Introduction to 3G, GSM,

GPRS, EDGE Network

3G

3G refers to the third generation of mobile

telephony (that is, cellular) technology. The
third generation, as the name suggests,
follows two earlier generations
The first generation (1G) began in the early
80's with commercial deployment of
Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS)
cellular networks. Early AMPS networks used
Frequency Division Multiplexing Access
(FDMA) to carry analog voice over channels
in the 800 MHz frequency band.

The second generation (2G) emerged in the 90's in

which some operators used Code Division Multiple
Access (CDMA) to multiplex up to 64 calls per
channel in the 800 MHz band.
Across the world, many operators adopted the
Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)
standard, which used Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) to multiplex up to 8 calls per channel in the
900 and 1800 MHz bands.
GPRS is sometimes called 2.5G, since it predates
3G but is more advanced than 2G.

The International Telecommunications Union

(ITU) defined the third generation (3G) of
mobile telephony standards to facilitate
growth, increase bandwidth, and support
more diverse applications.
For example, GSM could deliver not only
voice, but also circuit-switched data at
speeds up to 14.4 Kbps. But to support
mobile multimedia applications, 3G had to
deliver packet-switched data with better
spectral efficiency, at far greater speeds.

technologies evolved as follows -

1.

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) offered

speeds up to 114 Kbps.

2.

Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution

(EDGE) reached up to 384 Kbps.

3.

UMTS Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) offered

downlink speeds up to 1.92 Mbps.

4.

High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)

boosted the downlink to 14Mbps.

GSM

Global System for Mobile (GSM) is cellular standard developed to

cater voice services and data delivery using digital modulation.
Its ubiquity makes international roaming very common between
mobile phone operators, enabling subscribers to use their phones in
many parts of the world. GSM differs from its predecessors in that
both signaling and speech channels are digital,
GSM also pioneered a low-cost (to the network carrier) alternative to
voice calls, the short message service (SMS, also called "text
messaging")
Newer versions of the standard were backward-compatible with the
original GSM phones. For example, Release '97 of the standard
added packet data capabilities, by means of General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS). Release '99 introduced higher speed data
transmission using Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
(EDGE).

GSM System Architecture

PSTN
ISDN
PDN

BSC
MS

BTS

MSC
GMSC

BTS

BSC
VLR
MS
EIR

BTS

AUC
MS

HLR

GSM System Architecture

Mobile Station (MS)

Mobile Equipment (ME)

Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)

Base Station Subsystem (BSS)

Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

Base Station Controller (BSC)

Network Switching Subsystem(NSS)

Mobile Switching Center (MSC)

Home Location Register (HLR)
Visitor Location Register (VLR)
Authentication Center (AUC)
Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

Mobile Station (MS)

1.

2.

Mobile Equipment
Portable, hand held device
Uniquely identified by an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment
Identity)
Voice and data transmission
Power level : 0.8W 20 W
160 character long SMS.
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
Smart card contains the International Mobile Subscriber
Identity (IMSI)
Allows user to send and receive calls and receive other
subscribed services
Protected by a password or PIN
Can be moved from phone to phone contains key
information to activate the phone

Base Station Subsystem (BSS)

Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

Encodes, encrypts,multiplexes,modulates and feeds

the RF signals to the antenna.

Communicates with Mobile station and BSC

2. Base Station Controller (BSC)

Assigns Frequency and time slots for all MSs in its

area

Handles call set up

It communicates with MSC and BTS

1.

Network Switching Subsystem(NSS)

Mobile Switching Center (MSC)

Heart of the network

Manages communication between GSM and other networks
Call setup function and basic switching
Call routing
Billing information and collection
Mobility management
- Registration
- Location Updating
MSC does gateway function while its customer roams to other
network by using HLR/VLR.

Home Location Registers (HLR)

- permanent database about mobile subscribers in a large
service area (generally one per GSM network operator)
database contains IMSI, prepaid/postpaid, roaming
restrictions, supplementary services.

Visitor Location Registers (VLR)

-

Temporary database which updates whenever new MS

enters its area, by HLR database
Controls those mobiles roaming in its area

Authentication Center (AUC)

-

Protects against intruders in air interface

Maintains authentication keys and algorithms and
provides security.
Generally associated with HLR

Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

- Database that is used to track handsets using the IMEI
-

(International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Only one EIR per PLMN (public land mobile network )

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a new bearer

service for GSM that greatly improves and simplifies
wireless access to packet data networks,e.g to the
internet.
It uses the existing GSM network to transmit and
receive TCP/IP based data to and from GPRS mobile
devices.
GPRS is a non-voice service added to existing TDMA
time division multiple access networks, one of the 2.5G
technology upgrades. TDMA is the underlying transport
mechanism used by GSM networks.

Comparison of GSM & GPRS

Data Rates
TDMA
Billing

Type of
Connection

GSM
9.6 Kbps

GPRS
14.4 to 115.2 Kbps

Uses one out of

seven time slots
Duration of
connection

uses 4 +1 time slots

Circuit Switched
Technology

Packet - Switched
Technology

Amount of data
transferred

Benefits of GPRS

High Speed (Data Rate 14.4 115 kbps)

Efficient use of radio bandwidth (Statistical
Multiplexing)
Circuit switching & Packet Switching can be
used in parallel
Constant connectivity

GPRS BACKBONE NETWORK

BSC
MS

BSC

BTS

BTS
inter-PLMN

GPRS backbone

PLMN1
Gn

SGSN

intra-PLMN
GPRS backbone

Gp
Border
gateway

Gp

SGSN

Gn

Border
gateway

Gn

intra-PLMN
Gn

GPRS backbone

Gn

PLMN2

Gi
Gi
GGSN
External Packet
Data Network (PDN)
SGSN

GGSN
Host
Router

LAN

GPRS Network
GPRS network provides mobility
management, session management, and
transport for internet protocol packet
services in GSM network.
GPRS Support Node (GSN)- It is node
which support use of GPRS in GSM
network. There are two key variant-

1.

2.

GGSN
SGSN

GGSN (Gateway GPRS Supporting Node)

It is main component of GPRS for

internetworking between GPRS and external
network. Thus it is router for sub network.
It converts GPRS packets to appropriate PDP
format to send them on corresponding data
network. In other direction PDP address to
GSM address of destination host.
It is responsible for IP address assignment.

SGSN (Serving GPRS Supporting Node)

It is responsible the delivery of data packets

from and to the mobile with in geographical
area.
The location register of SGSN stores location
information (current cell, VLR) and user
profile of GPRS users registered with SGSN.

Access point

When a mobile user wants to use GPRS it must first

activate PDP context (IP address and IMSI)
When a GPRS mobile phone sets up a PDP
context, the access point is selected and access
point name is determined,
An access point is:

An IP network to which a mobile can be connected

A set of settings which are used for that connection
A particular option in a set of settings in a mobile phone

This access point is then used in a DNS query to a

private DNS network. This process (called APN
resolution) finally gives the IP address of the GGSN
which should serve the access point

EDGE

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) is

used to increase network capacity and data rates in
mobile networks. EDGE provides data rates up to
384 Kbps.
EDGE uses the same TDMA (Time Division
Multiple Access) frame structure, logic channel and
200kHz carrier bandwidth as today's GSM networks,
which allows it to be overlaid directly onto an
existing GSM network. For many existing
GSM/GPRS networks, EDGE is a simple softwareupgrade.
EDGE is particularly useful as a GPRS solution for
the larger data services, such as streaming video
and video conferencing.