1)GSM: Mobile Services

GSM offers
 several types of connections
 voice connections, data connections, short message service
 multi-service options (combination of basic services)
Three service domains
 Bearer Services
 Telematic Services
Supplementary Services
MS
Bearer Services
 Telecommunication services to transfer data between access points
 Specification of services up to the terminal interface (OSI layers 1-3)
 Different data rates for voice and data (original standard)
 data service (circuit switched)
 synchronous: 2.4, 4.8 or 9.6 kbit/s
 asynchronous: 300 - 1200 bit/s
 data service (packet switched)
 synchronous: 2.4, 4.8 or 9.6 kbit/s
 asynchronous: 300 - 9600 bit/s
Tele Services I
 Telecommunication services that enable voice communication via mobile phones
 All these basic services have to obey cellular functions, security measurements etc.
 Offered services
 mobile telephony
primary goal of GSM was to enable mobile telephony offering the traditional
bandwidth of 3.1 kHz
 Emergency number
common number throughout Europe (112); mandatory for all service
providers; free of charge; connection with the highest priority (preemption
of other connections possible)
 Multinumbering
several ISDN phone numbers per user possible
Tele Services II
Additional services
 Non-Voice-Teleservices
 group 3 fax
 voice mailbox (implemented in the fixed network supporting the
mobile terminals)
 electronic mail (MHS, Message Handling System, implemented in the
fixed network)
 ...
 Short Message Service (SMS)
alphanumeric data transmission to/from the mobile terminal using

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 the signaling channel, thus allowing simultaneous use of basic
services and SMS
Supplementary services
 Services in addition to the basic services, cannot be offered stand-alone
 Similar to ISDN services besides lower bandwidth due to the radio link
 May differ between different service providers, countries and protocol versions
 Important services
 identification: forwarding of caller number
 suppression of number forwarding
 automatic call-back
 conferencing with up to 7 participants
 locking of the mobile terminal (incoming or outgoing calls)
 ...
2)Architecture of the GSM system
GSM is a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network)
 several providers setup mobile networks following the GSM standard within
each country
 components
 MS (mobile station)
 BS (base station)
 MSC (mobile switching center)
 LR (location register)
 subsystems
 RSS (radio subsystem): covers all radio aspects
 NSS (network and switching subsystem): call forwarding, handover,
switching
 OSS (operation subsystem): management of the network

Radio subsystem
The Radio Subsystem (RSS) comprises the cellular mobile network up to the switching
centers
 Components
 Base Station Subsystem (BSS):
 Base Transceiver Station (BTS): radio components including sender,
receiver, antenna - if directed antennas are used one BTS can cover
several cells
 Base Station Controller (BSC): switching between BTSs, controlling
BTSs, managing of network resources, mapping of radio channels (U m)
onto terrestrial channels (A interface)
 BSS = BSC + sum(BTS) + interconnection
 Mobile Stations (MS)
Base Transceiver Station and Base Station Controller
Tasks of a BSS are distributed over BSC and BTS
 BTS comprises radio specific functions
 BSC is the switching center for radio channels
Mobile station
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Terminal for the use of GSM services
 A mobile station (MS) comprises several functional groups
 MT (Mobile Terminal):
 offers common functions used by all services the MS offers
 corresponds to the network termination (NT) of an ISDN access
 end-point of the radio interface (Um)
 TA (Terminal Adapter):
 terminal adaptation, hides radio specific characteristics
 TE (Terminal Equipment):
 peripheral device of the MS, offers services to a user
 does not contain GSM specific functions
 SIM (Subscriber Identity Module):
 personalization of the mobile terminal, stores user parameters
TE
R
TA
S
MT
Um

Network and switching subsystem

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  switching, mobility management, interconnection to other networks, system
control
 Components
 Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC)
controls all connections via a separated network to/from a mobile terminal
within the domain of the MSC - several BSC can belong to a MSC
 Databases (important: scalability, high capacity, low delay)
 Home Location Register (HLR)
central master database containing user data, permanent and semi-
permanent data of all subscribers assigned to the HLR (one provider
can have several HLRs)
 Visitor Location Register (VLR)
local database for a subset of user data, including data about all user
currently in the domain of the VLR
Mobile Services Switching Center
The MSC (mobile switching center) plays a central role in GSM
 switching functions
 additional functions for mobility support
 management of network resources
 interworking functions via Gateway MSC (GMSC)
 integration of several databases
 Functions of a MSC
 specific functions for paging and call forwarding
 termination of SS7 (signaling system no. 7)
 mobility specific signaling
 location registration and forwarding of location information
 provision of new services (fax, data calls)
 support of short message service (SMS)
 generation and forwarding of accounting and billing information
Operation subsystem
The OSS (Operation Subsystem) enables centralized operation, management, and
maintenance of all GSM subsystems
 Components
 Authentication Center (AUC)
 generates user specific authentication parameters on request of a VLR
 authentication parameters used for authentication of mobile
terminals and encryption of user data on the air interface within the
GSM system
 Equipment Identity Register (EIR)
 registers GSM mobile stations and user rights
 stolen or malfunctioning mobile stations can be locked and sometimes
even localized
 Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC)
 different control capabilities for the radio subsystem and the network
subsystem
3)Security in GSM
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Security services
 access control/authentication
 user ó SIM (Subscriber Identity Module): secret PIN (personal
identification number)
 SIM ó network: challenge response method
 confidentiality
 voice and signaling encrypted on the wireless link (after successful
authentication)
 anonymity
 temporary identity TMSI
(Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity)
 newly assigned at each new location update (LUP)
 encrypted transmission
3 algorithms specified in GSM
 A3 for authentication (“secret”, open interface)
 A5 for encryption (standardized)
 A8 for key generation (“secret”, open interface)
4)DECT layers II
 Data link control layer
 creation and keeping up reliable connections between the mobile terminal
and basestation
 two DLC protocols for the control plane (C-Plane)
 connectionless broadcast service:
paging functionality
 Lc+LAPC protocol:
in-call signaling (similar to LAPD within ISDN), adapted to the
underlying MAC service
 several services specified for the user plane (U-Plane)
 null-service: offers unmodified MAC services
 frame relay: simple packet transmission
 frame switching: time-bounded packet transmission
 error correcting transmission: uses FEC, for delay critical, time-
bounded services
 bandwidth adaptive transmission
 „Escape“ service: for further enhancements of the standard
DECT layers III
 Network layer
 similar to ISDN (Q.931) and GSM (04.08)
 offers services to request, check, reserve, control, and release resources at
the basestation and mobile terminal
 resources
 necessary for a wireless connection
 necessary for the connection of the DECT system to the fixed network
 main tasks
 call control: setup, release, negotiation, control
 call independent services: call forwarding, accounting, call redirecting
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  mobility management: identity management, authentication,
management of the location register
5)TETRA - Terrestrial Trunked Radio
Trunked radio systems
 many different radio carriers
 assign single carrier for a short period to one user/group of users
 taxi service, fleet management, rescue teams
 interfaces to public networks, voice and data services
 very reliable, fast call setup, local operation
TETRA - ETSI standard
 formerly: Trans European Trunked Radio
 offers Voice+Data and Packet Data Optimized service
 point-to-point and point-to-multipoint
 ad-hoc and infrastructure networks
 several frequencies: 380-400 MHz, 410-430 MHz
 FDD, DQPSK
 group call, broadcast, sub-second group-call setup
6)UMTS and IMT-2000
Proposals for IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications)
 UWC-136, cdma2000, WP-CDMA
 UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) from ETSI
UMTS
 UTRA (was: UMTS, now: Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)
 enhancements of GSM
 EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution): GSM up to 384 kbit/s
 CAMEL (Customized Application for Mobile Enhanced Logic)
 VHE (virtual Home Environment)
 fits into GMM (Global Multimedia Mobility) initiative from ETSI
 requirements
 min. 144 kbit/s rural (goal: 384 kbit/s)
 min. 384 kbit/s suburban (goal: 512 kbit/s)
 up to 2 Mbit/s urban
Spreading and scrambling of user data
Constant chipping rate of 3.84 Mchip/s
Different user data rates supported via different spreading factors
 higher data rate: less chips per bit and vice versa
User separation via unique, quasi orthogonal scrambling codes
 users are not separated via orthogonal spreading codes
 much simpler management of codes: each station can use the same
orthogonal spreading codes
 precise synchronisation not necessary as the scrambling codes stay quasi-
orthogonal