1

UNI1 1

L|bera||sat|on of the commun|cat|ons |ndustry
ln Lhe laLe 1960s and early 1970s Lhe communlcaLlons markeL was sLagnanL Lhe reLall markeL was
Lelephony Lhe only 'appllcaLlons' belng dlrecLor y enqulrles and Lhe speaklng clock! 1hls was Lo change
dramaLlcally wlLh Lhe llberallsaLlon of communlcaLlons markeLs 1he rsL slgnlcanL lnsLance of
communlcaLlons llberallsaLlon occur red ln Lhe uSA when Lhe llcence Lo compeLe for publlcswlLched
longdlsLance ser vlces was granLed Lo MCl ln 1969

Slnce Lhe 1998 ulrecLlve Lhe Lu has lnLroduced a regulaLor y framework for Lhe elecLronlc
communlcaLlons secLor whlch ls almed aL broadenlng Lhe scope of compeLlLlon pollcy llgure 11
summarlses oLher measures lnLroduced ln Lhe uk durlng Lhls perlod whlch were generally adopLed by
malnland Lurope ln due course


D|g|ta||sat|on of content
ln parallel wlLh Lhe llberallsaLlon acLlvlLles Lechnology has also moved forward dramaLlcally 1he
lnexorable lncrease of LranslsLor denslLy ln lnLegraLed clrculLs ln llne wlLh Moore's Law 3 has meanL
LhaL Lhe cosL of processlng and sLorlng lnformaLlon ln a dlglLal for maL has for mosL appllcaLlons
become Lrlvlal CompuLers of course have been conveylng lnformaLlon such as words and numbers ln
a dlglLal formaL slnce Lhe 1930s buL Lhe rsL modern appllcaLlon conveylng 'conLenL' ln a dlglLal formaL
was probably Lhe use of Lhe C711 codec 6 as par L of Lhe CMbased Lelephone neLworks deployed ln
Lhe laLe 1970s








1he dramaLlc reducLlon ln Lhe cosL of slgnal processlng has also enabled much more sophlsLlcaLed
codecs Lo be used whlch reduce Lhe amounL of lnformaLlon Lo be LransporLed whllsL sLlll allowlng
reproducLlon of Lhe orlglnal conLenL wlLhouL slgnlcanL degradaLlon 1he new algorlLhms usually reduce
Lhe lnformaLlon senL by a comblnaLlon of dlfferenLlal encodlng (only LransmlLLlng changes from Lhe
prevlous frame) and Lokenlslng lnformaLlon (recognlslng for lnsLance LhaL Lhe posslble sequenLlal Llme
samples of speech are ln facL consLralned by Lhe human larynx) 1hls ls very slgnlcanL ln LhaL lL changes
Lhe coded ouLpuL from a regular sequence of consLanL daLa bursLs of Lhe Lype shown ln llgure 1(a) Lo
sequences of arblLrar y slze bursLs of lower duLy cycle shown ln llgure 1(b) 1hls 'bursLy' Lrafc ls also
represenLaLlve of 'gamlng' web browslng and lndeed mosL of Lhe newer appllcaLlons
hanges |n spectrum management
unLll Lhe 1980s Lhere had been a conslsLenL approach Lo specLrum managemenL slnce specLrum was
rsL used for communlcaLlons purposes and lLs vulnerablllLy Lo unlnLended lnLerference was reallsed
parLlcular frequencles would be deslgnaLed for speclc purposes and oLher users would noL be allowed
ln Lhe same band 1hls was a perfecLly adequaLe approach unLll Lhe rapld adopLlon of cellular phones
and oLher new wlreless communlcaLlons sysLems ln general meanL LhaL more radlo specLrum was
needed
SulLable specLrum for wldearea moblle communlcaLlons ls senslbly consLralned Lo Lhe reglon beLween
300 MPz and 3 CPz AL frequencles lower Lhan Lhls Lhe frequency bands LhaL can be allocaLed Lo a
sysLem are Loo narrow Lo slmulLaneously suppor L a useful number of users and reasonable daLa raLes
AL frequencles much hlgher Lhan 3 CPz radlo propagaLlon lncreaslngly requlres someLhlng close Lo llne
of slghL beLween users whlch ls clearly noL pracLlcal for 100 km cells
1he rsL change Lo specLrum managemenL was Lo reLaln Lhe concepL of dedlcaLed bands or speclc uses
buL Lo aLLempL Lo regulaLe demand uslng markeL forces 1he ob[ecLlves for Lhese new reglmes whlch
are belng progresslvely lnLroduced are essenLlally common Lo Lhe four regulaLors
1 Lnsure LhaL Lhe needs of all users are meL
Maxlmlse Lhe economlc beneLs of specLrum
3

3 romoLe Lhe use of specLrum efclenL Lechnologles
4 Seek ways of maklng more specLrum avallable

e||u|ar keuse

1he unlversal adopLlon of cellular soluLlons makes lL apparenL LhaL such soluLlons are opLlmum for wlde
area moblle neLworks Why ls Lhls? Why noL deploy one LransmlLLer ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe counLry whlch
ls Lhe conguraLlon adopLed for naLlonal Llme sLandards? 1he prlmar y conslderaLlon ls coverage Moblle
radlo sysLems need Lo suppor L Lwoway communlcaLlon raLher Lhan unldlrecLlonal broadcasLlng WhllsL
lL ls pracLlcal Lo achleve large coverage ranges ln Lhe downllnk (from base sLaLlon Lo Lhe moblle) by uslng
hlgh LransmlL powers and large anLennas ln Lhe reverse dlrecLlon (Lhe upllnk) Lhe power ls llkely Lo be
llmlLed Lo 1 W or less lf Lalk Llmes of several hours are Lo be dellvered by a small llghL handheld devlce
A secondar y conslderaLlon ls LhaL when neLworks maLure Lhere ls a need Lo address a much larger
number of subscrlbers llgure 13 shows LhaL each deploymenL has Lhree frequencles and ls 'secLorlsed'
lnLo Lhree cells As Lhe hexagonal shape f acLor and cell capaclLles wlll cancel ouL Lhe raLlo of subscrlber
denslLles ls slmply Lhe square of Lhe raLlo of Lhe sldes of Lhe Lwo hexagons 8/ r

1he dr|ve towards broadband
lL ls becomlng clear LhaL Lhe cur renL generaLlon of 'moblle' operaLors wlll seek Lo susLaln Lhelr
proLablllLy ln Lhe f ace of Lhe erodlng premlum on moblle volce by offerlng a 'onesLop shop' for all Lhe
users' LelecommunlcaLlon needs 1he lndusLry ls already seelng mergers and acqulslLlons Lo enable
operaLors Lo provlde a common conLenL and appllcaLlon base across 1v lnLer neL xed and moblle
sysLems Lhe socalled 'quadruple play' 1hls ls expecLed Lo prove aLLracLlve Lo end users boLh from Lhe
perspecLlve of a dlscounLed offerlng for adopLlng Lhe package (raLher Lhan lndlvldual ser vlces) and
because of Lhe lnLegraLlon of communlcaLlons and conLenL charges ln one blll
A key conslderaLlon ls Lhe maxlmum daLa raLe LhaL can be susLalned over Lhe radlo llnk Lo Lhe user 1hls
ls governed by a fundamenLal relaLlonshlp known as Shannon's Law
4

Shannon's Law makes lL clear LhaL Lhe hlghesL obLalnable errorfree daLa speed expressed ln blLs per
second ls a funcLlon of Lhe bandwldLh and Lhe slgnalLonolse raLlo lL can be expressed as
8 |og 2 (1 + S]N )
where
C ls Lhe channel capaclLy ln blLs/s
8 ls Lhe channel bandwldLh ln Pz
S ls Lhe slgnal power ln Lhe channel
n ls Lhe nolse power ln Lhe channel
(noLe 1o converL SNk glven ln declbels use Lhe formula "SNk
db
10|og
10
(S]N)")
ln a cellular sysLem where Lhere ls lnLerference (arlslng from Lhe frequency ln Lhe servlng cell belng
reused ln surroundlng cells) lL ls necessary Lo subsLlLuLe 'n' wlLh ' n + l 'where l ls Lhe lnLerference aL Lhe
moblle locaLlon
















3


UNI1 2

e||u|ar networks
AL Lhe rlsk of sLaLlng Lhe obvlous Lhe orlglnal requlremenL for cellular neLworks (and sLlll Lhe domlnanL
source of revenue) was Lo enable people Lo communlcaLe by volce whllsL Lhey were away from Lhelr
'nor mal' xedllne home or ofce phones 1he archlLecLure of rsLgeneraLlon dlglLal cellular sysLems
such as CSM was Lherefore based on Lhe Lhen prevalenL deslgns ln xed volce neLworks
1he rsL enLranLs lnLo Lhe CSM markeL such as Lrlcsson and Slemens used Lhelr xed neLwork
plaLforms as Lhe basls of new moblle elemenLs known as moblle swlLchlng cenLres (MSC) and base
sLaLlon conLrollers (8SC)
llgure 1 shows a Lop level block dlagram for a CSM neLwork archlLecLure




6

1he GSM c|rcu|t sw|tched network
1he moblle swlLchlng cenLre (MSC) Lakes lncomlng moblle calls and swlLches Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhese Lo lLs
base sLaLlon conLrollers (8SC) whlch handle Lhe LargeL moblles lf Lhe dlalled moblle ls acLually ln a
dlfferenL par L of Lhe counLry lL ls llkely Lo be managed by anoLher MSC and Lhe gaLeway MSC (CMSC)
wlll rouLe calls Lo Lhe approprlaLe MSC lL wlll also when necessary swlLch Lrafc Lo oLher publlc land
moblle neLworks (LMn) and Lo xed neLworks 1he neLwork elemenLs above Lhe 8SC LhaL ulLlmaLely
connecL Lo Lhe publlc swlLched Lelephone neLwork (S1n) or publlc packeL daLa neLwork (un)
LogeLher comprlse Lhe core neLwork
1he one or more 8SCs connecLed Lo Lhe MSC LogeLher wlLh Lhe one or more base Lranscelver sLaLlons
(81S) connecLed Lo each 8SC for m Lhe access neLwork 1he access neLwork supporLs Lhe slgnalllng
beLween Lhe MS MSC and dlalled MS necessar y Lo esLabllsh Lhe call and subsequenLly LransporLs Lhe
bearer paLh Lrafc for Lhe duraLlon of Lhe call lor mosL calls lL wlll also handle all aspecLs of moblllLy
necessary Lo ensure LhaL Lhe connecLlon ls malnLalned seamlessly as Lhe user moves from one cell Lo
anoLher 1he MSC ls lnvolved Lo execuLe an lnLer8SC handover whlch occurs when a moblle moves
from a cell managed by one 8SC Lo anoLher cell managed by a dlfferenL conLroller

1he mandaLor y feaLures of moblle sLaLlons are dened ln L1Sl(Luropean 1elecommunlcaLlons SLandards
lnsLlLuLe) speclcaLlons
1he remalnlng mandaLory elemenLs of Lhe MS are requlred Lo supporL moblllLy ln a xed neLwork Lhere
ls a unlque physlcal locaLlon assoclaLed wlLh Lhe user belng called 1he user may or may noL be presenL
aL Lhe xed locaLlon buL no neLwork acLlon ls necessary lf Lhe user ls noL presenL ln a moblle neLwork
addlLlonal complexlLy ls assoclaLed wlLh ldenLlfylng Lhe cell ln whlch Lhe moblle user ls cur renLly locaLed
and rouLelng Lrafc Lo Lhls locaLlon
ln moblle neLworks unless addlLlonal measures are Laken anyone wlLh a compaLlble phone could use
Lhe neLwork for free! 1he subscrlber ldenLlLy module (SlM) addresses Lhese problems by prevenLlng nor
mal moblle phone calls unless a valldaLed SlM ls presenL ln Lhe moblle equlpmenL (ML) 1he SlM has Lhe
lnLer naLlonal moblle subscrlber ldenLlLy (lMSl) embedded wlLhln lL an ldenLlLy whlch ls unlque
worldwlde and whlch ls allocaLed by Lhe operaLor Lo an lndlvldual subscrlber Lo Lhelr neLwork lL ls Lhls
feaLure of Lhe SlM LhaL allows operaLors Lo assoclaLe call charges wlLh lndlvlduals whlchever neLwork
7

operaLor (eg ln anoLher counLry) may be provldlng Lhe ser vlce aL Lhe Llme 1o prevenL wrongful use of
Lhe neLwork merely by copylng valld lMSls Lhe SlM card also conLalns a subscrlber auLhenLlcaLlon key
whlch ls used LogeLher wlLh lnformaLlon from Lhe neLwork Lo valldaLe Lhe SlM Lo Lhe neLwork
1he lnLernaLlonal moblle equlpmenL ldenLlLy (lMLl) ls embedded ln Lhe moblle equlpmenL noL Lhe SlM
lLs purpose ls Lo ldenLlfy unlquely a parLlcular moblle equlpmenL and lL plays no par L ln deLer mlnlng Lhe
charges due Lo a subscrlber 1he neLwork can requlre Lhe dlsclosure of Lhe user's lMLl prlor Lo allowlng
access 1he use of Lhe lMLl Lo deny access ln Lhls way can be useful for Lwo reasons (1) Lo prevenL
sLolen moblles accesslng Lhe neLwork and more lmporLanLly () Lo prevenL moblles wlLh known or
suspecLed adverse performance characLerlsLlcs uLlllslng Lhe neLwork Lo Lhe deLrlmenL of oLhers
1he lMLl comprlses four segmenLs of lnformaLlon and a check dlglL
1 1he Lype approval code (1AC)
llnal assembly code (lAC)
3 a serlal number (Sn8)
4 a sofLware verslon number (Svn)

GSM channe| structures


8

uthent|cat|on and |ocat|on updat|ng
Cne of Lhe addlLlonal complexlLles of a moblle neLwork ls Lhe need for Lhe neLwork Lo 'know' physlcally
where Lhe moblle ls so LhaL lL can rouLe slgnallng and Lrafc Lo Lhe approprlaLe cell lL ls convenlenL Lo
group numbers of cells LogeLher and label Lhem as a 'locaLlon area' Whenever a moblle moves from a
cell ln one locaLlon area Lo a second cell ln a new locaLlon area Lhe MS ls requlred Lo send a 'locaLlon
updaLe' message Lo Lhe core neLwork so LhaL lL knows where each MS ls llkely Lo be when lL recelves
lncomlng calls 1hls same 'locaLlon updaLe' process ls used when a new subscrlber rsL swlLches on hls
or her moblle as lL can exerclse all of Lhe funcLlonallLy needed Lo poLenLlally recognlse lL as a valld
subscrlber of Lhe parLlcular moblle neLwork When a new subscrlber rsL swlLches on hls or her moblle
phone lL sends a locaLlon updaLe message vla Lhe access neLwork Lo Lhe vlslLor locaLlon reglsLer (vL8)
whlch ls usually colocaLed wlLh an MSC 1he message wlll conLaln Lhe followlng lnformaLlon
1 Subscrlber lMSl
Cell ldenLler
3 LocaLlon updaLe Lype
4 Clpher lnformaLlon

lor subscrlbers reglsLered wlLh Lhe LMn Lhe auLhenLlcaLlon cenLre wlll hold an auLhenLlcaLlon key LhaL
ls assoclaLed wlLh each speclc lMSl Lhls key ls Lhe same as LhaL embedded ln Lhe SlM wlLh Lhe lMSl
Cn lnLer rogaLlon Lhe AuC wlll send a random number Lo Lhe moblle and ask lL Lo reLurn a securlLy
response compuLed uslng a predeLermlned algorlLhm Lhe auLhenLlcaLlon key and Lhe random number
lf Lhe securlLy response reLurned from Lhe moblle agrees wlLh LhaL generaLed by Lhe AuC Lhen
auLhenLlcaLlon ls compleLed 1he vL8 wlll also requesL Lhe lMLl from Lhe moblle and check LhaL Lhe
moblle equlpmenL ls noL blackllsLed WlLh Lhe moblle subscrlpLlon and equlpmenL valldaLed Lhe
remalnder of Lhe locaLlon updaLe process can be compleLed 1he 'cell ldenLler' lnformaLlon ls unlque lL
ls used by Lhe MSC Lo derlve Lhe new 'locaLlon area' assoclaLed wlLh Lhls cell and Lhls ls sLored ln Lhe
vL8 1he vL8 Lhen conLacLs Lhe home locaLlon reglsLer (PL8) Lo Lransfer addlLlonal subscrlber speclc
lnformaLlon needed for call handllng (ser vlce subscrlpLlon deLalls eLc) A poslLlve ouLcome of Lhe
locaLlon updaLe process ls acknowledged by a reLurn message Lo Lhe MS conLalnlng Lhe new locaLlon
area whlch ls sLored by Lhe moblle

hys|ca| channe|s
lor CSM physlcal channels are dellvered Lhrough a comblnaLlon of frequency and Llme dlvlslon
mulLlple access 1rafc and slgnalllng lnformaLlon ls modulaLed onLo 8l carrlers aL a raLe of approx
lmaLely 71 kblLs/s Causslan mlnlmum shlfL keylng (CMSk)a for m of blphase modulaLlon ls employed
and allows a channel spaclng of 00 kPz Lo be adopLed whllsL sLlll dellverlng accepLably low ad[acenL
channel and lnLersymbol lnLerference A CSM absoluLe radlo frequency channel number (A8lCn)
comprlses a recelve/LransmlL channel palr ln Lhe prlmary CSM 900 MPz band Lhe palr of 00 kPz
channels ls separaLed by 43 MPz
9



A CSM channel for boLh Lhe upllnk and downllnk ls Llme sllced lnLo baslc unlLs of elghL Llme sloLs called
frames Lach Llme sloL wlLhln a frame (known as a normal bursL) conveys up Lo 116 payload blLs A
speclc Llme sloL wlLhln a sequence of frames of known lengLh ls used Lo carry Lhe Lrafc channels and
dedlcaLed slgnallng channels
Cver Lhe radlo lnLerface Lhe 116 payload blLs are sub[ecL Lo lnLerference boLh from reuse of Lhe CSM
frequencles and oLher lmpulse lnLerference 1wo approaches are employed Lo reduce Lhe lmpacL of
Lhese effecLs
a Codlng Lhe lnformaLlon blLs Lhls provldes reslllence agalnsL lnLerference and can allow recover y
of corrupLed blLs excepL ln exLreme cases Powever Lhls can reduce Lhe lnformaLlon raLe Lo less
Lhan half Lhe payload raLe dependlng on Lhe scheme selecLed
b lnLerleavlng a slngle user's lnformaLlon over a number of frames Lhls means LhaL
lmpulse lnLerference whlch mlghL corrupL an enLlre bursL for one user can be spread
amongsL four elghL or even more users so LhaL ln speech Lhe effecLs can be LoleraLed
and for daLa Lhe small daLa loss can be recovered by Lhe hlgher layers

1e|ecommun|cat|ons management network
1he LelecommunlcaLlons managemenL neLwork (1Mn) embraces all componenLs of Lhe moblle soluLlon
and wlll Lyplcally comprlse operaLlons and malnLenance cenLres (CMC) for Lhe access neLwork (Lhe
CMC8) Lhe core neLwork (comprlslng MSC vL8 PL8 CSn AuC Ll8 eLc) and Lhe communlcaLlons
neLwork (llnklng all elemenLs ln Lhe LMn) feedlng a cenLral neLwork managemenL funcLlon (nMl) ln
pracLlce lL ls ofLen convenlenL LhaL all CMCs aparL from Lhe CMC8 are coslLed wlLh Lhe cenLral neLwork
managemenL funcLlon 1he neLwork managemenL model ls sLrucLured Lo reecL Lhe way Lhe acLlvlLles
are Lyplcally managed wlLhln a buslness 1he ma[or acLlvlLles are ldenLled as
a ConguraLlon managemenL
b CusLomer admlnlsLraLlon
10

c CperaLlons
d MalnLenance

ongurat|on management lncludes all Lhose funcLlons LhaL allow Lhe neLwork Lo be esLabllshed ln a
known conguraLlon or sLaLus and Lo log changes Lo Lhe LMn or Lhe 1Mn
ustomer adm|n|strat|on lncludes Lhose funcLlons LhaL relaLe Lo managemenL of subscrlbers subscrlber
daLa moblle equlpmenL daLa Lhe collecLlon of call daLa and oLher daLa upon whlch charges may be
levled


Cperat|ons addresses Lhe ma[or dayLoday acLlvlLy for neLwork mangers and descrlbes Lhe funcLlons
LhaL allow Lhe LMn operaLor Lo monlLor Lhe performance of Lhe neLwork and by means of Lhe
managemenL neLwork Lo opLlmlse Lhe parameLers of Lhe LMn Lo lmprove Lhe quallLy of ser vlce
provlded Lo subscrlbers
1he ma|ntenance process as ln lLs wlder usage denes Lhe work necessar y Lo ensure LhaL Lhe neLwork
conLlnues Lo operaLe aL planned performance levels vendors' equlpmenL wlll be deslgned Lo achleve
specled mean Llme beLween fallures (M18l) and mean Llme Lo repalr (M118) Lach of Lhe neLwork
elemenLs wlll lnclude sensors LhaL wlll ag faulL condlLlons
1he genera| packet rad|o system (GkS)
1he C8S archlLecLure was added Lo Lhe orlglnal CSM sysLem Lo allow a physlcal channel Lo be
shared by mulLlple users 1hls allows more 'daLa' users Lo be supporLed by a glven amounL of
specLrum and a glven amounL of lnfrasLrucLure Lhan would be Lhe case lf PSCSu was used wlLh
Lhe correspondlng lmpacL on proLablllLy




When Lhe source Lrafc ls 'bursLy' sufclenL packeLs are senL Lo convey Lhe lnformaLlon ln
each bursL b uL no packeLs are senL ln Lhe gap beLween bursLs 1hese gaps can be used
Lo convey packeLs from oLher users 1hls conLrasLs wlLh dedlcaLed clrculL connecLlons
where Lhe whole connecLlon ls Lled up regardless of wheLher Lhere ls lnformaLlon Lo
11

be senL ackeLs from dlfferenL users emerglng from Lhls common LransporL are rouLed
Lo Lhelr desLlnaLlon uslng Lhe address conLalned ln Lhe header AlLhough many packeL
proLocols are posslble Lhe lnLerneL proLocol (l) as dened by Lhe lnLerneL Lnglneerlng
1ask lorce (lL1l) ls far and away Lhe mosL popular and ls supporLed by C8S 1he
key elemenLs of Lhe proLocol are lllusLraLed ln llgure 6

1he funcLlonallLy and key feaLures of C8S are
1 As many as posslble of Lhe CSM elemenLs and ldenLlLles are reused 1hese lnclude Lhe AuC
Ll8 lMSl and lMLl
new C8S radlo channels are dened
3 AppllcaLlons based (ln prlnclple) on any packeL daLa proLocols (us) are supporLed
4 C8S ls deslgned Lo supporL several quallLy of ser vlce (CoS) proles

3 C8S lnLroduces Lwo new neLwork nodes ln Lhe CSM 1he servlng C8S supporL node
(SCSn) aL Lhe same hlerarchlcal level as Lhe MSC keeps Lrack of Lhe lndlvldual MS's locaLlon
and performs securlLy funcLlons and access conLrol 1he gaLeway CSn (CCSn) provldes
lnLerworklng wlLh exLernal packeLswlLched neLworks

6 1he PL8 ls enhanced Lo supporL C8S subscrlber lnformaLlon

7 new funcLlonallLy Lhe packeL conLrol unlL (Cu) ls added Lo Lhe 8SC Lo segmenL appllcaLlon
proLocol unlLs

8 1here ls a seL of C8S channel sLrucLures largely equlvalenL Lo Lhose for CSM Powever no
use ls made of a sLandalone dedlcaLed conLrol channel (SuCCP)

(Note Draw d|agram of GSM arch|tecture to exp|a|n var|ous nodes of GkS D|agram g|ven on page S)

GkS 'contexts'
1he requlremenL Lo supporL packeL Lrafc efclenLly lmpllclLly dlcLaLes Lhe need for addlLlonal
CSM neLwork funcLlonallLy ln CSM clrculL calls a clrculL comprlslng an alr lnLerface physlcal
channel clrculLs ln Lhe 81S 8SC MSC and CMSC and Lransmlsslon beLween Lhese elemenLs ls
dedlcaLed Lo Lhe LransporL of volce or PSCSu Lrafc from call lnlLlaLlon Lo call LermlnaLlon

1



C8S conLexL comprlse Lhe lnformaLlon necessar y Lo qulckly allow Lhe resumpLlon of Lrafc
ow beLween Lhe moblle and Lhe server LargeLed durlng Lhe orlglnal call seLup 1he conLexL
daLa whlch are sLored when all Lhe queued daLa from Lhe orlglnal call seLup has been senL wlll
Lyplcally lnclude Lhe moblle ldenLlLy publlc server address and Lhe rouLes and addresses
Lo lnLer medlaLe neLwork nodes 1hls ablllLy Lo resume Lhe packeL 'call' qulckly when
C8S conLexL lnformaLlon ls avallable very much parallels Lhe ablllLy of people Lo
resume more qulckly an earller conversaLlon once Lhe conLexL of Lhe orlglnal dlscusslon
(down Lhe pub lasL SaLurday wlLh Clalre and Lynn!) ls provlded hence Lhe Lermlnology
of C8S conLexLs

1he D context

1he u conLexL ls a Lunnel (uslng C8S Lunnelllng proLocol (C1) ) beLween Lhe
CCSn acLlng as a gaLeway Lo Lhe publlc packeL daLa neLwork (un) hosLlng Lhe LargeLed
appllcaLlon server and Lhe SCSn servlng Lhe moblle A C1 Lunnel ls dened by a u conLexL
(Lwo assoclaLed daLa seLs) ln Lhe SCSn and CCSn nodes and ls ldenLled wlLh a Lunnel lu

key beneLs afforded by Lhe u conLexL lnclude
a 1he ablllLy Lo provlde a sLaLlc neLwork address (l x3 eLc)
b 8eleaslng lnLraLMn backbone Lransmlsslon resources when Lhe u conLexL ls noL acLlve
c 1he ablllLy Lo resume packeL daLa ow qulckly as Lrafc appears
d 1he ablllLy Lo provlde MS Lo un connecLlvlLy
e 1he exlsLence of u conLexL lnformaLlon even ln Lhe lnacLlve sLaLe
1he mob|||ty management (MM) context
A loglcal llnk beLween Lhe MS and Lhe SCSn known as an MM conLexL and makes lL posslble for Lhe MS
Lo orlglnaLe a C8S sesslon and Lo recelve paglng vla Lhe SCSn Lo noLlfy lL of lncomlng C8S daLa
AuLhenLlcaLlon procedures wlll also be carrled ouL as parL of Lhe aLLach process
1he MM conLexL for a C8S subscrlber ls characLerlsed by one of Lhree dlfferenL MM conLexL sLaLes
Lach sLaLe descrlbes a cerLaln level of funcLlonallLy and lnformaLlon avallable aL Lhe peer nodes
13

a ln Lhe GkS |d|e state Lhe subscrlber ls noL aLLached Lo Lhe C8S moblllLy managemenL 1he MS
and SCSn conLexL hold no valld locaLlon or rouLelng lnformaLlon for Lhe subscrlber
b ln Lhe GkS standby state Lhe subscrlber ls aLLached Lo C8S moblllLy managemenL 1here are
assoclaLed daLa seLs for Lhe subscrlber's lMSl sLored ln Lhe MS and SCSn and Lhe neLwork may
page Lhe MS Lo enable recepLlon of neLworkorlglnaLed daLa
c ln Lhe GkS ready state Lhe SCSn MM conLexL corresponds Lo Lhe C8S sLandby sLaLe
supplemenLed by locaLlon lnformaLlon for Lhe subscrlber aL cell level 1he MS performs moblllLy
managemenL procedures as necessary Lo malnLaln knowledge ln Lhe neLwork of Lhe rouLelng
area and Lhe servlng cell
MSSGSN phys|ca| |ayer
1he SCSn ls a ma[or Lrafc node Lyplcally supporLlng many 8SCs and Cus wlLh each 8SC or Cu
Lyplcally supporLlng 0 or more 81Ss
Across Lhe u m or CSM alr lnLerface daLa are sLlll LransporLed vla Lhe physlcal channels buL packeL
channel sLrucLures are lnLroduced Lo complemenL Lhe CSM channel sLrucLures and enable upllnk access
Lo Lhe radlo resources Lhrough channels such as Lhe packeL random access channel (8ACP) Lhe packeL
access granL channel (ACCP) and Lhe packeL daLa Lrafc channels (u1CP) A packeL daLa
channel(uCP) ls Lhe name glven Lo a CSM physlcal channel congured Lo suppor L C8S raLher Lhan
CSM Lrafc Cne or more uCPs may be used Lo supporL Lrafc ows ln Lhe upllnk and downllnk
dependlng upon Lhe moblle capablllLy Powever Lhese uCPs are now shared amongsL many moblles
by Lhe lnLroducLlon of Lhe Lemporary block ow (18l) concepL

A 18l ls a physlcal connecLlon used by Lhe 88 enLlLles ln Lhe MS and 8SC Lo supporL Lhe unldlrecLlonal
Lransfer of loglcal llnk conLrol (LLC) uus across Lhe alr lnLerface 1he 18l comprlses a number of radlo
blocks carrylng one or more LLC uus Lhe 18l ls Lemporary and ls malnLalned only for Lhe duraLlon of
Lhe daLa Lransfer (le unLll Lhere are no more 8LC/MAC blocks Lo be LransmlLLed) Cnce a glven 18l has
compleLed Lhe same uCPs can be used Lo supporL a new 18l for a dlfferenL moblle uependlng upon
Lhe naLure of Lhe access requesL Lhe moblle prlorlLy and neLwork congesLlon Lhe ACCP may make a
xed allocaLlon of blocks
MSSGSN protoco|s
lf a slngle channel ls Lo be shared amongsL several moblles uslng Lhe 18l sLrucLure lL ls very clear LhaL
ow managemenL and queulng ln Lhe downllnk dlrecLlon ls essenLlal 1he role of proLocols such as sub
neLwork dependenL convergence proLocol (SnuC) loglcal llnk conLrol (LLC) 30 base sLaLlon sysLem
C8S proLocol (8SSC) and radlo llnk conLrol or medla access conLrol (8LC or MAC) ls Lo execuLe Lhese
and oLher essenLlal processes
1he key funcLlons of Lhe SND protoco| are
a MulLlplexlng of mulLlple u conLexLs on Lo one MM conLexL
b Compresslon of conLrol and user daLa
c SegmenLaLlon of compressed daLa Lo for m LLC frames

14

1he LL protoco| supporLs Lhe followlng funcLlonallLy
a MulLlplexlng
b up Lo ve user daLa sLreams per moblle
c MM conLexL slgnalllng
d llow conLrol beLween Lhe SCSn and MS
e Clpherlng
f Lrror correcLlon
1he kL]M protoco| supporLs Lhe followlng funcLlonallLy
a MulLlplexlng of conLrol and daLa for Lhe upllnk and downllnk
b rlorlLy handllng
c Cueulng and ow conLrol of downllnk packeL daLa across Lhe um lnLerface
d SegmenLaLlon of LLC uus lnLo 8LC/MAC blocks
e Lrror correcLlon across Lhe um lnLerface
1he 8SSG protoco| provldes Lhe followlng funcLlonallLy over Lhe Cb lnLerface
a rovlslon of vlr Lual clrculLs beLween Lhe SCSn and each C8S cell Lo LransporL LLC conLrol and
daLa uus
b rovlslon of ow conLrol and bufferlng for LLC uus beLween Lhe 8SC and Lhe SCSn
GkS operat|on
a AL power on Lhe moblle wlll car r y ouL lLs own lnlLlallsaLlon processes and Lhen search Lhe CSM
frequencles for cells LransmlLLlng a packeL 8CCP and 'camp' on a sulLable cell lL wlll decode Lhe
lnfor maLlon on Lhe 8CCP and locaLe Lhe packeL 8ACP and packeL ACCP for fuLure use
b When Lhe user lnlLlaLes a C8S sesslon from Lhe handseL a requesL for radlo resources wlll be
made on Lhe 8ACP channel lf Lhe neLwork ls busy Lhe user may have Lo queue unLll 18l
resources are allocaLed and Lhen Lhe necessary slgnallng can Lake place Lo execuLe C8S aLLach
noLe LhaL because Lhls ls Lhe rsL Llme LhaL Lhe user has been connecLed Lo Lhe neLwork
c WlLh a rouLe now esLabllshed from Lhe MS Lo Lhe CCSn and LargeL slLe Lhe lnlLlal LransacLlons
can Lake place
d When no fur Lher daLa are awalLlng Lransmlsslon Lhe moblle releases Lhe 18l Lhe sLaLus of Lhe
moblle 8SS llnk moves Lo C8S ldle buL for a whlle Lhe MM conLexL remalns 'ready' Cnce Lhe
Llmer explres Lhe MM conLexL f alls back Lo 'sLandby' 1hls slLuaLlon can perslsL for some Llme
and lL ls posslble durlng Lhls perlod LhaL Lhe user may move sufclenLly far away Lo provoke a
rouLelng area updaLe
e Cnce furLher LransacLlons wlLh Lhe ser ver are pendlng Lhe moblle wlll Lry Lo carry ouL a 'cell
updaLe' Lo Lrlgger Lhe MM conLexL move Lo 'ready' As before lL may be necessary Lo queue for
18l resources before Lhese are g ranLed WlLh Lhe MM conLexL aL 'ready' LransacLlons can once
more Lake place and Lhls sequence of LranslLlons beLween 'sLandby' and 'ready' sLaLes enables
Lhe radlo resources Lo be efclenLly shared
f Cnce Lhe sesslon has been compleLed Lhe regresslon from 'ready' Lo 'sLandby' wlll Lake place
and evenLually Lhe SCSn 'sLandby' Llmer explres Learlng down Lhe MM conLexL
g As a consequence of MM conLexL deacLlvaLlon Lhe u conLexL ls deleLed and all radlo and
neLwork resources are released back Lo Lhe sysLem