CHAPTER FIVE

Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)

Course Code: ECEg4282

Course Title: Telecommunication Networks
2014 E.C
 Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)
Outline
 Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)
Introduction
First Generation Standards
Second Generation (2G) Standards
2.5G Standards
Third Generation (3G) Standards
Fourth Generation (4G) Standards
GSM and CDMA
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 Introduction to PLMN
• It is a broad concept that consists of all cellular mobile communication
technologies.
• Its main objective is to deliver services to those members of the public who are
mobile.
• This technology may be considered an extension or an integral part of the PSTN.
• It uses wireless technologies.
• This technology undergoes several evolution stages.
• Reuse frequencies so as to maximize the use of the available radio spectrum is one
of the advantages of cellular PLMN.
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 First generation (1G) Standards
• Analogue transmission technology

• Pioneered semiconductor and microprocessor technology

• Focus on voice

• Data services almost non-existent

• Incompatible standards

 Different frequencies and signaling

 International roaming impossible

• Inefficient use of the radio spectrum

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 The main 1G Standards
i. Nippon Telephone & Telegraph (NTT)

• Was developed in 1979 in Tokyo (Japan)

• World’s first operational cellular system

ii. Nordic Mobile Telephone 450 (NMT-450)

• Was developed in 1982 in Sweden.

• First wireless communications standard deployed in Europe

• Pioneered the use of light portable handsets

• Supported international roaming

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 The main 1G Standards Cont’d…
iii. Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS)

• Was developed in 1982 in USA

• Mandated (FCC) as the standard to which all operators in the USA had to
adhere to.

iv. Total Access Coverage (TACS)

• Was developed in 1985 in UK

• Adaptation of AMPS

• Complies with frequency allocation in Europe.

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 1G - Network Access Technique and Services
1. Network access techniques
• Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)
• Subdivides the available spectrum into a number of frequency slots
• Each user is assigned a separate frequency.
2. Services
• Standard voice
• No data services
• No supplementary services
 Call barring
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 The Main Disadvantages 1G Standards
• A series of incompatible networks

• Limited capacity for expansion

• Limited support for roaming

• Susceptible to interference

• Poor security

• No support for wireless data

• No third party applications

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 Second Generation (2G) Standards
• Digital techniques rather than analog

• Increased flexibility

 error control

 compression

• More efficient use of available bandwidth

• Increased compatibility with the fixed component of the PSTN

• Increased quality of service (QoS)

• Possibility of wireless data services

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 The Main 2G Standards
i. Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)

• Was developed by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and deployed in

Europe in 1992.

• Most successful 2G system

ii. Digital Advanced Mobile Phone system (D-AMPS)

• This standard is also called IS-54 (Interim Standard 54)

• Was developed by Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) TR-45 Committee in 1991

• Dual mode terminals ensuring backward compatibility

• IS-136 introduced in 1996

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 The Main 2G Standards cont’d…
iii. Interim Standard 95 (IS-95)

• This standard is also called CDMA-One

• Was developed in USA in 1993 by Qualcomm Inc.

• Pioneered the use of the network access technique CDMA

iv. Personal Digital Cellular (PDC)

• Was developed in Japan in 1991

• Operates in two modes

 Full-rate

 Half-rate

• 12% of global digital subscriptions in 1999.

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 2G - Network Access Technique and Services
i. Network access techniques

 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)

 Users share a frequency band by multiplexing their transmissions in time

 Available spectrum is divided into frequency channels (recall FDMA!)

 Each frequency channel is further subdivided into cyclic timeslots (1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 …)

 A call is assigned a time slot

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 2G - Network Access Technique and Services cont’d…

ii. Services

• Depends on

 Network standard

 Operator policies

• Improved standard telephony (speech)

• Basic wireless data

• Additional services

 Call barring
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 2.5G standards
i. High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD)

• Uses existing GSM infrastructure and interface

• Data rates of up to 57.6kbps (4 channels at 14.4 kb/s)

• Inefficient for certain types of application

ii. General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)

• Introduces packet switching to GSM

• Uses multiple timeslots (channels)

• 14.4 kbps per channel with a maximum speed of 115.2 kbps

• Dynamic resource allocation

• Supports IP and billing is per kb, NOT per sec.

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 2.5G standards cont’d…
iii. Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)

• Maximum 384 kbps

• 8 Phase Shift Keying (8PSK)

 Send more bits down the line

 3 fold increase over GSM

• Two classes of handset:

 Class A (EDGE only on downlink)

 Class B ( EDGE on uplink and downlink)

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 2.5G standards cont’d…
iv. D-AMPS (IS-136+)

• Two phase migration path

1. IS-136+

 Integrate GPRS

2. IS-136 High Speed Outdoor

 Integrate EDGE

• Subscribers can roam between IS-136HS and GSM networks supporting EDGE

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 2.5G standards cont’d…
v. IS-95B

• Enhanced version of IS-95

• Already supports packet switching (CDPD)

• Maximum of 115.2 (8 channels @ 14.4kb/s)

• Realistically …

 28.8 kb/s to 57.6 kb/s on downlink

 14.4 kb/s on uplink

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 2.5G services
• Standard services that can use packet switching:

 WWW browsing

 email

 file downloading e.g. mp3

 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)

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 Third generation (3G) Standards

Table. Succession of 3G standards from 2G standards

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 Third Generation (3G) Standards
• Higher bandwidth enables a range of new applications!!
• For the consumer
– Video streaming, TV broadcast
– Video calls, video clips – news, music, sports
– Enhanced gaming, chat, location services…
• For business
– High speed tele-networking / VPN access
– Sales force automation
– Video conferencing
– Real-time financial information

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 3G Standards cont’d…
• 3G Standard is created by ITU-T and is called as IMT-2000.
• The aim of IMT-2000 is to harmonize worldwide 3G systems to provide Global
Roaming.

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Upgrade paths for 2G Technologies

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 Evolution of Mobile Systems to 3G
• Drivers are capacity, data speeds, lower cost of delivery for revenue growth

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Performance evolution of cellular technologies

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GSM evolution to 3G

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 3.5G standards
• High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)

 14 Mbps (but 1 Mbps per subscriber!)

 Incremental upgrade

 More functionality in Node B

 Backward compatible with W-CDMA

• High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)

• Other Technologies

 OFDM, Wi-MAX, etc…

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 4G standards
• Global Mobility
• Increased data rates..100Mbps?
• All IP network
• Etc…

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 Introduction to GSM
• The GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard for mobile
telephony was introduced in the mid-1980s

• The GSM system uses a TDMA radio access system employed in 135
countries, operating in 200 KHz channels with eight users per channel.

• It is the most widely deployed digital network in the world today.

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 GSM Services
• The main services provided by a GSM network include:

1. Telephony

- Basic Tele service

2. Other Services

-Emergency calling

-Voice Messaging

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 GSM Services cont’d…
3. Bearer Services

- Low Speed data transfer (up to 9.6 Kbps)

-Group 3 Fax and SMS

4. Supplementary Services

- call offering , call forwarding, call restriction, call waiting, call hold.

- Multiparty teleconferencing, special schemes

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GSM System Architecture

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 GSM Architecture cont’d…
• Mobile Station (MS): consists of two main blocks

 Mobile Equipment (ME)

 Subscribers Identity Module (SIM)

• Function of Mobile Station:

1. Personal Mobility

2. IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

3. IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity)

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 GSM Architecture cont’d…
• Base Station Subsystem (BSS): consists of two main blocks

 Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

 Base Station Controller (BSC)

Fig: Base station subsystem

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 GSM Architecture cont’d…
• BSC: Base station Controller

1. It manages radio resources for one or more BTS.

2. Allocation and de-allocation of channels.

3. Transmitter power control.

4. Handoff control

• BTS: Base Transceiver station

1. It defines the cell .

2. It handles the radio link protocol with the mobile station
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 GSM Architecture cont’d…

• Network Subsystem (NSS)

 MSC: Mobile Switching Center
 HLR: Home Location Register
 VLR: Visitor Location register
 AuC: Authentication Center
 EIR: Equipment Identity Register 35
 GSM Architecture cont’d…
• Mobile Switching center (MSC)

 call set up/supervision/release

 call routing

 billing information collection

 mobility management

 paging, alerting, echo cancellation

 connection to BSC, other MSC and other local exchange networks

 Access to HLR and VLR

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 GSM Architecture cont’d…
• Home Location Register (HLR)

 One HLR per GSM operator

 Contains permanent database of all the subscribers in the network

 contains MSRN(mobile station routing no.)

 It is referred for every incoming call

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 GSM Architecture cont’d…
• Visitor Location Register(VLR)

 Temporary visitors database

 One VLR per MSC

• Authentication Center(AuC)

 Provides security

 Authentication and encryption

• Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

 Contains IMEI
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 GSM Architecture cont’d…
• Hand-off is of three types
i. Intra BSC
ii. Inter BSC
iii. Inter MSC

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 GSM Frequency Allocation
• GSM 900:
 Uplink: 890–915 MHz
 Downlink: 935–960 MHz
• GSM 1800:
 Uplink: 1710–1785 MHz
 Downlink: 1805–1880 MHz
• GSM 1900:
 Uplink: 1850–1910 MHz
 Downlink: 1930–1990 MHz
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 GSM Frequency Allocation cont’d…
• For example, GSM 900 :

 Uplink(Mobile to base station)

• 890-915 MHz (Total 25 MHz)

 Downlink ( Base station to Mobile)

• 935-960 MHz (Total 25 MHz)

 Total 45 MHz spacing for duplex operation

 GSM uses TDMA and FDMA

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 GSM Frequency Allocation cont’d…
• GSM Using FDMA

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 Classification of GSM Channels
• Channels are used to carry speech , data and control information.

• GSM channels are of two types

 Traffic channels (TCH)

 Control channels (CCH)

i. Traffic (TCH)

 Speech: Full rate 22.8 kbps

Half rate 11.4 kbps

 Data: 9.6kbps , 4.8kbps , 2.4kbps

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 Classification of GSM Channels cont’d…
ii. Control (CCH)
• Broadcast (BCCH)
 Freq correction (FCCH)
 Synchronization (SCH)
• Common (CCCH)
 Paging (PCCH)
 Access grant (AGCCH)
 Random Access (RACCH)
• Dedicated (DCCH)
 Fast Associative (FACCH)
 Slow Associative (SACCH)
 Stand alone (SDCCH)
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 Introduction to CDMA
• Multiple Access in CDMA:

 Each user is assigned a unique PN code.

 Each user transmits its information by spreading with unique code.

 Direct Sequence spread spectrum(DSSS) is used.

 Users are separated by code not by time slot and freq slot.

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 Introduction to CDMA cont’d…
• Concept of CDMA

 Users share same bandwidth

 User axis shows cumulative

 signal strength of all users

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 Introduction to CDMA cont’d…
• Advantages of spread spectrum:

 Multipath Rejection

 Immunity to interference and jamming

 Multiple access

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 Introduction to CDMA cont’d…
The main characteristics of CDMA technology include:

• Higher capacity

• Improved performance in multipath by diversity

• Lower mobile transmit power = longer battery life

 Power control

 Variable transmission rate with voice activity detection

• Allows soft handoff

• Sectorization gain

• High peak data rates can be accommodated

• Combats other-user interference = lower reuse factors

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 Comparison Between CDMA & GSM

Table: Comparison between CDMA and GSM

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 3G CDMA Standards (WCDMA & CDMA2000)
• Promise of 3G CDMA standards

 Subscriber can access WWW (World Wide Web)

 High speed data transfer – 133Kbps(high mobility), 384Kbps(restrict mobility),

2Mbps(indoor)

 Messaging – email, fax, etc.

 Medium-rate multimedia – Internet access, educational

 High-rate multimedia – file transfer, video

 High-rate interactive multimedia – video teleconferencing, telemedicine, etc.

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Evolution of CDMA and GSM to 3G Standards

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 Overview of WCDMA
• Data rate supported up to 2.048 Mbps per user

 Allowing high quality data, multimedia, streaming audio (for stationary user).

• Future version will support data rate in excess of 8Mbps

• Minimum spectral allocation of 5MHz

• Data rates from as low as 8kbps to as high as 2Mbps will be carried simultaneously
on a single radio channel.

• Each channel can support between 100 and 350 voice calls

• simultaneously depending on propagation conditions

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 Overview of WCDMA cont’d…
• This standard has evolved under European Telecommunications Standards Institute
(ETSI).

• Backward compatible with 2G standards GSM, IS-136 and PDC technologies as well
as 2.5G

• Bit level packaging of GSM data is retained, with additional capacity and bandwidth
provided by new CDMA air interface

• Always-on packet-based service for computers, entertainment devices and

telephone.

• Require expensive new BS equipments, making installation slow and gradual

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 Overview of WCDMA 2000
• Provides seamless and evolutionary upgrade path for 2G and 2.5G CDMA technology.

• Centers on original 1.25 MHz radio channel

• CDMA operators may seamlessly and selectively upgrade without changing entire BS
equipment

• The first 3G CDMA standard cdma2000 1xRTT using single channel (1x => multi-carrier)

• Cdma2000 1x

 supports data rate up to 307 kbps in packet mode

 Can support up to twice as many users as 2G CDMA

 No additional equipment needed, simply software and new channel cards at BS

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 Overview of WCDMA 2000 cont’d…
• Cdma2000 1xEV:

 Proprietary high data rate packet standard to be overlaid on existing

 CDMA 1xEV-DO dedicates the channel strictly to data user and support 2.4
Mbps per channel.

• Cdma2000 3xRTT

 The ultimate 3G solution relies upon multicarrier that gang adjacent channels
together into 3.75MHz.

 Three non-adjacent channels may be operated simultaneously and in parallel.

 Data rate in excess of 2 Mbps similar when compared to W-CDMA 55

 WCDMA Vs. CDMA2000
• There are too many opinion between these two standards

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