Global System for Mobile

Vinay Sahu
Department of Electronics and Communication Lovely Professional University, Phagwara

Abstract A connection between two people- a caller and called person is the basic service of the telephone system. To provide this service, the network must be able to set up and maintain a call, which involves a number of tasks: identifying the called person, determining the location and ensuring that the connection is sustained as long as the conversation lasts. This paper provides the basic ideas of GSM, history and its working process with architecture of GSM. Introduction Tremendous changes are taking place in the arena of mobile technologies, and the worldwide push toward 3rd generation services is currently at the forefront of these transformations. Many questions surround the concept of 3G not only in terms of what it means and what services it will offer, but also in terms of how to get there, which standard will be dominant, how long it will take to deploy, and whether it will be as lucrative as expected given the current rush of exorbitant spectrum fees[5]. This case study is designed to examine some of these questions about 3G from the analytical perspective of predecessor 2nd generation technologies, and specifically of GSM in Europe. The successful development and deployment of GSM over the past two decades is most significant, if one is to accept the hypothesis that experience counts in the mobile arena.

The deployment of GSM is most aptly characterized by the commitment of twentysix European national phone companies to standardize a system, and the working process responsible for this accomplishment has been deemed a great success worthy of replication. Essentially, those countries and firms involved realized the advantages of a cross-border standard and the amount of money and energy that can be wasted when competing for mobile technology world domination. Generally speaking, the story of the establishment of GSM is of interest to anybody studying the growth and trajectory of digital technology and its commercial applications. The Generations of Mobile Networks The idea of cell-based mobile radio systems appeared at Bell Laboratories in the United States in the early 1970s. However, mobile cellular systems were not introduced for commercial use until a decade later. During the early 1980s, analog cellular telephone systems experienced very rapid growth in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. Today, cellular systems still represent one of the fastest growing telecommunications systems[3]. First-generation cellular networks, the primary focus of the communications industry in the early 1980s, were characterized by a few compatible systems that were designed to provide purely local

cellular solutions. It became increasingly apparent that there would be an escalating demand for a technology that could facilitate flexible and reliable mobile communications. By the early 1990s, the lack of capacity of these existing networks emerged as a core challenge to keeping up with market demand. The first mobile wireless phones utilized analog transmission technologies, the dominant analog standard being known as AMPS, (Advanced Mobile Phone System). Analog standards operated on bands of spectrum with a lower frequency and greater wavelength than subsequent standards, providing a significant signal range per cell along with a high propensity for interference.4 Nonetheless, it is worth noting the continuing persistence of analog (AMPS) technologies in North America and Latin America through the 1990s[2]. Initial deployments of second-generation wireless networks occurred in Europe in the 1980s. These networks were based on digital, rather than analog technologies, and were circuit-switched. Circuit-switched cellular data is still the most widely used mobile wireless data service. Digital technology offered an appealing combination of performance and spectral efficiency (in terms of management of scarce frequency bands), as well as the development of features like speech security and data communications over high quality transmissions. It is also compatible with Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) technology, which was being developed for land-based telecommunication systems throughout the world, and which would be necessary for GSM to be successful. Moreover in the digital world, it would be possible to employ very large-scale integrated silicon technology to make handsets more affordable[2].

However, second-generation equipment has since proven to offer many advantages over analog systems, including efficient use of radio-magnetic spectrum, enhanced security, extended battery life, and data transmission capabilities. There are four main standards for 2G networks: Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). A Look Back at GSM One of the most important conclusions from the early tests of the new GSM technology was that the new standard should employ Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technology. With global coverage goals in mind, being compatible with GSM from day one is a prerequisite for any new system that would add functionality to GSM. As with other 2G systems, GSM handles voice efficiently, but the support for data and Internet applications is limited. A data connection is established in just the same way as for a regular voice call; the user dials in and a circuit-switched connection continues during the entire session. If the user disconnects and wants to re-connect, the dial-in sequence has to be repeated. This issue, coupled with the limitation that users are billed for the time that they are connected, creates a need for packet data for GSM[4]. The digital nature of GSM allows the transmission of data (both synchronous and asynchronous) to or from ISDN terminals, although the most basic service support by GSM is telephony.17 Speech, which is inherently analog, has to be digitized. The method employed by ISDN, and by current telephone systems for multiplexing voice lines over high-speed trunks and optical fiber lines[5].

(MS) and the base station (BS). This openair interface is appropriately named the air interface. The second interface is located between the mobile service switching center (MSC) and the base station controller (BSC). In a GSM architecture the decentralized intelligence is implemented by dividing the whole network into three separate subsystem: a. Network Switching Subsystem (NSS). b. Base Station Subsystem (BSS). c. Operation Support Subsystem (OSS). The actual network needed for establishing call is composed of the NSS and BSS. The BSS is responsible for radio path control and every call is connected through the BSS. The NSS takes care of call control function. Calls are always connected by and through the NSS. The OSS is the operation and maintenance related part of the network and it is needed for control of the whole GSM network. The network operator observes and maintains network quality and service offered through the OSS[1].

Figure: 1

A unique feature of GSM is the Short Message Service (SMS), which has achieved wide popularity as what some have called the unexpected killer application of GSM. SMS is a bi-directional service for sending short alphanumeric message in a store-andforward process. SMS can be used both point-to-point as well as in cell-broadcast mode[2][1][4]. Another of GSMs most attractive features is the extent to which its network is considered to be secure. All communications, both speech and data, are encrypted to prevent eavesdropping, and GSM subscribers are identified by their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card (which holds their identity number and authentication key and algorithm). GSM Architecture Here firstly I will explain about open interface of GSM, which then limit certain parts of GSM system. Because of this interface openness, the operator maintaining the network may obtain different parts of the network from different GSM network suppliers[4]. The GSM specifications define two truly open interfaces within the GSM network. The first one is between the mobile station

Figure: 2

NSS consists various registers like; The Home Location Register (HLR) and Visitor Location Register (VLR), together with the

MSC, provide the call-routing and roaming capabilities of GSM. The HLR contains all the administrative information of each subscriber registered in the corresponding GSM network, along with the current location of the mobile. The location of the mobile is typically in the form of the signaling address of the VLR associated with the mobile station. The actual routing procedure will be described later. There is logically one HLR per GSM network, although it may be implemented as a distributed database. The Visitor Location Register (VLR) contains selected administrative information from the HLR, necessary for call control and provision of the subscribed services, for each mobile currently located in the geographical area controlled by the VLR. Although each functional entity can be implemented as an independent unit, all manufacturers of switching equipment to date implement the VLR together with the MSC, so that the geographical area controlled by the MSC corresponds to that controlled by the VLR, thus simplifying the signaling required. Note that the MSC contains no information about particular mobile stations --- this information is stored in the location registers[3]. The other two registers are used for authentication and security purposes. The Equipment Identity Register (EIR) is a database that contains a list of all valid mobile equipment on the network, where each mobile station is identified by its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI). An IMEI is marked as invalid if it has been reported stolen or is not type approved. The Authentication Center (AuC) is a protected database that stores a copy of the secret key stored in each subscriber's

SIM card, which is used for authentication and encryption over the radio channel. GSM Radio Spectrum The ITU, which manages the international allocation of radio spectrum, allocated the 890-915 MHz bands for the uplink (mobile station to base station) and 935-960 MHz bands for the downlink (base station to mobile station) for mobile networks in Europe. Since this range was already being used in the early 1980s by the analog systems of the day, the CEPT had the foresight to reserve the top 10 MHz of each band for the GSM network that was still being developed. A duplex transmission is realized in a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode. Both bands are divided into 124 frequency intervals of 200 kHz each with carrier frequencies in their centers. Time along each carrier is divided into 8 slots. Thus, multiple access is realized through assigning the connection a particular carrier frequency (or a sequence of them if frequency hopping is performed) and a selected time slot. As a result, the GSM can be treated as a system with TDMA/FDMA multiple access scheme[3][4]. Conclusion
To a large extent, GSM can be said to have been the right system at the right place at the right time

In this paper I have tried to give an overview of the GSM system. As with any overview, and especially one covering a standard 6000 pages long, there are many details missing. I believe, however, that I gave the general flavor of GSM and the philosophy behind its design. It was a monumental task that the original GSM committee undertook, and one that has proven a success, showing that international cooperation on such projects

between academia, industry, and government can succeed. It is a standard that ensures interoperability without stifling competition and innovation among suppliers, to the benefit of the public both in terms of cost and service quality. For example, by using Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) microprocessor technology, many functions of the mobile station can be built on one chipset, resulting in lighter, more compact, and more energyefficient terminals. Telecommunications are evolving towards personal communication networks, whose objective can be stated as the availability of all communication services anytime, anywhere, to anyone, by a single identity number and a pocket able communication terminal. Having a multitude of incompatible systems throughout the world moves us farther away from this ideal. The economies of scale created by a unified system are enough to justify its implementation, not to mention the convenience to people of carrying just one communication terminal anywhere they go, regardless of national boundaries.

[5] Gozalvez Sempere, Javier. Overview of the GSM System.

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References [1] A. Mehrotra, GSM System Engineering, Artech House Publishers, Boston, 1997. [2] Theodore S., Wireless Communication principles and practice. [3] C. K Toh Ad Hoc Wireless Networks, Published by Dorling Kindersley. [4] Godell, Lars. Europes UMTS Meltdown. Forrester Research Report.