System Architecture of GPRS

Group R1:

Xiong Guangyu
Nik A. Salleh
 System Architecture

To understand GPRS system architecture it is

helpful to first understand the architecture of GSM
system.

GPRS is an enhancement over the GSM and adds
some nodes in the network to provide the packet
switched services. These network nodes are called
GSNs (GPRS Support Nodes) and are responsible
for the routing and delivery of the data packets to
and from the MS and external packet data networks
(PDN).
 Network Architecture

Addition of two
network elements: BSC SGSN
GGSN

Serving GPRS Support

Node(SGSN)

Gateway GPRS Support
Node(GGSN)

Fig. 3-1 The SGSN and GGSN additions

 Network Architecture

GPRS subscriber terminals

Only GPRS terminals (TEs) can access GPRS
servers

GPRS enabled phones, PDAs with embedded GSM, PC
cards for laptops

These terminals will be backward compatible with
GSM for voice calls, because existing GSM phones:
 cannot handle the enhanced air interface
 cannot packetize data directly
 Network Architecture

GPRS BSS

A software upgrade is required in the existing Base
Transceiver Site (BTS).

The Base Station Controller (BSC) also requires a software
upgrade, and the installation of a new piece of hardware
called a packet control unit (PCU).

The PCU directs the data traffic to the GPRS network and
can be a separate hardware element associated with BSC.

The PCU provides a physical and logical data interface out
of BSS for packet data traffic.
 Network Architecture

GPRS Network GGSN

Add new core network

elements
 Serving GPRS Support SGSN
Node (SGSN)
 Gateway GPRS
Support Node (GGSN)

Fig 3.2 The overlay network interworks

between public and private network
 Network Architecture

GPRS can be thought of as an overlay network onto the

GSM network.

The data overlay network provides packet data transport
from 9.6 to 171 Kbps.

Multiple users can share the same air-interface resources.

GPRS uses most of existing GSM network elements, plus
new network elements, interface, and protocols for
building a packet-based mobile cellular network.
 Network Architecture
 Databases (VLR and HLR)

All the databases involved in

the network requires

software upgrades to handle HLR
the new call models and
functions introduced by
GPRS.

The home Location Register
VLR

(HLR) and Visitor Location

SGSN
Register (VLR) especially
require upgrades to
functionally service GPRS.

Fig 3-3 The network reference model for GSM

 Data Routing

A main issues in the GPRS network is the

routing of data packets to/from a mobile user,
which is divided into two areas:

Data packet routing

Mobility management
 Data Routing
-- Data Packet Routing

Data Packet Routing
 GGSN
 handles interaction with the external data network.
 routes external data packets to the SGSN
 There are the use of the various tools in a GPRS network
(Fig. 3-5).
 Three different routing schemes are possible:
1) Mobile-originated message.
2) Network-initiated messages when the MS is in its home network.
3) Network-initiated messages when the MS has roamed to another
BPRS operator’s network.
Data Routing
-- Data Packet Routing

Fig. 3-5 The various components for data routing

 Data Routing
-- Data Packet Routing

 GPRS operators will allow roaming through an interoperator

backbone network
 GPRS operators connect to the interoperator network by a
border Gateway (BG)
 The main benefits of the architecture are its flexibility,
scalablity, interoperability and roaming
 The GPRS network encapsulates all data network protocols
into its own encapsulation protocol, called the GPRS
Tunning Procotocol (GTP).
 Data Routing
-- GPRS Mobility Management

The operation of GPRS is partly independent of the GSM

network. However,some procedures share the network
elements with current GSM functions.

A mobile station has three states in the GPRS system:
 Idle
 Standby
 Active
GPRS Mobility Management

Fig. 3-6 The GPRS traffic protocol stack

 GPRS Mobility Management

Data is transmitted between a mobile station and the GPRS

network only when the mobile station is in the active state.

In the active state, the SGSN knows the cell location of the
mobile station.

In the standby state, the location of the station is known only
as to which routing area it is in.

In the idle state, the mobile station does not have a logical
GPRS context activated or any Packet-Switched Public Data
Network (PSPDZ) addresses allocated, The MS can receive
only those multicast messages that can be received by any
GPRS mobile station.
Network Architecture-New
Interfaces

Fig. 3-7 The new interfaces in GPRS

 Network Architecture-New
Interfaces

Gb --Between the PCUSN and SGSN, using Frame Relay.

Gr -- Between SGSN and HLR, extension of the Mobile
Application Part (MAP).

Gn -- Between SGSN and GGSN, using the GTP(tunneling)
protocol.

Gi -- Between GGSN and PDNs (X.25 and Internet Protocol
[IP]).

Gs -- Between SGSN and MSC/VLR, for some simultaneous
GPRS and GSM operations.

Gd -- Delivers SMS messages via GPRS (same as MAP from
GSM).

Gc -- Between GGSN and HLR.
The Different Backbone Used

SGSN

Fig. 3-8 The different backbones used

 The Different Backbone Used

Each SGSN is linked to Packet Control Unit Switching
Nodes (PCUSN) with a Frame Relay network:

The only protocol possible, with ETSI specifications

Simpler than X.25

Capable of supporting data rates upto 2 Mbps

The SGSN and GGSN are linked together within the GPRS backbone
based on IP routing.

GPRS tunnels the protocol data unit (PDU) using the GPRS Tunneling
Protocol (GTP).

GPRS will support interworking of mobile stations with IP first and
X.25 later. Further, it will transmit the corresponding PDU transparently
by encapsulation and decapsulation.
 Initial Implementations

The first releases of GPRS products must support IP and

interworking with the Internet and intranets.

Domain Name Server (DNS)

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

 TDMA-GPRS Physical Channel
Capacity

The Time Division

Multiple Access (TDMA
frame structure for GPRS
is the same as for GSM
(Fig. 3-10).

GPRS provides flexible
allocation of physical
channels to GPRS service.

The GPRS traffic load in a
given cell varies as a
function of time.

Fig. 3-10 Physical Channel Capacity

 GPRS Logical Channels

 a logical channel
refers to a flow of
information between
entities for a
particular purpose.
 Logical channels are
carried within the
physical channels.

Fig. 3-11 GPRS Logical Channels

 GPRS Logical Channels

Packet Broadcast Control Channel(PBCCH)

A downlink function used for broadcast of
system information to the mobile station in a cell

Packet Common Control Channel(PCCCH)

A control channel service for signaling for the
packet data:

Packet Random Access Channel (PRACH)

Packet Paging Channel (PPCH)

Packet Access Grant Channel (PAGCH)

Packet Notification Channel (PNCH)
 GPRS Logical Channels

Packet Data Traffic Channel (PDTCH)

The traffic channel is an up and downlink function used
for user data traffic transfer.

PDTCH is temporarily dedicated to a user or group of
users.

PDTCH for uplink and PDTCH for downlink are
unidirectional and assigned separately to support
asymmetric user traffic flow.
 GPRS Logical Channels

Packet-Dedicated Control Channel (PDCCH)

Packet Associated Control Channel (PACCH)
 An uplink and downlink function used to carry signaling
information to and from the mobile station

Packet Timing Advance Control Channel/Uplink
(PTCCH/UL)
 Used for estimation of timing advance of one mobile station

Packet Timing Advance Control Channel/Downlink
(PTCCH/DL)
 Used to transmit timing advance information to several mobile
stations
 Mapping Logical Channels onto
Physical Channels

Multiple logical
channels are mapped
onto the same
physical channel in a
timesharing manner.

Fig. 3-12 Mapping Logical Channels onto

Physical Channels