Radio (Um) Interface

BTS

Um

BTS

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 The System

ISUP / Public Switched ISUP /

TUP Telephone Network TUP Um
(PSTN
)

Authen. Equip. Id
MAP BTS
Centre Register
AUC EIR
Base Mobile Station (MS)
Station Base
MAP MAP Subsystem Transceiver
Home Visitor MAP Base
Location Location (BSS) Station
Transceiver
Base
Register Register BTS
Station
Transceiver
A-bis Base
HLR VLR BTS
Station
Transceiver
Base
Mobile Mobile
Switching Base Base BTS
Transceiver
Station
Switching Station
Centre Centre Transceiver
Station
BTS
MAP Controller
MSC MSC A-Inter BSC Station
BTS
ISUP / BTS
TUP

2 Mbit/s PCM
Air Interface

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Protocol Architecture
MS BTS BSC MSC

CM (CM) (CM) (CM) DTAP

CM
(MM) I
MM (MM) (MM) (CM+MM) MM S
MAP
U
BTS (RR) (RR) P
BSSMAP TCAP
RR RR BSSMAP

RR BTSM SCCP SCCP SCCP

BTSM
Sig. layer 2 Sig. layer 2 Sig. layer 2 Sig. layer 2
(LAPDm) (LAPDm) (LAPD) (LAPD)
MTP MTP MTP
Layer 1 (air) Layer 1 (air) Sig. layer 1 Sig. layer 1

Um Interface Abis Interface A Interface Inter-MSC

SCCP - Signalling Connection Control Part

DTAP - Direct Transfer Application Part MAP - Mobile Application Part
BSSMAP - BSS Management Application TCAP - Transaction Capability Application Part
Part ISUP - ISDN User Part
CM - Call Management MTP - Message Transfer Part
MM - Mobile Management
RR - Radio Resource Management
BTSM - BTS Management
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 GSM 900 Radio (Um) Interface
Physical Channels
In GSM approx. 1000 radio channels has been
assigned in the 900 MHz band. More precisely:
890 - 915 MHz “Uplink”
935 - 960 MHz “Downlink”
A combination of frequency and time division is used.
124 carriers
Carrier spacing is 200 kHz
8 timeslots per carrier
SONOFON

M N

BTS

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 DCS-1800 Radio (Um) Interface
Physical Channels
In GSM 1800 2992 radio channels has been assigned in
the 1800 MHz band. More precisely:
1710 - 1785 MHz “Uplink”
1805 - 1880 MHz “Downlink”
A combination of frequency and time division is used.
374 carriers
Carrier spacing is 200 kHz
8 timeslots per carrier
SONOFON

M N

BTS

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 TDMA Frame Structure

13 kbit/s user data

4.615 msec

TDMA Frame 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

0.577
BTS msec

3 57 1 26 1 57 3 8.25
Time Slot TB Coded Data C TS C Coded Data TB GP

Duration of 1 bit: 3.692 usec

TS : Tail bit
TS : Training Sequence (setting up the receiver equaliser)
GP : Guard Period
C : Control bit

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Physical Channels

Traffic channels
showing three timeslot
delays between the
TS7 TS3 down and up links.
TS6 TS2
TS 5 TS 1
TS 4 TS 0
BTS TS 3
TS2
TS 7
TS6
TS TS
0 TS7 5 TS4
TS6 TS3
Control Channels TS 5 TS 2
TS 4 TS1
TS 3 TS 0
Control Channels TS2 TS7
TS TS
Traffic Channels 1 TS0 6 TS5
Downlink Uplink

Eight TS, or eight physical

channels compromise a FRAME

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Radio (Um) Interface burst modulation structure
Tail Information Training Information Tail Guard

Normal 8.25
3 57+1 (TCH/FACCH) 26 57+ 1 (TCH/FACCH) 3
burst

Tail Training Information Tail Guard

Access 68,25
7 41 36 3
burst

Tail Information Training Information Tail Guard

SCH 8.25
3 39 64 39 2
burst

Tail Information Tail Guard

FCCH 8.25
3 142 3
burst

Not illustrated is the “dummy” burst which has the same structure as the “Normal”
burst. The dummy burst is sent when no information is transmitted on a TCH

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 Radio (Um) Interface Normal burst
Tail Information Training Information Tail Guard

Normal 8.25
3 57+1 (TCH/FACCH) 26 57+ 1 (TCH/FACCH) 3
burst

For the “Normal” burst, one of the 58 information bits on each side of the training
sequence is a flag bit indicating whether the burst is a TCH - traffic channel
(0) or for a FACCH - fast associated control channel (1).
The burst is converted to FACCH when signaling is required after a TCH has
been allocated.

Note: Each “Normal” burst (TDMA) time slot period consist of 156.25
bits (equal to 33.9 kbit/s per time slot or 270.8 kbit/s per frame
carrier), of which 144 (2*57) bits are coded data including
forward error correction. All information is transferred in blocks
of 456bits divided into four time slot periods (456 = 4*2*57). The
maximum net bit rate is 13 kbit/s (Excluding the error correction)

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 Radio (Um) Interface Access burst
Tail Training Information Tail Guard
Access 68,25
7 41 36 3
burst

The “access” burst is a shortened burst used by the

mobile station when it first access a cell.
Its short length guarantees it will arrive within the
correct time slot at the BTS receiver if the mobile
station is no greater than 35km from the BTS.
68,25 bits * 3,7gs (1 bit) = 251gs ~ (75Km / 2) = 37,5Km

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 Time Division Multiple Access burst
Downstream:
A series of bits intended for different
users, who must select only the one
intended for him and filter out the
rest
Upstream:
BTS Individual bits from each of the users
arrive at the BTS
Wrong Uplink Timing
Strict timing of when the MS should
transmit is required to avoid
SONOFON
collisions at the BTS
SONOFON

M N

M N

SONOFON

M N

SONOFON

M N

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Timing advance (Access burst)
1 Km 15 Km 30 Km

TS TS TS TS TS TS

BTS
SONOFON
SONOFON SONOFON
M N
M N M N

The transmitted radio burst from BTS must travel whatever the distance is to the
mobile station , and then transmitted burst from the mobile station (three
burst later) must travel back the same distance. By measuring the time
between the last bit in the access burst and the last bit in the TS the mobile
then know the distance to the BTS and will adjust its Timing advance to
compensate for the distance.
Access TS
burst Timing advance

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Mobile Station
Timing advance Measurement Report
Message Type : 3Fh = Immediate assignment
--- Channel description ---
Time slot number : .....001
Channel type and TDMA offset : 01011... = SDCCH/8 + SACCH/C8 or CBCH (SACCH/8)
Training Sequence Code : 011.....
Hopping channel : ...0.... = Single RF channel
spare : ....00..
Absolute RF Channel Number : 720
--- Request reference --- Timing advance = 2
Random access information :4
T1 :7 The mobile station is 1km
T3 : 19
T2 :7
from the BTS.
--- Timing advance ---
Timing advance value : ..000010
Spare : 00......

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 SCH burst
Tail Information Training Information Tail Guard
SCH 8.25
3 39 64 39 2
burst

The SCH burst is the synchronization channel burst

which carries the the BSIC - Base Station Identity
Code and the FN - Frame Number.
As this is the first burst decoded by the mobile station
it has an extended training sequence.

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 FCCH burst
Tail Information Tail Guard
FCCH 8.25
3 142 3
burst

The FCCH burst is the frequency correction channel

burst which is modulated with zero

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 Radio (Um) Interface Logical Channels
Traffic channels (TCH):
Carrying Voice/data
Bm: 13 kbit/s user data
BTS Lm: Half rate (6,5 kbit/s)

Common control channels (CCCH):

Channels that all Mobile Stations can share

Dedicated control channels (DCCH):

Control channels for individual Mobile Stations

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Radio (Um) Interface Common Control Channels

Broadcast: BCCH
Carry system info intended for everybody, e.g. Location
Area Identity
BTS
Paging: PCH
To request a specific Mobile User to react/reply, e.g.
when there is a call for him
Random Access: RACH
Used by the Mobile Station to initiate contact with the
network, e.g. when trying to start a call
Access Granted: AGCH
Used to respond to the RACH to inform that the Mobile
is now being allowed to access the network

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Radio (Um) Interface Dedicated Control Channels

Stand-alone Dedicated : SDCCH

Used for settling practicalities such as roaming,
BTS
authentication, encryption and call control before
allocating the traffic channel
Slow Associated: SACCH
Associated to a TCH
Used together with the Traffic Channel to deal with
control and measurement of radio signals
Fast Associated: FACCH
Large bandwidth version of the SACCH
Used for sudden control action such as handovers
Implemented a robbed bits in a TCH

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 Hyper-, Super- and Multiframes
1 hyperframe = 2048 superframes (3h 28min 53s 760ms)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 2042 2043 2044 2045 2046 2047
1 superframe = 26 (51-frames) or 51 (26-frames) multiframes
(6.12s)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 45 46 47 48 49 50

1 (26-frame) multiframe = 26 TDMA frames (120ms)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 TDMA frame = 8 timeslots (4.615 ms)1 (51-frame) multiframe = 51 TDMA frames (235.38 ms)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 45 46 47 48 49 50

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 TDMA frame = 8 timeslots (4.615 ms)

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 TDMA Frame with 1 combined CCH and 7
TCH
Downlink and Uplink Cyklus: 1 TCH multiframe = 26 TDMA frames = 120 ms

Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm SA Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm Bm -

4.615 ms

TDMA Frame (8 timeslots) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Downlink:
Cyklus: 1 CCH multiframe = 51 TDMA frames = 235.38 ms

F S BCCH PCH/AGCH F S PCH/AGCH PCH/AGCH F S SDCCH/1 SDCCH/2 F S SDCCH/3 SDCCH/4 F S SACCH/1 SACCH/2 -
F S BCCH PCH/AGCH F S PCH/AGCH PCH/AGCH F S SDCCH/1 SDCCH/2 F S SDCCH/3 SDCCH/4 F S SACCH/3 SACCH/4 -

Uplink: F = Frequency correction burst S = Synchronisation burst

R R SACCH/1 SACCH/2 R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R SDCCH/1 SDCCH/2 R R SDCCH/3 SDCCH/4

R R SACCH/3 SACCH/4 R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R SDCCH/1 SDCCH/2 R R SDCCH/3 SDCCH/4
R = RACH

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 Cell Structure
Omni-directional BTS
F1 F2
Safety distance
BTS BTS

R 5xR
F3 F4
F4
BTS

BTS To avoid interference between two cells using the same frequency,
F5 F6 a safety distance of about 5 times the cell radius is required.
A BTS may cover one cell (Omni-directional) or several cells
(typical three directional cells).
Each cell may be served by on or more TRXs depending on the
required capacity.

3-directional BTS Note: each TRX controls one carrier with eight TS.

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 Radio (Um) Interface Neighbour Cells

Mobile station in IDLE mode

Besides listening to the BCCH and the PCH the
mobile station is measuring for neighbour cells.

BTS
Mobile station in active mode
In active mode the mobile station is using the time
between the down and uplink TS (three TS
2ms) to do neighbour cell measuring.
The mobile station can measure up to 31
neighbour cells.
In practice the mobile station measures up to 12
neighbour cells.
Very often only three or four cells are measured.

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Mobile Station
Neighbour Cells Measurement Report
--- MEAS REP ---
--- MEAS RES ---
NO NCELL M : 100b = 4 neighbour cell measurement result
RXL NCEL 1 : 36 = minimum received signal level = -75 dBm to -74 dBm
BCCH NCEL1 : 1
BSIC NCEL1 : 57
RXL NCEL 2 : 24 = minimum received signal level = -87 dBm to -86 dBm
BCCH NCEL2 : 12
BSIC NCEL2 : 63
RXL NCEL 3 : 23 = minimum received signal level = -88 dBm to -87 dBm
BCCH NCEL3 : 7
BSIC NCEL3 : 59
RXL NCEL 4 : 16 = minimum received signal level = -95 dBm to -94 dBm
BCCH NCEL4 : 2
BSIC NCEL4 : 56
RXL NCEL 5 : 0 = minimum received signal level less than -110 dBm
BCCH NCEL5 : 0
BSIC NCEL5 : 0
RXL NCEL 6 : 0 = minimum received signal level less than -110 dBm
BCCH NCEL6 : 0
BSIC NCEL6 : 0

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 (MS) Mobile Station SIM Card
IMSI
- International Mobile subscriber Number
MSISDN
- Mobile Station ISDN Number
Latest BCCH List
The latest BCCH used last time the mobile station was
connected to the network.
Preferred Network List.
Forbidden Network List.
KI
The Key identifier refers to an authentication key for the
mobile subscriber.

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