An Overview of GPRS

Shourya Roy
Pradeep Bhatt
Gururaja K.
What is GPRS?
 A new bearer service for GSM that
greatly improves and simplifies wireless
access to packet data networks,e.g to
the internet.
Motivation
 Speed
 Immediacy
 New and better applications
 User friendly billing
GSM Architecture
PSTN
PDN
ISDN

BSC GMSC
BTS
MS

MSC
BTS
BSC

MS EIR
AUC

BTS HLR
MS VLR
GPRS Architecture
Other GPRS
PLMN

Gp GGSN
Gn
SGSN
BSC Gb Gf
Gr
BTS Gs Gc GGSN Gi
PDN
EIR D
BTS HLR
MS
MSC/VLR
Protocol Architechture
 Transmission Plane
GPRS specifies a tunnel
mechanism to transfer user data packets .
 Signalling Plane
GTP specifies a tunnel control management
protocol.The signalling is used to create
modify and delete tunnels.
Registration of a Mobile Node
A mobile station must register itself with
GPRS network.
 GPRS attach

 GPRS detach

GPRS detach can be initiated by the MS

or the network.
Session Management
After Successful attach a MS gets one or more
Packet Data Protocol(PDP) address.This
address is unique only for a particular
session.
It consists of,
 PDP type

 PDP address assigned to MS

 Requested QoS

 Address of the corresponding GGSN

Session Management(Contd.)
PDP-Address allocation:
 Static:Assigned by network operator of

User’s home PLMN.

 Dynamic:Assigned by Corresponding

GGSN.
PDP Context Activation
MS SGSN GGSN
Activate PDP Context Request
PDP type,PDP Address
QoS Requested,Access Point,…

Security Functions
Create PDP Context Request
PDP type,PDP Address
QoS Negotiated,Access Point,…

Activate PDP Context Accept Create PDP Context Response

PDP type,QoS Negotiated,…
PDP type,PDP Address
QoS Negotiated,…
 Routing
BSC
BTS
BSC

BTS
SGSN

MS SGSN
Inter-PLMN
Gn GPRS Backbone
Intra-PLMN
Intra-PLMN
PLMN1
GPRS Backbone Gp PLMN2
GPRS Backbone
Border
Gn Gateway
Border Gateway
Gn
GGSN
Packet Data Network(PDN)
SGSN
Gi Eg.Internet,Intranet
GGSN
Router Host
LAN
Location Management
 MS frequently sends location update
messages to inform the SGSN where it
is.
 Determining frequency of update
messages is non-trivial.
 The location update frequency is
dependent on the state of the MS.
Location Management(Contd.)
A MS can be in 3 states:
 IDLE

 READY

 STANDBY
Protocol Architechture
 Transmission Plane
 The protocols provide
transmission of user data and its
associated signalling
 Signalling Plane
 Comprises protocols for the
control and support of functions
of the transmission plane
 Transmission Plane
 GPRS Backbone:SGSN GGSN
GTP tunnels the user packets and related signalling
information between the GPRS support nodes.
 Subnetwork dependent convergence protocol
It is used to transfer packets between SGSN and MS


 Data link layer

LLC(MS-SGSN)
 RLC/MAC(MS-BSS)

 Physical layer
PLL:channel coding,detection of errors, forward error
correction, interleaving, detection of physical link congestion
RFL:modulation and demodulation
 Network Layer
(IP or X.25)
Relay
SNDCP GTP GTP

LLC TCP/UDP TCP/UDP

Relay
RLC BSSP BSSGP IP IP

MAC Network Network Data Link Data Link

Service Service Service Layer

PLL
Phy Layer Phy Layer Phy layer
RFL Phy Layer
BSS Gm SGSN Gb GGSN Gi
RLC :Radio link control BSSGP:BSS GPRS Application protocol
PLL :Physical link layer GTP :GPRS tunneling protocol
RFL :Physical RF layer TCP :Transmission control protocol
MAC:Medium access control UDP :user datagram protocol
IP :Internet Protocol
Transmission Plane
 MS
BSS

Application

Network Layer

SNDCP

LLC

Relay
RLC
RLC BSSGP

MAC Network
MAC
Service

PLL PLL
PHY
RFL RFL Layer
Um
SNDCP:Subnetwork dependent convergence protocol
LLC :Logical link control
RLC :Radio link control
 BSS SGSN
MS
GMM/SM
GMM/SM
Application LLC
LLC
Relay
Application RLC BSSGP BSSGP
RLC

MAC Network
MAC Network service layer
GSM/RF GSM RF Physical layer Phy Layer
Um Gb
GMM/SM:GPRS Mobilty Management and session Management Protocol
GSM/RF:GSM physical layer(radio interface) I.e.PLL and RFL

Signalling Plane:MSSGSN
 SGSN MSC/VLR

BSSAP BSSAP

SCCP SCCP

MTP3 MTP3

MTP2 MTP2

Phy Layer Phy Layer

Gs

Signalling Plane SGSN

MSC/VLR
 SGSN HLR(and EIR)

MAP MAP

TCAP TCAP

SCCP SCCP

MTP3 MTP3

MTP2 MTP2

Phy Layer Phy Layer

Gr
MAP :Mobile Application Part
TCAP :Transaction capabilities and application part
SCCP :Signalling connection control part
MTP :Message transfer part

Signalling Plane SGSNHLR/SGSNEIR

 GSM TDMA Frame Slots and
Bursts
960 MHz
959.8 MHz 124
Time Slot
123
...

200 KHz ... Downlink 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

8

2
TDMA Frame
935.2 MHz 1
935 MHz

915 MHz Data Burst = 156.25 bit periods

914.8 MHz 124
123

...

200 KHz ... Uplink 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

8
2
TDMA Frame
890.2 MHz 1
890 MHz
 GPRS Air Inteface Time Slot Number

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4

F1

F2 Uplink
F3

F4
Carrier
Frequency 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4
F1

F2
Downlink
F3
F4

Voice User1 GPRS User1 GPRS User3

Voice User2 GPRS User2

GPRS Air Interface
 Master slave concept
 One PDCH acts as Master
 Master holds all PCCCH channels
 The rest of channels act as Slaves
 Capacity on demand
 PDCH(s) are increased or decreased
according to demand
 Load supervision is done in MAC Layer
GPRS Logical Channels
Group Channel Function Direction

Packet data PDTCH Data Traffic MS BSS

Traffic channel

Packet broadcast PBCCH Broadcast Control MS BSS

control channel

PRACH Random Access MS BSS

Packet common PAGCH Access Grant MS BSS
Control Channel
(PCCCH) PPCH Paging MS BSS

PNCH Notification MS BSS

Packet Dedicated PACCH Associated Control MS BSS

Control Channels
PTCCH Timing Advance Control MS BSS
 Uplink Data Transfer
MS BSS
Packet channel Request
PRACH or RACH
Packet Immediate assignment
PAGCH or AGCH
Packet resource Request
PACCH
Packet resource assignment
PACCH
Random Access

Frame Transmission Transmission

PDTCH
Negative Acknowledgement
PACCH
Retransmission of blocks in error
PDTCH
Acknowledgement
PACCH
 Downlink
MS
Data Transfer
BSS
Packet paging request
PPCH or PCH
Packet channel Request
PRACH or RACH
Packet Immediate assignment
PAGCH or AGCH
Packet paging response
PACCH
Packet resource assignment
PACCH or PAGCH
Paging

Frame Transmission Transmission

PDTCH
Negative Acknowledgement
PACCH
Retransmission of blocks in error
PDTCH
Acknowledgement
PACCH
Multi Slot Operation
 GPRS allows a mobile to transmit data in up
to 8 PDCHs (eight-slot operation)
 3-bit USF at beginning of each radio block in
downlink points to next uplink radio block
 Comparison with single-slot GSM
 Higher delay at higher load
 Low blocking rate
 Improved Throughput
Conclusion
 GPRS provides efficient access to Packet
Data Networks.
 Multislot operation in GPRS leads to
efficient channel utilization.
 GPRS is more effective for long data
packet transmission than short ones.
References
 “General Packet Radio Service in GSM”, Jian Cai and
David J. Goodman, Rutgers University, IEEE
Communications Magazine, Oct 1997
 http://www.comsoc.org/pubs/surveys/3q99issue/bett
stetter.html
 http://www.wsdmag.com/2000/aug2200/38-45.html
 “Wireless Internet Access based on GPRS”, IEEE
Personal Comm. April 2000.