GSM (Global System for Mobile

Communication)

GSM System Architechture

Network Subsystem
Radio Subsystem
Operation Support Subsystem
GSM System Hierarchy
GSM Network
MSC R.

MSC Region
Location Area

BSC

Location Area

BSC
Location Area
MSC R.

Operations and Maintenance Center

OMC
GMSC

BTS

BSC

MSC

BSC

BTS

HLR

Home Location Register

VLR

Visitor Location Register

MS
EIR

BTS
MS

AUC

Equipment Identity Register

Authentication Center

Mobile Station ( MS )
Mobile Equipment
SIM
International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IME)
International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (Mobile Telephone
number)

Radio Network
BTS
High Frequency transmitter / receiver
Implements complete radio interface
Modulation/coding/channel estimation/equalization
BSC
Handles essential control and protocol
intelligence
Handover protocol is executed in BSC

Uplink
915Hz

Downlink

delay

.
.
.

Uplink

890Hz

The MS does not transmit at the same time as it receives

Multiple Access in GSM

Uplink Frequency Band
890 to 915 MHz

Downlink Frequency Band

935 to 960 MHz
960MHz

.
200KHz

Downlink

.
.
8 users per channel, about 1000 actual
speech/data users can be supported
935MHz

Logical Channels
Traffic Channels (TCH)
Signaling Channels
Broadcast Channel (BCH)
Common Control Channel (CCH)
Dedicated/Associated Control Channel (DCCH/ACCH)
BCH

Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH)

Frequency Correction Channel (FCCH)
Synchronization Channel (SCH)
CCH

Random Access Channel (RACH)

Paging Channel (PCH)
Access Grant Channel (AGCH)

Transmission Bursts
Normal Burst
Synchronization Burst
Frequency Correction Burst
Dummy Burst
Access Burst

D/ACCH
Standalone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH)
Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH)

Traffic Channel Structure for full rate Coding

slots

Bursts for user

allocated in slot

T Traffic
S Signaling
S Contains information about the signal strength in neighboring cells.

Traffic Channel for half-rate Coding

..

Burst for one

user

Burst for
another user

Why 26 burst Traffic Channel ?

There is a need for mobile to send information about
signal strength from surrounding cells to the network
Capacity required to send the measurement
information is 1/24th of the capacity required to send
the voice information
Signaling Channel
Control Channel
Associated Control Channel
Slow Associated Control Channel

Adaptive Frame Synchronization

Timing Advance
MS Advances its burst transmission by a time
corresponding to and from propagation delay
The delay is signaled using 6 bit number
64 steps (0 to 63) for the timing advance
Each step advances by one bit duration (3.7s)

The adjustment corresponds to the round trip time

64 steps allows compensation over a maximum
propagation time of 31.5 bit periods (113.3 s
Maximum distance of about 35km)

Timing Advance Explained

(Sent by BS on downlink)

One way
propagation
relay

(Received by BS on uplink)
Two way propagation
delay
(Received by MS on
downlink)

(Sent by MS on uplink)

Control Channel
Functions
To help the mobile find where the control channels are
To provide information about speech and control channel
repetition cycle
To provide information on parameters in the cell
To provide information on surrounding cells
To provide paging information
To allow random access attempts from the mobile

Control Channel (Downlink)

51 cycle bursts (2 X 26 1)
Third burst on the Control Channel provides content
information
Basic structure of Control Channel
FS XXXXXXXX FS XXXXXXXX FSXXXXXXXX

F - Frequency Correction Channel (occurs every 10th

burst)
S Synchronization Channel

Burst of GSM TDMA

FB

SB

Dummy
Burst

Access

Burst

142 fixed bits

39 data

41 bit training
seq.

64 bit training

26 bit
training

36 data

39 data

68.25

8.25

8.25

8.25

Normal Burst

Tail bits

57 data bits

26 bit
training

Stealing flags

57 data bits

8.25

Full Rate Speech Coding

Coder for 20 ms segments 260 bits at the output
13 Kbps
Unequal error protection
260 bits

182 bits are protected

78 bits are not protected

Error Coding
Class 1a 3 parity bits from 50 bits
Class 1b 132 bits are not parity checked but fed to
conventional encoder
Class 2 78 bits are not protected

78

132

260 bits
Class 1a, 50 bits

Parity bits

50

Class 1b, 132 bits

132

r = 1/2, k = 5

Class 2, 78 bits

378

456 bits
456 bits in 20 m sec

456/0.02 = 22.8 kbps

Tail bits

78

78

Interleaving
Block interleaving
Code words are written line by line to a matrix and read
Column by Column
8 ( Column ) X 57 (row) Matrix

Diagonal interleaving
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

Discontinuous Transmission
Average Speech activity is 50%
Transmitter is turned off whenever there is no speech
Reduces Co-Channel interference and saves battery
Voice Activity Detector ( VAD )
Comfort Noise Generation ( CNG ) at the receiver

Functional Blocks of VAD

VAD
Background noise is stationary over relatively long periods
Measure the derivations from the spectral characteristics of
the background noise

Comfort Noise Generation

Comfort noise characteristics matched to the transmitted
noise