Core network

Training Topics

Prepared By: Sundos Ahdab

3/13/2014
Introduction to mobile telecommunications:

Mobile telecommunications is one of the fastest growing and

most demanding of all telecommunications technologies.
Currently, it represents an increasingly high percentage of all
new telephone subscriptions worldwide.

Global System For Mobile Communication (GSM)

 GSM phases

Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase2+.

 GSM network components

The GSM network is divided into two systems
- Switching System (SS)
- Base Station System (BSS)

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 - The SS is responsible for performing call processing and

subscriber related functions. It includes the following functional

units:

• Mobile services Switching Center (MSC)

• Home Location Register (HLR)

• Visitor Location Register (VLR)

• AUthentication Center (AUC)

• Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

- The BSS performs all the radio-related functions. The BSS is

comprised of the following functional units:

• Base Station Controller (BSC)

• Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

The OMC performs all the operation and maintenance tasks for

the network such as monitoring network traffic and network

alarms. The OMC has access to both the SS and the BSS.

MSs do not belong to any of these systems.

 Mobile services Switching Center (MSC) functions:

- Switching and call routing
- Charging
- Service provisioning
- Communication with HLR
- Communication with the VLR

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- Communication with other MSC’s
- Control of connected BSC’s
- Direct access to Internet services
- ISDN Primary Rate Access (PRA)
 Home Location Register (HLR):

The HLR is a centralized network database that stores and

manages all mobile subscriptions belonging to a specific
operator. It acts as a permanent store for a person’s
subscription information until that subscription is cancelled.
The information stored includes:

- Subscriber identity (i.e. IMSI, MSISDN)

- Subscriber supplementary services
- Subscriber location information (i.e. MSC service area)
- Subscriber authentication information

The primary functions of the HLR include:

- Subscription database management.

- Communication with MSC’s.
- Communication with GMSC’s.
- Communication with AUC’s.
- Communication with VLR’s/ILR’s.
 Visitor Location Register (VLR) functions :

The VLR database contains information about all the mobile

subscribers currently located in an MSC service area. Thus,
there is one VLR for each MSC in a network. The VLR
temporarily stores subscription information so that the MSC
can service all the subscribers currently visiting that MSC
service area.

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 Gateway MSC (GMSC) functions:

Gateway functionality enables an MSC to interrogate a HLR in

order to route a mobile terminating call. It is not used in calls

from MS’s to any terminal other than another MS.

 Authentication Center (AUC) and Equipment Identity

Register (EIR) functions:
- Subscriber authentication.
- Radio information ciphering.
- Mobile equipment identification.
- Subscriber identity confidentiality.

The primary function of an AUC is to provide information,

which is then used by an MSC/VLR to perform subscriber
authentication and to, establish ciphering procedures on the
radio link between the network and MS’s.

- Authentication Procedure.
- Ciphering Procedure.

 Base Station Controller (BSC) functions:

- Radio Network Management
- RBS Management
- transcoder controller (TRC) Handling
- Transmission Network Management
- Internal BSC Operation and Maintenance
- Handling of MS connections

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  Base Transceiver Station (BTS) functions:

The BTS controls the radio interface to the MS. The BTS

comprises the radio equipment such as transceivers and antennas

which are needed to serve each cell in the network. A group of

BTSs are controlled by a BSC.

 Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC) functions:

An OMC is a computerized monitoring center which is

connected to other network components such as MSCs and

BSCs via X.25 data network links. In the OMC, staff are

presented with information about the status of the network and

can monitor and control a variety of system parameters. There

may be one or several OMCs within a network depending on the

network size.

 Network Management Center (NMC) functions:

Centralized control of a network is done at a Network

Management Center. Only one NMC is required for a network and

this controls the subordinate OMCs. The advantage of this
hierarchical approach is that staff at the NMC can

concentrate on long term system-wide issues, whereas local

personnel at each OMC can concentrate on short term, regional

issues.

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  Mobile Station (MS):

An MS is used by a mobile subscriber to communicate with the

mobile network. Several types of MSs exist, each allowing the

subscriber to make and receive calls.

- GSM MSsconsist of:

 A mobile terminal
 A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
- An MS can have one of the following states:
 Idle: the MS is ON but a call is not in progress.
 Active: the MS is ON and a call is in progress.
 Detached: the MS is OFF.
 GSM GEOGRAPHICAL NETWORK STRUCTURE:
- CELL
- Location Area (LA)
- MSC service area
- A Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) service area
- GSM service area

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  GSM frequency bands:
- GSM900
- GSM 1800
- GSM 1900
- GSM 400
 Wireless concepts:
- Frequency concepts
- Frequency
- Bandwidth
- Channels
- Transmission rate
- Modulation method
- Access method: time division multiple access (TDMA)
- Advantages of using digital
 Transmission problems
- Path loss
- Shadowing
- Multipath fading
- Time alignment
- Combined signal loss
 Solutions to transmission problems
- Channel coding
- Interleaving
- Antenna diversity
- Adaptive equalization
- Frequency hopping
- Timing advance

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 GSM transmission process
- Stage 1: analog to digital (A/D) conversion:
 Sampling
 Quantization
 Coding
- Stage 2: segmentation
- Stage 3: speech coding
- Stage 4: channel coding
- Stage 5: interleaving
- Stage 6: ciphering/encryption
- Stage 7: burst formatting
- Stage 8: modulation & transmission

 Handling of MS Connections:
- call set up:
 Paging.
 Signalling set-up.
 Assignment of traffic channel.
- During a call:
 Dynamic power control in MS and RBS.
 Locating.
 Handover.
 Frequency Hopping.
 Channel concepts:
- Physical and logical channels:
In GSM, a TDMA frame consists of 8 time slots. This means that
A GSM radio carrier can carry 8 calls.Each timeslot on a TDMA
frame is called a physical channel.
Physical channels can be used to transmit speech, data or
Signaling information.
- Logical channels: are control channels & traffic channels
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  Bursts:
- Burst types
- The relationship between bursts and frames
- Mapping of logical channels onto physical channels
 GSM network identities
- Subscriber-related identities
 Mobile Station ISDN number (MSISDN)
 International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
 Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI)

- Equipment-related identities
 International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
 International Mobile Equipment Identity and Software
Version number(IMEISV)
- Location-related identities
 Mobile St at ion Roaming Number (MSRN)
 Location Area Identity ( LAI )
 Cell Global Identity ( CGI)
 Base Station Identity Code ( BSIC )
 Location Number (LN)
 Regional Subscription Zone Identity (RSZI)

- Subscriber identity confidentiality

 Traffic cases:
- MS in idle mode
 Attaching to the network
 Roaming in the network
 Detaching from the network

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 - MS in active mode
 Call from an MS
 Call to an MS
- International traffic cases
 IMSI ATTACH
 Call to an MS
 Dropback functionality
- Short message service traffic cases
 Mobile originated SMS
 Mobile terminated SMS

 Cell planning process

Cells:
• Omni directional cell
• Sector cell
Overlaid/underlaid subcells.
Hierarchical Cell Structures (HCS).

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  Subscriber Services:
- Basic services.
- Supplementary services.
- Teleservices.
- Bearer services.

- Basic telecommunications services

 Bearer services
 Traffic to PSTN.
 Traffic to ISDN.
 Traffic to Packet Switched Public Data Networks (PSPDN).
 Traffic to Circuit Switched Public Data Networks (CSPDN).
 Traffic to Internet.
 ISDN Primary Rate Access (PRA).

 Teleservices
 Speech.
 Emergency calls.
 Facsimile group 3.
 Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF).
 Alternative Speech/Fax.
 Short Message Services (SMS).
 SMS Cell Broadcast (SMSCB).
 Voice mail.
 Fax mail.

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  SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES
 Call forwarding.
 Barring of outgoing calls.
 Barring of incoming calls.
 Advice of Charge.
 Account Codes.
 Call waiting.
 Call hold.
 Multiparty service.
 Calling line identification services.
 Connected line identification
presentation/restriction.
 Closed User Group (CUG).

 General Packet Radio Service:

- Packet and circuit-switched data transfer

In general, circuit-switched mode is better for a connection set

up for the purpose of a constant information flow.

Packet-switched mode is better for “bursty” connections in

which short amounts of data are exchanged between the users

over long time periods or for infrequent transmissions of big

data volumes.

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 - Network architecture

 Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN):

The SGSN provides:
• Packet routing and transfer towards the MS within the
SGSN Service Area.
• Packet routing and transfer towards the GGSN.
• Ciphering and Authentication.
• Handling of Update Procedures
• Output of billing data.

 Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN):

The Gateway GPRS Support Node is responsible for:

• Packet routing and transfer towards external IP networks

• Associating subscribers with appropriate SGSN

• Output of billing data

 Packet Control Unit (PCU) in the BSC.

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 - GPRS traffic cases
- GPRS attach
- PDP-context activation
- Update procedures
- Packet transfer
- Cell selection and reselection
- mobility management & session management

- MS modes:

The MS in GPRS can be in one of three states:

 Idle:

The MS is switched on, but not GPRS attached. Data transfer

between MS and the GPRS network is not possible.

 Standby

The MS is GPRS attached and sends “Routing Area Updates” to

the SGSN.

 Ready

GPRS Attach was performed recently; a packet transfer is

on-going or has recently ended.

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  3GPP Releases:

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- In release 4:

 Soft switching:

 Separated structure of Signaling and Bearer

 Multi transport mode

 New Techniques and protocols

 Separated structure of Control and Bearer

 Import IP technology

 Distributed networking

 Large regional Network

 Large capacity & high processing ability

 Security of network

 Centralized maintenance & management

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   Interfaces:

- Other interfaces in release 4:

 Mc interface:
Between (G)MSC server & MGW.
 Nc interface:
Between (G)MSC servers.
 Nb interface:
Transmission channel for bearer setup and service streams
between adjacent MGWs.

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  protocols:
- SCTP:stream control transmission protocol
- IP: internet protocol
- TCP: transmission control protocol
- UDP: user datagram protocol
- MAC: media access control
- ATM: asynchronous transfer mode
- AAL5: ATM adaptation layer 5
- SAAL: signaling ATM adaptation layer
 Application protocol:
- BICC:bearer independent call control protocol
- ISUP:ISDN user part
- MEGACO(H.248): media gateway control protocol
- BSSAP(2G): base station subsystem application part
- RANAP(3G):radio access network application part
- MTP:message transfer part
- SCCP:signaling connection control part
- TCAP:transaction capabilities application part
- MAP:mobile application part
- CAP:CAMEL application part
- RTP: real time transport protocol
- RTCP: RTP control protocol

 SIGNALING SYSTEM NO.7 (SS7)Protocol stack:

Signaling System No. 7, the signaling system chosen for
GSM,is a common channel signaling system. This means
that theexchanges use a separate network for signaling.
Since signaling system No. 7 is used as a means for
information transmissionbetween different users.

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BSSAP: base station system SCCP: signaling connection
application part control part

ISUP:ISDN user part MAP: mobile application part

CAP: camel application part MTP: message transfer part

TUP: telephony user part TCAP:transaction capabilities

application part

 SIGTRAN Protocol stack:

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 Signaling transport SIGTRAN is a working group in
IETF,primary purpose of this working group is to address
the transport of packet-based PSTN signaling over IP
networks taking into account functional and performance
requirements of the PSTN signaling ,SIGTRAN defines a
framework how different existing signaling protocols can
be transferred over IP,ISUP and SCCP.

 Signaling flow
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 - Basic services
 Voice services
 Intra-MSC calls
1. Normal 3G call flow
2. Normal 2G call flow
 Inter-MSC calls
1. Inter-MSC Call Flow (MS -> UE)
2. Inter-MSC Call Flow (MS -> PSTN)
3. Inter-MSC Call Flow (UE -> UE, BICC Forward Fast Mode)
4. Inter-MSC Call Flow (UE -> UE, BICC Forward Slow Mode)
5. Inter-MSC Call Flow (UE -> UE, BICC Backward Slow Mode)
6. Inter-MSC Call Flow (PRA)
 2G Bearer Establishment Flow
 3G Bearer Establishment Flow
 2G Bearer Release Flow
 3G Bearer Release Flow
- Mobility Management
 Common Location Update
 2G Common Location Update
1. Successful Intra-VLR Common Location Update (Only VLR
Is Involved)
2. Successful Intra-VLR Common Location Update (VLR and
HLR Are Involved)
3. Unsuccessful Intra-VLR Common Location Update
4. Successful Inter-VLR Common Location Update (Initiated
Using IMSI)
5. Successful Inter-VLR Common Location Update (Initiated
Using TMSI)
6. Unsuccessful Inter-VLR Common Location Update
 3G Common Location Update

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 1. Successful Intra-VLR Common Location Update (Only VLR
Is Involved)
2. Successful Intra-VLR Common Location Update (VLR and
HLR Are Involved)
3. Unsuccessful Intra-VLR Common Location Update
4. Successful Inter-VLR Common Location Update (Initiated
Using IMSI)
5. Successful Inter-VLR Common Location Update (Initiated
Using TMSI)
6. Unsuccessful Inter-VLR Common Location Update
 Periodic Location Update

 Independent Location Update

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  Practice :

o Huawei nodes

o User / interface Traces

o Test BSC/RNC (2G & 3G calls and packet )

o Traffic routing

o Nexus

o Dealing with nodes using MML commands , device panel

(LMT , M2000)

o Connecting nodes through M3UA / SCCP  

o Troubleshooting

 Books:  

o GSM system survey

o Advanced system techniques

o Nokia course

o Typical Signaling Flows

o Syriatel presentations

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