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Electronics
Quarter III – Module 3: Lesson 1
Introduction to Cellular System
Electronics – Grade 10
Self-Learning Module
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education – Regional Office VIII

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Department of Education – Regional Office VIII

Office Address: Government Center, Candahug, Palo, Leyte

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Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions,
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each lesson.

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step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

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Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any
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If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering
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Thank you.

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that will help you in guiding
the learners.

For the learner:

Welcome to the Electronics Self – Learning Module 3 on Cellular Network Signal!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action, and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create, and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant

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competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities
for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be
enabled to process the contents of the learning resource while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

This will give you an idea of the skills or

Explore
competencies you are expected to learn in the
module. A brief drill or review to help you link
the current lesson with the previous one. The
new lesson will also be introduced to you in
various ways such as a story, a song, a poem, a
problem opener, an activity, or a situation.
This section provides a brief discussion of the
Learn
lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent

practice to solidify your understanding and
skills of the topic. You may check the answers
to the exercises using the Answer Key at the
end of the module.
This includes questions or blank
Apply sentence/paragraph to be filled into process
what you learned from the lesson.

Assess This is a task which aims to evaluate your level

of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.
This contains answers to all activities in the
Answer Key module.

This contains the learner’s reflection. Learners

Reflect
are encouraged to think about the lessons
particularly the parts that went well (they have
understood) and the parts that were weak (they
have difficulty) and write about it briefly.
Learners can share their thoughts and feeling
about the lessons.

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At the end of this module you will also find:
References
The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
3. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.
4. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
5. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

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v
 Explore

Introduction:
To describe how cellular signal system works, it is necessary to
include discussion of the basic cellular systems.
There are two basic cellular systems; one is the circuit-switched system
and the other is the packet-switched system.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Identify the basic cellular system

2. Describe the two basic cellular system

Learn

When we talk about circuit-switched system require dedicated point-to-point

connections during calls, each traffic channel is dedicated to a user until its cell is
terminated. There are two classification of a circuit-switched system: the analog
system and a digital system.
A basic analog cellular system consists of three subsystems:
1. A Mobile Unit
2. A Cell Site
3. A Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) with CONNECTIONS to
link
the three subsystems

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 1 of 18

 Mobile Units: A mobile telephone unit contains a control unit, a transceiver,
and an antenna system.
 Cell site: The cell site provides interface between the MTSO and the mobile
units. It has a control unit, radio cabinets, antennas, a power plant, and data
terminals.
 MTSO: The switching office, the central coordinating element for all cell sites,
contains the cellular processor and cellular switch. It interfaces with telephone
company zone offices, controls call processing, provides operation and
maintenance, and handles billing activities. The MTSO is the heart of the analog
cellular mobile system. Its processor provides central coordination and cellular
administration.
 Connections: The radio and high-speed data links connect the three
subsystems. Each mobile unit can only use one channel at a time for its
communication link. But the channel is not fixed; it can be any one in the entire
band assigned by the serving area, with each site having multichannel
capabilities that can connect simultaneously to many mobile units.
 The cellular switch, which can be either analog or digital, switches calls to
connect mobile subscribers to other mobile subscribers and to the nationwide
telephone network. It uses voice trunks, It also contains data links providing
supervision links between the processor and the switch and between the cell
sites and the processor.
 The radio link carries the voice and signaling between the mobile unit and the cell
site. The high-speed data links cannot be transmitted over the standard
telephone trunks and therefore must use either microwave links or T-carriers
(wire lines). Microwave radio links or T-carriers carry both voice and data
between cell site and the MTSO.

A Basic Digital System consists of four elements:

1. Mobile Station

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 2 of 18

 2. Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
3. Base Station Controller (BSC)
4. Switching Subsystems

1. MS (Mobile Station): It consists of two parts

 mobile equipment (ME)
 Subscriber Identify Module (SIM): SIM contains all subscriber-specific
data stored on the MS side.
2. BTS (Base Transceiver System): Besides having the same function as the
analog BTS, it has the Transcoder/Rate Adapter Unit (TRAU), which carries out
coding and decoding as well as rate adaptation in case data rate varies.
3. BSC (Base Station Controller): A new element in digital systems that
performs the Radio Resource (RR) management for the cells under its control.
BSC also handles handovers, power management time and frequency
synchronization, and frequency reallocation among BTSs.
4. Switching subsystems:
a. MSC: The main function of MSC is to coordinate the setup of calls
between MS and PSTN users.
b. VLR (Visitor Location Register): A database of all mobiles roaming in the
MSC’s area of control.
c. HLR (Home Location Register): A centralized database of all subscribers
registered in a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN).
d. AUC (Authentication Center): Provides HLR with authentication
parameters and ciphering keys that are used for security purposes.
e. EIR (Equipment Identity Register): A database for storing all registered
mobile equipment numbers.

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 3 of 18

 f. EC (Echo Canceller): Used on the PSTN side of the MSC for all voice
circuits.
g. XC (Transcoder): Usually installs in each BTS. But for the cost reason, it
can be installed in BSC or MSC.
h. OMC (Operational and Maintenance Center): This function resided in
analog MSC but became a separated entity in digital systems.

Packet switched on the other hand, move data in separate, small blocks
packets-based on the destination address in each packet.
A cellular packet-switched system has six elements as follows:
1. MS (Mobile Station)
2. Node B
3. RNC (Radio Network Controller)
4. SGSN (Service GPRS Support Node)
5. GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node)
6. CGF (Changing Gateway Function)

 MS: Provides the voice and packet data services. It is also called UE (User
Equipment).
 Node B: The name for base station in GSM.
 RNC (Radio Network Controller): Controls the radio resources of the Node
Bs that are connected to it. Its function is similar to BSC. A device PCU
(Packet Control Unit) converts the data stream into packet format.
 SGSN (Service GPRS Support Node): Analogous to MSC/VLR in the circuit-
switched system. This includes mobility management, security, and access
control functions. It interfaces to HLR.
 GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node): The point of interface with external
packet data networks such as the Internet.
 CGF (Changing Gateway Function): Mainly for billing.

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 4 of 18

  RNS (Radio Network Subsystem): It consists of RNC and Node B. UTRAN
consists of two or more RNS.

Engage

Activity 1: Define the following terminologies:

mobile units connections changing gateway function

Cell site radio network controller base station controller   

Apply

Direction: Write T if the statement is true and F if the statement

is false.
 
1. Node B is the name for base station in GSM.
2. The television link carries the voice and signaling between the mobile unit
and the cell site.

3. A mobile telephone unit contains a control unit, a transceiver, and an

antenna system.

4. BTS is the heart of the analog cellular mobile system.

5.The cellular switch, which can be either analog or digital, switches call to
connect mobile subscribers to other mobile subscribers and to the
nationwide telephone network.
6. The MTSO provides interface between the MTSO and the mobile units.

7.GSM is mainly for billing.

8. XC Transcoder usually installs in each BTS.

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 5 of 18

9. Radio Network Controller controls the radio resources of the Node Bs that
are connected to it.

10. DS provides the voice and packet data services.

Assess

Multiple Choice

1. A local telephone network is an example of a _____ system or network.

a. packet switched    c. bit switched
 b. circuit switched     d. line switched
      
2. What are the methods to move data through a network of links and
switches?
a. Packet switching and Line switching
b. Circuit switching and Line switching
c. Line switching and Bit switching
d. Packet switching and Circuit switching               

3. The required resources for communication between end systems are

reserved for the duration of the session between end systems in ______.
a. Packet switching c. Line switching
b. Circuit switching d. Frequency switching              

4. In _______ systems, resources are allocated on demand.

          a. packet switching c. line switching
b. Circuit switching d. frequency switching
 
5.  The PSTN is an example of _________ system/network.
a.   packet-switched c. message-switched
b.  circuit-switched d. TSI

6.A circuit-switched system is made of a set of switches connected by

physical
a. links   b. media c. nodes d. frames

7.   Actual communication in a circuit-switched system requires

a.  one phase b. two phases c. three phases d. four phases

8.   Choose a correct abbreviation below.

a.   SGSN – serving GPRS support node
b.   GGSN – gateway GPRS support node
c.   CGF - changing gateway function

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 6 of 18

 d.   all of the above.

9.   A PCU separates packet switched and circuit switched traffic and passes
PSD to ___________?
a. MSS b. SGSN c. GGSN d. None

10.   We can say that a packet switch has ________ types of components.
a. two b. three c. four d. none of the above

Reflect

Short Essay Questions

1.   Describe the two basic cellular system.
 
2.   What are the advantages of cellular system/network?
 
3.   What is are importance of cellular system/network in education
 

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 7 of 18

 Answer Key

What's More
Assessment (Engage) What I
1.
2.
B
D
Know(Apply)
Mobile unit -a mobile
3. B telephone unit contains a 1. T
4. A control unit, a transceiver, 2. F
5. B and an antenna system. 3. T
6. A
4. F
7. C Connections- the radio and high
5. T
8. D speed data links connect the three sub
systems. 6. F
9. B
7. F
10. C Changing gateway function- 8. T
mainly for billing 9. T
10. F
Cell site- provides interface between
the MTSO and the mobile units

Radio Network Controller-

controls the radio resources of the node
Bs that are connected to it

Base station controller- a new

element in digital systems that
performs the radio resource
management for the cells under its
control

References

www.sanfoundry.com

www.computerworld.com

www.sciencedirect.com

gursimrandhillon.files.wordpress.com

Q3 STE Electronics_ Module 1 Page 8 of 18

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