covered
by one MSC and which is reachable, as it is registered in the VLR of the MSC.

The PLMN service area is an area served by one network operator.

5. GSM Specifications
Before looking at the GSM specifications, it is important to understand the
following basic terms:

bandwidththe range of a channel's limits; the broader the bandwidth,

the faster data can be sent

bits per second (bps)a single on-off pulse of data; eight bits are
equivalent to one byte

frequencythe number of cycles per unit of time; frequency is measured

in hertz (Hz)

kilo (k)kilo is the designation for 1,000; the abbreviation kbps

represents 1,000 bits per second

megahertz (MHz)1,000,000 hertz (cycles per second)

milliseconds (ms)one-thousandth of a second

watt (W)a measure of power of a transmitter

Specifications for different personal communication services (PCS) systems vary

among the different PCS networks. Listed below is a description of the
specifications and characteristics for GSM.

frequency bandThe frequency range specified for GSM is 1,850 to

1,990 MHz (mobile station to base station).

duplex distanceThe duplex distance is 80 MHz. Duplex distance is the

distance between the uplink and downlink frequencies. A channel has two
frequencies, 80 MHz apart.

channel separationThe separation between adjacent carrier

frequencies. In GSM, this is 200 kHz.

modulationModulation is the process of sending a signal by changing

the characteristics of a carrier frequency. This is done in GSM via Gaussian
minimum shift keying (GMSK).

transmission rateGSM is a digital system with an over-the-air bit rate

of 270 kbps.

access methodGSM utilizes the time division multiple access (TDMA)

concept. TDMA is a technique in which several different calls may share
the same carrier. Each call is assigned a particular time slot.

speech coderGSM uses linear predictive coding (LPC). The purpose of

LPC is to reduce the bit rate. The LPC provides parameters for a filter that
mimics the vocal tract. The signal passes through this filter, leaving
behind a residual signal. Speech is encoded at 13 kbps.

6. GSM Subscriber Services

There are two basic types of services offered through GSM: telephony (also
referred to as teleservices) and data (also referred to as bearer services).
Telephony services are mainly voice services that provide subscribers with the
complete capability (including necessary terminal equipment) to communicate
with other subscribers. Data services provide the capacity necessary to transmit
appropriate data signals between two access points creating an interface to the
network. In addition to normal telephony and emergency calling, the following
subscriber services are supported by GSM:

dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF)DTMF is a tone signaling scheme

often used for various control purposes via the telephone network, such as
remote control of an answering machine. GSM supports full-originating
DTMF.

facsimile group IIIGSM supports CCITT Group 3 facsimile. As standard

fax machines are designed to be connected to a telephone using analog
signals, a special fax converter connected to the exchange is used in the
GSM system. This enables a GSMconnected fax to communicate with
any analog fax in the network.

short message servicesA convenient facility of the GSM network is

the short message service. A message consisting of a maximum of 160
alphanumeric characters can be sent to or from a mobile station. This
service can be viewed as an advanced form of alphanumeric paging with a
number of advantages. If the subscriber's mobile unit is powered off or has
left the coverage area, the message is stored and offered back to the
subscriber when the mobile is powered on or has reentered the coverage
area of the network. This function ensures that the message will be
received.

cell broadcastA variation of the short message service is the cell

broadcast facility. A message of a maximum of 93 characters can be
broadcast to all mobile subscribers in a certain geographic area. Typical
applications include traffic congestion warnings and reports on accidents.

voice mailThis service is actually an answering machine within the

network, which is controlled by the subscriber. Calls can be forwarded to
the subscriber's voice-mail box and the subscriber checks for messages
via a personal security code.

fax mailWith this service, the subscriber can receive fax messages at
any fax machine. The messages are stored in a service center from which
they can be retrieved by the subscriber via a personal security code to the
desired fax number.

GSM supports a comprehensive set of supplementary services that can

complement and support both telephony and data services. Supplementary
services are defined by GSM and are characterized as revenue-generating
features. A partial listing of supplementary services follows.

call forwardingThis service gives the subscriber the ability to forward

incoming calls to another number if the called mobile unit is not reachable,
if it is busy, if there is no reply, or if call forwarding is allowed
unconditionally.

barring of outgoing callsThis service makes it possible for a mobile

subscriber to prevent all outgoing calls.

barring of incoming callsThis function allows the subscriber to

prevent incoming calls. The following two conditions for incoming call
barring exist: baring of all incoming calls and barring of incoming calls
when roaming outside the home PLMN.

advice of charge (AoC)The AoC service provides the mobile subscriber

with an estimate of the call charges. There are two types of AoC
information: one that provides the subscriber with an estimate of the bill
and one that can be used for immediate charging purposes. AoC for data
calls is provided on the basis of time measurements.

call holdThis service enables the subscriber to interrupt an ongoing call

and then subsequently reestablish the call. The call hold service is only
applicable to normal telephony.

call waitingThis service enables the mobile subscriber to be notified of

an incoming call during a conversation. The subscriber can answer, reject,
or ignore the incoming call. Call waiting is applicable to all GSM
telecommunications services using a circuit-switched connection.

multiparty serviceThe multiparty service enables a mobile subscriber

to establish a multiparty conversationthat is, a simultaneous
conversation between three and six subscribers. This service is only
applicable to normal telephony.

calling line identification presentation/restrictionThese services

supply the called party with the integrated services digital network (ISDN)
number of the calling party. The restriction service enables the calling
party to restrict the presentation. The restriction overrides the
presentation.

closed user groups (CUGs)CUGs are generally comparable to a PBX.

They are a group of subscribers who are capable of only calling
themselves and certain numbers.

Glossary
ADC

American Digital Cellular

AMPS

advanced mobile phone service

AoC

advice of charge

AUC

authentication center

bps

bits per second

BSC

base station controller

BSS

base station system

BTS

base transceiver station

CGI

cell global identity

CUG

closed user group

DCS

digital cellular system

DTMF

dual-tone multifrequency

EIR

equipment identity register

GIWU

GSM interworking unit

GMSC

gateway mobile services switching center

GMSK

Gaussian minimum shift keying

GSM

global system for mobile communication

HLR

home location register

Hz

hertz

ISDN

integrated services digital network

kilo

kbps

kilobits per second

LA

location area

LAI

location-area identity

LPC

linear predictive coding

MHz

megahertz

MSC

mobile services switching center

MSN

mobile service node

MXE

message center

NMT

Nordic Mobile Telephone

OMC

operations and maintenance center

OSS

operation and support system

PCS

personal communications services

PDC

personal digital cellular

PLMN

public land mobile network

SS

switching system

TACS

total access communication system

TDMA

time division multiple access

VLR

visitor location register