Cellular Wireless Networks

EMİNE DUMLU
 Outline
• Introduction to Cellular Wireless Network
• Generation Of Cellular Network
• Features of Cellular Systems
• Cellular Technologies
• Used Protocols
• Advantages of Cellular Networks
 Cellular Wireless Network
• A cellular network or mobile network is a communication
network where the last link is wireless.
• Cellular technology is the basis for mobile wireless
communications and supports users in locations that are
not easily served by wired networks.
• The technology is developed for mobile radio telephone to
replace high power transmitter/receiver systems.
• Cellular networks use lower power, shorter range and
more transmitters for data transmission.
 Cellular Network
• Cellular networks are called such because of the fact that a
geographical area is divided up into cells, each cell being
serviced by one or more radio transceivers (transmitter/
receiver) known as a cell site or base station.
• Base station provides the cell with the network coverage
which can be used for transmission of voice, data and
others.
• A cell might use a different set of frequencies from
neighboring cells, to avoid interference and provide
guaranteed service quality within each cell.
• Communication in a cellular network is full duplex.
• Full duplex communication is attained by sending and
receiving messages on two different frequencies.
 Generation of Cellular Network
• Cellular networks were
certainly the first and so
far most successful
commercial application of
wireless networks.
• The evolution of cellular
communications network
is commonly known by 1G,
2G, 3G and 4G.Cellular
Networks have been
around since the 1980s
 1G Cellular Networks
• First generation (1G) networks were the first cellular
networks introduced in the 1980s.
• 1st generation cellular networks are purely analog
cellular systems.
• They were only capable of transmitting voice at speeds
of about 9.6 kbps max
• 1G systems had some limitations such as no support
for encryption, poor sound quality and inefficient use
of the spectrum due to their analog nature.
 2G Cellular Networks
• Second generation cellular networks also known as
personal communication services (PCS).
• Introduced the concept of digital modulation meaning that
voice was converted into digital code, and then into analog
(radio) signals.
• Being digital, they overcame certain limitations of 1G
systems.
• They consist of digital traffic channels, perform encyption,
error detection & correction: Very clear voice reception
• Users share channels dynamically via Time division
multiple access or code division multiple access (CDMA)
 2G Cellular Networks
• Various 2G technologies have been deployed around the
world:
– Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA): it is the primary
technology in the USA.
• good security
• Frequency-diversity:Frequency-dependent
transmission impairments (noise bursts, selective
fading) have less effect
– Global System for mobile communication (GSM):
developed in Europe
– Personal Digital Cellular: deployed in Japan
 2G and 2.5G
• Some of the data services which are part of the 2.5G
extension are
– Short Messaging Service (SMS): Transfer of
messages between cell phones. It uses standard
protocols to allow fixed line or mobile phone
devices to exchange short text messages
– High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD): This
was done by GSM, which runs at speeds of 115
kbps. This technique cannot support large bursts of
data. HSCSD was not widely implemented as GPRS is
more popular.
 2G and 2.5G
– General Packet Radio Service (GPRS): It is a packet
oriented data service for 2G and 3G cellular network.
This technique can support large data transfers.

– Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE): It is a

digital mobile phone technology that allows improved
data transmission rates as backward compatible
extension of GSM.
 Third Generation: 3G Cellular
Networks
• 3G is the next generation wireless cellular network whose
aim is to provide a world wide standard and a common
frequency band for mobile networking.
• Objective to provide fairly high-speed wireless
communications to support multimedia, data, and video in
addition to voice
• This is digital with high speed data transfer
• Ex: UMTS in Europe. It is being developed as an evolution of
GSM and therefore based on the GPRS .
 Third Generation: 3G Cellular
• Data transmission rates can be asymmetric or symmetrical
• It provides support for circuit switched and packet switched
data services
• Technology is digital using time division multiple access or
code division multiple access
 4G Cellular
• 4G is the fourth generation of wireless mobile
telecommunications technology, succeeding
3G.
• Some of the 4G services talked about are
incorporating quality of service (QoS) and
Mobility.
• 4G also use the IPV6 address scheme.
• MU-MIMO (Multiple User MIMO) Antenna
used in 4G cellular networks.
 Features of Cellular Systems

• The features of cellular systems are as follows;

– Offer very high capacity in a limited spectrum.
– Reuse of radio channel in different cells.
– Enable a fixed number of channels to serve an arbitrarily
large number of users by reusing the channel
throughout the coverage region.
– Communication is always between mobile and base
station (not directly between mobiles).
– Each cellular base station is allocated a group of radio
channels within a small geographic area called a cell.
– Neighboring cells are assigned different channel groups.
– Frequency reuse or frequency planning.
 Cellular Geometries
• The general view of cells in cellular network.
• The shape of cells can be either square or hexagon
 Frequency Reuse
• A cell might use a different set of frequencies from
neighboring cells, to avoid interference and provide
guaranteed service quality within each cell.
• The key characteristic of a cellular network is the ability to
re-use frequencies to increase both coverage and capacity.
• Frequency reusing is the concept of using the same radio
frequencies within a given area, that are separated by
considerable distance, with minimal interference, to
establish communication.
• Frequency reuse offers the following benefits:
– Allow communications within cell on given frequency
– Allow re-use of frequencies in nearby cells
– Use same frequency for multiple conversations
 Frequency Reuse
• Each colour/letter
uses the same
frequency band
 How does it work?

• The network architecture is very similar for most cellular

systems.
• A cellular network consists of both land and radio based
sections.
• Such a network is commonly referred to as a PLMN - public
land mobile network
How Does it Work?

Figure 1: A cellular System

 Cellular Network Architecture
• Mobile station (MS) - Device used to communicate
over the cellular network.
• Base station tranceiver (BST) - Transmitter/ receiver
used to transmit/ receive signals over the radio
interface section of the network.
• Base station controller (BSC) - Controls communication
between a group of BST's and a single MSC.
• Mobile switching centre (MSC) - The heart of the
network, sets up and maintains calls made over the
network.
• Public switched telephone network (PSTN) - The land
based section of the network.
 Cell Signal Encoding
• To distinguish signals from several different transmitters;
– Time division Multiple Access (TDMA):
– Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)
– Code Division Multiple Access
– Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access were
developed.
 Cell Signal Encoding
• With TDMA, the transmitting and receiving time slots
used by different users in each cell are different from
each other.
• With FDMA, the transmitting and receiving
frequencies used by different users in each cell are
different from each other.
• The principle of CDMA is more complex, but achieves
the same result; the distributed transceivers can
select one cell and listen to it.
 Cellular Technologies
• There are a number of different digital cellular
technologies, including:
– Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM)
– General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
– CDMA
– Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO)
– Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)
– Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)
– Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT)
– Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN)
 Used Protocols
• A simple way to understand protocol stacks is to divide
them in three different layers:
– the physical layer,
– the data link layer,
– the network layer.
 The Physical Layer

• It consists, in electrical engineering terms, of the

transmission and reception hardware as well the software
controlling it.
– GSM: Uses GMSK modulation, encoding 1 bit per
symbol.
– GSM/EDGE: Uses PSK8 modulation, 3 bits per symbol.
– LTE: Uses OFDM or OFDMA modulation and includes
potential multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)
features.
 The Data Link Layer
• The data link layer enables the different network entities
to transfer data between themselves through the physical
layer.
 The Data Link Layer
• The MAC sub-layer handles the mapping between the
logical and transport channels, linking the RLC to the
physical layer.
• Logical channels define what type of data is transported
whereas transport channels define how data is transported.
 The Data Link Layer:
• Radio Link Protocol (Link Layer Protocol) proposed a point-
to-point automatic repeat request (ARQ) for radio
channels.Used between Base Station and Device.
• A RLP detects packet losses and performs retransmissions
to bring packet loss. A packet is retransmitted only if the
transmitter is sure that it was not received.
• This makes the protocol very efficient.
• Feedback packets from the receiver together with
sequence number of packets and a send sequence number
at the transmitter are used to determine whether the
packet was received or not.
 The Data Link Layer : RLC
• In the basic protocol, the channel may be forced to be idle
during periods when all retransmissions have been
completed. Cellular networks such as GSM and CDMA use
different variations of RLP.
• In UMTS and in LTE, the protocol is called RLC (Radio Link
Control).
• The RLC sub-layer handles the transfer of user data through
the logical channel connection with the MAC.
 The Network Layer
• The network layer’s function is the interconnection of nodes
within a network.
 The Network Layer
• The GSM network layer is divided in three sub layers:
– Radio resources management (RRM)
– Mobility management (MM)
– Connection management (CM)
• The LTE network layer is divided in two sub layers:
– Radio resource control (RRC): Handles the point-to-point
connections to the user equipment.
– Non-access stratum (NAS): Handles the communications
sessions within the network. It’s in charge of mobility
management and user identification.
 The GSM
• The Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is the
most widely adopted 2G technology in the world.
• In GSM, there are five main functions:
– Transmission.
– Radio Resources management (RR).
– Mobility Management (MM).
– Communication Management (CM).
– Operation, Administration and Maintenance
GSM Protocol
 GSM Protocol - MS
• The GSM protocol stacks correspond to that of the OSI
reference model in that layers 1 and 2 correspond to the
physical and link layers as defined by the OSI model.
• Based on the interface, the GSM signaling protocol is
assembled into three general layers:
– Layer 1 : The physical layer. It uses the channel
structures over the air interface. The information is
transmitted over the wireless link using a combination
of FDMA and TDMA.
– Layer 2 The link layer. provides a link between the
networking layers above it, and the physical layer below
it. t provides error detection and correction of packets
received from the physical layer.
 GSM Protocol - MS
– Layer 3 : GSM protocol’s third layer is divided into three
sublayers:
• Radio Resource Management (RM): The general
purpose of Radio Resource procedures is to establish,
maintain and release RR connections that allow a
point-to-point dialogue between the network and a
Mobile Station.
• Mobility Management (MM): handles connection
establishment, maintenance.
• Connection Management (CM): controls call-related
and call-independent supplementary services as well
as SMS. The call control (CC) protocol is one of the
protocols of the Connection Management (CM)
sublayer. Every mobile station must support the call
 GSM Protocol – BSS Protocols
• The responsibility of the RR layer is to manage the RR-
session, the time when a mobile is in a dedicated mode,
and the radio channels including the allocation of dedicated
channels.
• The MSC side of the base station features both message
and data link layers.
• The Base Substation System Application Part (BSSAP)
provides channel switching, radio resource management
and internetworking functions.
• The Message Transfer Part (MTP) and Signalling Connection
Control Part (SCCP) together implement the data link layer
as well as layer 3 transport functions to allow the transfer
of call control, mobility management and SMS data.
 GSM Signalling - MSC
• The mobile switching centre is in effect the interface
between the BSS and the rest of the mobile network. The
signalling from here takes the form of the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) Signalling System No. 7
(SS7).
• This is the only part of the GSM infrastructure capable of
packet and circuit switching; GPRS allows packet switching
but is actually independent of GSM.
 GSM Signalling – MSC - SCCP
• The Signalling Connection Control Part (SCCP), together
with MTP, correspond to the lower three layers of the OSI
model.
• SCCP allows for connection-oriented and connectionless
services for data transfer. It is reliable and independent of
the underlying hardware and transparent to users.
 Signalling System No.7 - MTP
• The Message Transfer Partis split into three sublayers;
– Level 3: provides congestion control, signalling
management, message discrimination (priority),
distribution and routing much like the network layer in
OSI.
– Level 2: provides a reliable, sequenced delivery of
packets over level 1 connections, like the OSI data link
layer
– Level 1: defines characteristics of the digital signalling
link and is equivalent to the OSI physical layer.
GPRS Protocol Stack
 Security Issues in Cellular Networks
• There are several security issues that have to be taken into
consideration when deploying a cellular infrastructure.
– Authentication: Cellular networks have a large number of
subscribers, and each has to be authenticated to ensure the
right people are using the network.
– Integrity: With services such as SMS, chat and file transfer it is
important that the data arrives without any modifications.
– Confidentiality: With the increased use of cellular phones in
sensitive communication, there is a need for a secure channel in
order to transmit information.
– Device Security: If a device is lost or stolen, it needs to be
protected from unauthorized use so that potential sensitive
information such as emails, documents, phone numbers etc.
cannot be accessed.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP):
• Since one of the most
important services provided
by 3G systems is access to
the Internet, it is important
to understand the security
mechanisms of the protocol
used to access the Internet.
• WAP is an open specification
which enables mobile users
to access the Internet.
• This protocol is independent
of the underlying network
e.g. WCDMA, CMDA 2000
Wap Protocol Stack
 WAP
• Wireless Application Environment (WAE): This provides an
environment for running web applications or other WAP
applications.
• Wireless Session Protocol (WSP): This is similar to the HTTP
protocol and provides data transmissions with small sizes
so that WAP1 clients can process the data with less
complexity.
• Wireless Transaction Protocol (WTP): This is responsible for
providing reliability.
• Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS): This is
responsible for providing security features such as
authentication, confidentiality, integrity etc. between a
WAP1 client and the WAP gateway.
• Wireless Datagram Protocol (WDP): This provides the
 WAP
• Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): A standard protocol
used to transmit web pages.
• Transport Layer Security (TLS): This layer provides security
features such as authentication, confidentiality, integrity
etc. In WAP1, this is between the WAP1 gateway and the
server. In WAP2 this is between the WAP2 client and the
server.
• Transport Control Protocol (TCP): Standard transport
protocol used to provide reliability over IP.
• Internet Protocol (IP): Protocol used to route data in a
network.
• Bearer Protocol: This is the lowest level protocol and can be
any wireless technique such as GSM, CDMA etc.
 The List of Cellular Data
Communication Protocols
• BSMAP
• BSSLAP
• BSSAP
• DLCI
• BSSAPLE
• BSSMAP
• BTSM
• CC
• DTAP (CDMA)
• DTAP (GSM)
• MM
• MMS
• RR
 Advantages of Cellular Networks
• Cellular networks use "small" cells with low powered
transceivers instead of one large area with a high powered
transceiver.
• Using cellular networks increases overall call handling
capacity.
• Avoids central point of failure.
• Allows dynamic distribution of capacity based on demand.
• Less interference with other wireless communications
• Cellular radio network infrastructures are growing at a
tremendous rate.
• Cellular networks are becoming high speed data networks.
THANK YOU…
 ÖNEMLİ

Bu projeler lisansüstü öğrencilerinin

hazırladığı çalışmalar olup tüm
sorumluluk hazırlayan öğrencilere
aittir. Öğrenciler hazırladığı projeye
göre not almışlardır.