Base Transceiver Station

Introduction
A base transceiver station or cell site (BTS) is a piece of equipment that facilitates
wireless communication between user equipment (UE) and a network. UEs are
devices like mobile phones (handsets), WLL phones, computers with wireless
internet connectivity, WiFi and WiMAX gadgets etc. The network can be that of
any of the wireless communication technologies like GSM, CDMA, WLL, WAN,
WiFi, WiMAX etc. BTS is also referred to as the radio base station (RBS), node B
(in 3G Networks) or, simply, the base station (BS). For discussion of the LTE
standard the abbreviation eNB for enhanced node B is widely used.So, to
understand BTS we have to go through the basics of GSM system because BTS is
a part of a GSM system.

Various Subsystems of GSM

Figure 1 Subsystems of GSM

Base Station Subsystem (BSS)

Figure 2 Subsystems of BSS

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

1
 Base Transceiver Station

From this figure we can say that BTS is a part of BSS(Base station subsystem)

The Base Station Subsystem (BSS)

The Base Station Subsystem consists of the following elements:

1. BSC (Base Station Controller)
2. BTS (Base Transceiver Station)
3. TC (Transcoder)

Figure 3 Working of BSS

The Base Station Controller (BSC) is the central network element of the BSS and
itcontrols the radio network. This means that the main responsibilities of the BSC
are: Connection establishment between MS and NSS, Mobility management,
Statisticalraw data collection, Air and A interface signalling support.

The Base Transceiver Station (BTS) is a network element maintaining the Air
interface. It takes care of Air interface signalling, Air interface ciphering and
speechprocessing. In this context, speech processing refers to all the functions the
BTSperforms in order to guarantee an error-free connection between the MS and
the BTS.The TransCoder (TC) is a BSS element taking care of speech

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

2
 Base Transceiver Station

transcoding, i.e. it iscapable of converting speech from one digital coding format to
another and vice versa.
The BTS, BSC and TC together form the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) which is a
part of the GSM network taking care of the following major functions:

Radio Path Control

In the GSM network, the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) is the part of the network
taking care of Radio Resources, i.e. radio channel allocation and quality of the
radioconnection. For this purpose, the GSM Technical Specifications define about
120different parameters for each BTS. These parameters define exactly what kind
of BTSis in question and how MSs may "see" the network when moving in this
BTS area.The BTS parameters handle the following major items: what kind of
handovers (whenand why), paging organization, radio power level control and
BTS identification.

BTS and TC Control

Inside the BSS, all the BTSs and TCs are connected to the BSC(s). The
BSCmaintains the BTSs. In other words, the BSC is capable of separating (barring)
a BTSfrom the network and collecting alarm information. Transcoders are also
maintainedby the BSC, i.e. the BSC collects alarms related to the
Transcoders.SynchronizationThe BSS uses hierarchical synchronization which
means that the MSC synchronizesthe BSC and the BSC further synchronizes the
BTSs associated with that particularBSC. Inside the BSS, synchronization is
controlled by the BSC. Synchronization is acritical issue in the GSM network due
to the nature of the information transferred. Ifthe synchronization chain is not
working correctly, calls may be cut or the call qualitymay not be the best possible.
Ultimately, it may even be impossible to establish a call.

Air &A Interface Signalling:

In order to establish a call, the MS must have a connection through the BSS. This
connection requires several signalling protocols.

Connection Establishment between MS and NSS

The BSS is located between two interfaces, the Air and the A interface. From the
callestablishment point of view, the MS must have a connection through these
twointerfaces before a call can be established. Generally speaking, this connection
may beeither a signallingtype of connection or a traffic (speech, data) type of
connection.

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

3
 Base Transceiver Station

Network Switching Subsystem (NSS)

The elements of Network Switching Subsystem that have been described so far
are:
MSC (Mobile Services Switching Centre)
VLR (Visitor Location Register)
HLR (Home Location Register)
The MSC is responsible for controlling calls in the mobile network. It identifies the
origin and destination of a call (either a mobile station or a fixed telephone in both
cases), as well as the type of a call. An MSC acting as a bridge between a mobile
network and a fixed network is called a Gateway MSC. An MSC is
normallyintegrated with a VLR, which maintains information related to the
subscribers who arecurrently in the service area of the MSC. The VLR carries out
location registrationsand updates. The MSC associated with it initiates thepaging
process.
A VLR database is always temporary (in the sense that the data is held as long as
thesubscriber is within its service area), whereas the HLR maintains a permanent
registerof the subscribers. In addition to the fixed data, the HLR also maintains a
temporarydatabase which contains the current location of its customers. This data
is required forrouting calls.

In addition, there are two more elements in the NSS: the Authentication Centre
(AC)and the Equipment Identity Register (EIR). They are usually implemented as
part ofHLR and they deal with the security functions.

Network Management Subsystem

The Network Management Subsystem (NMS) is the third subsystem of the GSM
network in addition to the Network Switching Subsystem (NSS) and Base Station
Subsystem (BSS). The purpose of the NMS is to monitor various functions
andelements of the network. These tasks are carried out by the NMS/2000 which
consistsof a number of Work Stations, Servers and a Router which connects to a
DataCommunications Network (DCN).
The operator workstations are connected to the database and communication
serversvia a Local Area Network (LAN). The database server stores the
managementinformation about the network. The communications server takes care
of the datacommunications between the NMS and the equipment in the GSM

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

4
 Base Transceiver Station

network known as Network Elements These communications are carried over a

Data CommunicationsNetwork (DCN) which connects to the NMS via a router.
The DCN is normallyimplemented using an X.25 Packet Switching Network.

The functions of the NMS can be divided into three categories:

Fault Management
Configuration Management
Performance Management

These functions cover the whole of the GSM network elements from the level of
individual BTSs, up to MSCs and HLRs.

Fault Management
The purpose of Fault Management is to ensure the smooth operation of the network
and rapid correction of any kind of problems that are detected. Fault management
provides the network operator with information about the current status of alarm
events and maintains a history database of alarms. The alarms are stored in the
NMSdatabase and this database can be searched according to criteria specified by
thenetwork operator.

Configuration Management
The purpose of Configuration Management is to maintain up to date information
aboutthe operation and configuration status of network elements. Specific
configurationfunctions include the management of the radio network, software and
hardwaremanagement of the network elements, time synchronization and security
operations.

Performance Management
In performance management, the NMS collects measurement data from individual
network elements and stores it in a database. On the basis of these data, the
networkoperator is able to compare the actual performance of the network with the
plannedperformance and detect both good and bad performance areas within the
network.

Various Interfaces in BTS

The Radio Interface( Um)

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

5
 Base Transceiver Station

Radio interface (between MS and base transceiver stations [BTS]) is the

mostimportant in any mobile radio system, in that it addresses the
demandingcharacteristics of the radio environment. The physical layer interfaces to
the data linklayer and radio resource management sub-layer in the MS and BS and
to other
functional units in the MS and network subsystem (which includes the BSS and
MSC)for supporting traffic channels. The physical interface comprises a set of
physicalchannels accessible through FDMA and TDMA.

Each physical channel supports a number of logical channels used for user traffic
andsignaling. The physical layer supports the functions required for the
transmission ofbit streams on the air interface. Layer 1 also provides access
capabilities to upperlayers. The physical layer is described in the GSM
Recommendation 05 series (part ofthe ETSI documentation for GSM). At the
physical level, most signaling messagescarried on the radio path are in 23-octet
blocks. The data link layer functions aremultiplexing, error detection and
correction, flow control, and segmentation to allowfor long messages on the upper
layers.The radio resource layer manages the dialog between the MS and BSS
concerning themanagement of the radio connection, including connection
establishment, control,release, and changes (e.g., during handover).

Abis Interface (BTS to BSC)

The interconnection between the BTS and the BSC is through a standard
interface,Abis (most Abis interfaces are vendor specific). The primary functions
carried over
this interface are traffic channel transmission, terrestrial channel management, and
radio channel management. This interface supports two types of communications
links: Traffic channels at 64 kbps carrying speech or user data for a full- or half-
rateradio traffic channel and Signaling channels at 16 kbps carrying information
forBSC-BTS and BSC-MSC signaling. The BSC handles the LAPD channel
signalingfor every BTS carrier. The first three layers are based on the following
OSI/ITU-T
recommendations:-
Physical layer: ITU-T Recommendation G.703 and GSM Recommendation 0-8.54
Data link layer: GSM Recommendation 08.56 (LAPD)
Network layer: GSM Recommendation 08.58
There are two types of messages handled by the traffic management procedure part
ofthe signaling interface— transparent and nontransparent. Transparent messages

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

6
 Base Transceiver Station

arebetween the MS and BSC-MSC and do not require analysis by the

BTS.Nontransparent messages do require BTS analysis.The Abis interface lies
within the base station subsystem (BSS) and represents thedividing line between
the BSC function and the BTS. The BSC and BTS can beconnected using leased
lines, radio links or metropolitan area networks (MANs).

Basically, two channel types exist between the BSC and BTS:
Traffic channels (TCH): Can be configured in 8, 16 and 64 kbit/sformats and
transport user data
Signaling channels: Can be configured in 16, 32, 56 and 64 kbit/sformats and
are used for signaling purposes between the BTS and BSC.Each transceiver (TRX)
in a BSC generally requires a signalingchannel on the Abis interface.

A - Interface (BSC to MSC)

The A interface allows interconnection between the BSS radio base subsystem and
theMSC. The physical layer of the A interface is a 2-Mbps standard Consultative
Committee on Telephone and Telegraph (CCITT) digital connection. The signaling
transport uses Message Transfer Part (MTP) and Signaling Connection Control
Part(SCCP) of SS7. Error-free transport is handled by a subset of the MTP, and
logicalconnection is handled by a subset of the SCCP. The application parts are
dividedbetween the BSS application part (BSSAP) and BSS operation and
maintenanceapplication part (BSSOMAP). The BSSAP is further divided into
Direct TransferApplication Part (DTAP) and BSS management application part
(BSSMAP). TheDTAP is used to transfer layer 3 messages between the MS and
the MSC without BSCinvolvement. The BSSMAP is responsible for all aspects of
radio resource handling at the BSS. The BSSOMAP supports all the operation and
maintenance communicationsof BSS.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which manages the

internationalallocation of radio spectrum (among many other functions), allocated
the bands 890-915 MHz for the uplink (mobile station to base station) and 935-960
MHz for thedownlink (base station to mobile station) for mobile networks in
Europe.

The BTS performs the radio functions of the Base Station Subsystem (BSS). The
BTSreceives and sends signals through:

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

7
 Base Transceiver Station

• Air interface — frequencies that connect the BTS to the Mobile Station (MS)
•Abis interface — cable or radio link that connects the BTS to the Base Station
Controller (BSC), which is the central element of the BSS
The BTS performs the radio functions of the Base Station Subsystem (BSS). The
BTSreceives and sends signals through:

• Air interface — frequencies that connect the BTS to the Mobile Station (MS)
•Abis interface — cable or radio link that connects the BTS to the Base Station
Controller (BSC), which is the central element of the BSS.

BTS mainly comprises of 2 components

Antenna system
BTS cabinet

Antenna System in BTS

REQUIREMENTS OF BTS ANTENNA

1. Strictly defined radiation patterns for accurate network planning.
2. Growing concern for the level of intermodulation due to the radiation of many
HF-carriers via one antenna
3. Dual polarization
4. Electrical down-tilting
5. Impeccable design.

X-POL ANTENNA SYSTEM

Diversity is used to increase the uplink signal level.

There are two type of diversities:
 Space Diversity
 Frequency Diversity

The dipoles are placed at +45°/-45° to handle both horizontally and

vertically polarized components.

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

8
 Base Transceiver Station

Figure 4 Roof Top Antenna Setup

ADVANTAGES OF X-POL ANTENNAS

 X-pol antennas reduces interference and improves indoor coverage
 in urban terrain.
 Both antenna systems can be used to transmit.

GSM BASE PANEL ANTENNA

 Specification
 Brand: Cushcraft
 Model: S8802MP
 Frequency: 880 - 960 MHz
 Gain: 2 dBi
 Type: Omni

Figure 5 GSM panel Antenna Setup

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

9
 Base Transceiver Station

Figure 6 Radiation pattern for GSM panel Antenna

Figure 7 GSM panel antenna

 Specification
 Brand: Cushcraft
 Model: S8963B
 Frequency: 896 - 960 Mhz
 Gain: 5 dB
 Type: Omni

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

10
 Base Transceiver Station

Figure 8 Radiation pattern for GSM panel antenna

BTS Cabinet

BTS Construction:

BelowShown in figure is a BTS with 12 TRX and supporting equipments for its
optimumperformance.

 Radio Part

Transceiver unit is the main part of BTS and the occupancy of a BTS is termed in
number of TRX cards. Each card is responsible for transmitting and receiving the
dataand is solely responsible for anything related to radio. It receives the data to
Figure 9 Base Transceiver Station

betransmitted from the baseband card, modulates it and forwards it to respective

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

11
 Base Transceiver Station

Equipment. It receives the data caught by GSM antenna through

respectiveequipment, demodulates it and sends it to baseband part for further
processing.

Ideally each TRX card needs an antenna for its working. By various techniques
likespace diversity or cross polarization, either two or one antenna respectively is
requiredfor each TRX for optimum performance and coverage. A BTS can house
maximum 12TRX. So ideally we need total 12 or 24 antenna. This will increase
the cost by 4 timesplus the proximity of antennas will create tremendous
interference.

This leads to employing equipment, which will combine the signals such that less
number of antennas are used as far as possible. Such equipments are combiners,
multicouplers and dual band variable gain duplex filter.Combiners combines the
transmit signal of number of TRX and forms one combinesignal. There are two
types of combiners: wideband and remote tune. Both differ innumber of TRX it
can combine. Wideband can combine 2 while remote tune cancombine 6.

Multicoupler duplicates the received signal and facilitates to provide the received
signal (main and diversity) to each TRX. Here also, it can handle 2 or 6 TRX
signals.Dual band variable gain duplex filter combines transmitted and received
signals intoone antenna and amplifies received signals with a variable-gain Low
Noise Amplifier(LNA). Each unit has two identical parts. Each part has one Tx
port and two Rx port,one each for main and diversity. The Tx port is fed by Tx out
of the wide bandcombiner. As each unit has two identical parts, effectively Tx of 4
TRX are combinedinto one. Similarly in the receiving part, the Rx main and
diversity ports are connectedto the Multicoupler, which in turn duplicates the
signal and gives to TRX. Thus evenin the Rx part, four TRX can be handled.
DVGA is connected to the antenna throughfeeders. Employing of the above
equipments results into combining of Tx and Rx offour TRX into two feeders.
If remote tune combiner is used then DVGA is not used. Also multicoupler which
canhandle 6 TRX has to be used.

 Digital Part

After the demodulation, the signal is sent to baseband card where the DSP occurs.
Each card can handle two TRX. Similarly in the downlink path, the data received
fromBSC is digitally processed and sent to TRX for transmission.Once the data is

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

12
 Base Transceiver Station

ready after digital processing, each card gives its data to transmissioncard for
forwarding the data to BSC. The transmission card collects data and formatsit into
one E1 according to G.703 standards. It is sent to BSC via microwave link orfiber
link whichever is feasible. Similarly in the downlink path, the transmission card
reframes the E1 and distributes the data to appropriate baseband card.

Uplink and Downlink Path

Uplink path:
From the MS, the signal is received by the GSM Antenna. The signal is given to
DVGA where it is bifurcated into two combined RXs. This combined Rxs are
given toMulticouplers which further divides the signal into individual signal for
Receivedmain and diversity. This individual signals are fed to TRX which
performs thedemodulation of the signal and gives the information signal to
Baseband card. Itperforms the DSP analysis and gives to the transmission unit. It
constructs the E1according to the format in BOI and gives it to BSC via
transmission link.

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

13
 Base Transceiver Station

Figure 10 The uplink and downlink path

Downlink path:
Data from BSC is given to Baseband by transmission unit. DSP analysis is done
andthe information signal is given to TRX. The TRX modulates the signal and
gives themodulated signal to wideband combiner. The combiner combines two TX
signals intoone and gives it to DVGA. DVGA gets one more combined TX signal
from otherwideband combiner. It combines both the signal and gives it to the
antenna via thefeeder to be transmitted to the MS.
Skeleton Of BTS

The Base transceiver Station contains following Units:

1 Transceiver unit (TSxx)
2 2-way Receiver Multicoupler unit (M2xx)
3 Transceiver Baseband unit (BB2x)
4 BaseOperations and Interfaces unit (BOIx)
5 Transmission unit (VXxx)
6 Wideband Combiner unit (WCxx)
7 Dual Variable Gain Duplex Filter unit
(DVxx)
8 DC/DC Power Supply unit (PWSB)
9 6-way Receiver Multicoupler unit (M6xx)
10 Remote Tune Combiner unit (RTxx)
11 AC/DC Power Supply unit (PWSA)

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

14
 Base Transceiver Station

Figure 11 BTS Cabinet

Power Supply Unit:

Figure 12 PWSx unit

Main blocks

The PWSx unit consists of the following functional blocks:

• Power input
• Power switcher
• Control

Dual Variable Gain Duplex Filter :

Figure 13 DVxx Front View Figure 14 Block Diagram

The DVxx performs the following primary functions:

• combines transmitted and received signals into one antenna

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

15
 Base Transceiver Station

• amplifies received signals with a variable-gain Low Noise Amplifier (LNA)

The DVxx unit includes two identical duplex filter sections.Each section comprises
a duplexer, a variable-gain LNA, and an I2C-bus I/O bufferblock. Each LNA
defaults into the high-gain state at startup and can be switched to thelow-gain state
through the I2C-bus using the Site Manager.The gain of the low gain path can also
be adjusted. The DVxx unit includesan I2CEEPROM that stores the serial number,
information about the insertion loss variationof TX filters, and other data.This
information is used to compensate the frequency-dependent power variation ofthe
transmitter. The I2C-bus also carries alarm signals to indicate fault conditions
foreach LNA branch. The signals are relayed to the Base Operations and
Interfaces(BOIx) unit, which generates the alarms and displays them to the user
interface.
Multi coupler

The M2xx and M6xx are passive units. The units divide Received (RX) and
Diversity-Received (DRX) signals and distribute them to the Transceiver (TSxx)
units. Afterreceiving RX signals from the Dual Variable Gain Duplex Filter
(DVxx) unit, theM2xx and M6xx distributes the RX signals to the TSxx units.

Figure 16 Block Diagram

Figure 15 M2xx Unit

Wideband Combiner:

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

16
 Base Transceiver Station

Figure 17 Front view of WCxx Figure 18 Block Diagram

The WCxx unit consists of the following components:

• one 2-way combiner
•two isolators
• one heatsink for thermal dissipation
The WCxx unit combines transmit (TX) signals from two Transceiver (TSxx)
unitsand feeds the combined signal to the TX port of the Dual Variable Gain
Duplex filter unit.

Transceiver Card

Figure 19 Left Isometric View of TRX Figure 20 Block Diagram of TRX

Transceiver unit is the main part of BTS and the occupancy of a BTS is termed in
number of TRX cards. Each card is responsible for transmitting and receiving the
dataand is solely responsible for anything related to radio. It receives the data to
betransmitted from the baseband card, modulates it and forwards it to respective
equipment. It receives the data caught by GSM antenna through
respectiveequipments, demodulates it and sends it to baseband part for further
processing.
The TSxx unit of the Nokia UltraSite EDGE BTS performs RF
modulation/demodulation and amplification for one RF carrier. The TSxx unit
handles uplink
signals from the Mobile Station (MS) to the BTS and downlink signals
from the BTSto the MS.
The TSxx unit consists of the following modules:
• Transceiver (T R X )
• Frequency Hopping Synthesizer (F H S )
• Power Amplifier (PA )
• Power Supply (PSU )

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

17
 Base Transceiver Station

Baseband Card:

Figure 21 BB2x Card Figure 22 Block Diagram of Base Band Card

The BB2x unit of the BTS has the following mainfunctions:

• perform s digital signal processing for speech and data channels

• manages signaling for speech functions
The BB2x alsouses software downloaded from the Base Operations and
Interfaces(BOIx)unit
• sets its timing according to references from the BOIx unit
•supports synthesized (RF ) and Baseband (BB ) frequency hoppingThe BB2x unit
has two independent BB sections. Each section communicates with the
TRX module of one TSxx unit. Therefore, one BB2x unit can process two
TSxxunits,each with eight received and transmitted logical channels.

Base operations and Interface unit (BOIx)

Figure 23 BOIx Unit

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

18
 Base Transceiver Station

The BOIx unit handles the control functions that are common to all other units in
BTS.
These functions include:
BTS initialisation and self-testing
Configuration
Operations and Maintenance (O&M) functions
Software downloads
Main clock functions
Timing functions
Collection and management of external and internal alarms
Delivery of messages to the Base Station Controller (BSC) through the
Transmission (VXxx) unit
Operation

The BSC or Nokia BTS Manager downloads software to the FLASH memory of
theBOIx unit. (During download, an LED on the BOIx unit indicates the status of
theboard.) The BOIx unit downloads BTS software and configuration data to other
BTSunits.The BOIx unit collects alarms from other active units and saves
configurationinformation into non-volatile memory. The BOIx unit also controls
the uplink anddownlink cross-connection between the Transceiver Baseband unit
(BB2x) and theTransceiver (TSxx) unit.

The BOIx unit detects unit alarms and performs recovery actions. In certain
situations,the BOIx unit resets itself. The BOIx unit generates an accurate
reference clock signalfor the TSxx unit, BB2x unit, and Remote Tune Combiner
(RTxx) unit. The BTS cansynchronize its frame clock and number with another
BTS unit(with Talk as the clock master) or to another BTS unit. Themechanics of
the BOIx unit provide EMI/EMC shielding for internal electricalcomponents.

Conclusion

After the understanding of the BTS system we can conclude that BTS will be very
helpful for wireless communication. In the BSS most of the task will be done by
the BTS. Most of the operations will be done by the BTS cards and it is the base of
the wireless system. It is very helpful to the mobile communication field. It is a
combined unit made up of several cards, antenna and towers (for support the
antenna).

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

19
 Base Transceiver Station

References

 Agilent tutorial
 Metrohub Device Manual
 BTS Device Manual
 Nokia BSS Systra
 Nokia Metro Hopper Manager
 Nokia BTS Manager
 Reflection(Alarm Manager)

Books

 Mobile Communication by RAJ PANDYA

 Wireless Communication by Rappaport

Websites

 http://www.gsmworld.com
 http://www.nokiasiemensnetwork.com
 http://www.wikipedia.org
 http://answers.com

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

20
 Base Transceiver Station

 http://www.encyclopedia.com

Electronics & communication Eng. Institute of technology, Nirma University  Page

21