Amity School of Engineering & Technology

Introduction to Mobile
Computing &PCS Architecture

Dr. Manoj Kumar Shukla

Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
ASET, Amity University, Noida
E-mail:– mkshukla@amity.edu

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 Outline
• Introduction about Mobile Computing
• PCS Architecture
• Mobility Management

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 What Is Mobile Computing?
• What is computing?
Operation of computers (according to oxfords advance learner’s
dictionary)
• What is the mobile?
That someone /something can move or be moved easily and quickly
from place to place
• What is mobile computing?
Users with portable computers still have network connections while
they move
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 What Is Mobile Computing? (Cont.)
• Is using a digital camera “Mobile Computing”, or using an MP3 player
or handheld computer (e.g. 3Com’s Palm Pilot or Compaq’s iPAQ
3660)?

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 What Is Mobile Computing? (Cont.)
• A simple definition could be:
Mobile Computing is using a computer (of one kind or another) while on the move
• Another definition could be:
Mobile Computing is when a (work) process is moved from a normal fixed
position to a more dynamic position.
• A third definition could be:
Mobile Computing is when a work process is carried out somewhere where it was
not previously possible.

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 What Is Mobile Computing? (Cont.)
• Mobile Computing is an umbrella term used to describe technologies
that enable people to access network services anyplace, anytime, and
anywhere.

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 Comparison to Wired Net.
• Wired Networks
- high bandwidth
- low bandwidth variability
- can listen on wire
- high power machines
- high resource machines
- need physical
access(security)
- low delay
- connected operation
• Mobile Networks
- low bandwidth
- high bandwidth variability
- hidden terminal problem
- low power machines
- low resource machines
- need proximity
- higher delay
- disconnected operation
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 Why Go Mobile?
• Enable anywhere/anytime connectivity
• Bring computer communications to areas without pre-existing
infrastructure
• Enable mobility
• Enable new applications
• An exciting new research area

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 Types of Wireless Devices
• Laptops
• Palmtops
• PDAs
• Cell phones
• Pagers
• Sensors

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 PCS
• The term Personal Communication Service (enabling
communication with a person at anytime, at any place, and in any form)
include
• Various Wireless Access
• Personal Mobility Services

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 PCS Architecture
The basic architecture consists of two parts.
• Radio Network
• Wireline Transport Network

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Fig. 1.1 The basic PCS network
architecture

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Fig. 1.1 The basic PCS network architecture

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 Radio Network

• Handsets, Mobile Phones, Mobile Stations (MSs)

• Modern handset technology allow the air interface to be
updated over the air (e.g., from DECT to GSM) remotely.

• The handset can also be remotely monitored by the system

maintenance and diagnostic capability.

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 Cont.

• Base Station (BS) (Fig. 1.2 and Fig. 1.3)

• The Radio Coverage of a BS or a sector in the BS is called a
Cell.
• For systems (e.g., GSM, cdmaOne, and PACS), the BS
system is partitioned into a controller (base station
controller in GSM and radio port control unit in PACS) and
radio transmitters/receivers (base transceiver stations in
GSM and radio ports in PACS).

• The BSs usually reach the wireline transport network (core

or backbone network) via land links or dedicated microwave
links.
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Fig. 1.2 CDMA base transceiver station

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Fig. 1.3 CDMA base station controller

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Wireline Transport Network
• Mobile Switching Center (MSC)
• The MSC connected to the BS is a special switch
tailored to mobile applications.
• For example, the Luccent 5ESS MSC 2000 is a MSC modified
from Lucent Technologies’ 5ESS switching systems.
• The Siemens’ D900/1800/1900 GSM switch platform is based
on its EWSD (Digital Electronic Switching System) platform.
• The MSC is connected to the PSTN to provide services
between the PCS users and the wireline users.

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 Cont.
• The Mobility Database connected to the MSC is used to track the
locations of mobile stations.

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Fig. 1.4 Mobile switching center

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 Mobility Management

Main objective of MM is location tracking & call set up. There are two
aspects of mobility in a PCS n/w.
• HANDOFF
• ROAMING

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Inter BS Handoff
Inter MS Handoff
Roaming

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 Books
• Text Books:
1. Jochen Schiller, "Mobile communications", Pearson Education
2. “Wireless and Mobile Networks Architectures” by Yi-Bing Lin
&Imrich Chlamtac, John Wiley & sons, 2001

• Reference Books:
1. “Mobile and Personal Communication systems and services” by
Raj P Andya, Prentice Hall of India, 2001.
2. “Guide to Designing and implementing wireless LAN’s” by Mark
Ciampa, Thomson learning, Vikas Publishing House, 2001.
3. “Wireless web development” by Raj Rischpater, Springer
Publishing, 2000
4. “The wireless application protocol” by SandeepSinghal, Pearson
Education Asia, 2000
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