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GSM system architecture. Mobile Station or MS including: Base Station Subsystem or BSS including: Mobile-service Switching Centre or MSC. Registers: SIM card. Mobile equipment. Base Transceiver Station or BTS. Base Station Controller or BSC. Home Location Register. Visitor Location Register. Equipment Identity Register. Authentication center.
MSC
The following figure shows MSC main switching activities. We can see the fix telephones connected to PSTN (fix telephone network). Multiple cellular operators having one or more MSCs are also connected to PSTN. The remaining part of the drawing including BSCs and BTSs was already learned. We can distinguish between three types of connections: 1. mobile-to-mobile within same operator in which case MSCs of one operator are involved. 2. mobile-to-fix that involves MSCs of one operator and the PSTN. 3. mobile-to-mobile between operators involving MSCs of two operators and the PSTN.
MSC
But MSC has also other than voice switching functions that will all be learned in future lessons - as follows: Delivering SMS (Short Message Service - one of the important features of GSM that will be learned later) from subscribers to SMS Center (SMSC) and vice versa Switching inband fax and modem calls. Supporting handovers between BSCs and from one MSC to another Supporting other services per specific vendors implementation like conference calls, call hold, call forward, etc. Collect billing information, namely generate records including all necessary information to charge the user
The main functions of the VLR are as follows: Inform HLR that a subscriber has arrived to its area Track which LA the various MSs are located Allow or deny service to MS Delete subscriber record when moves to other VLR under HLR control Delete subscriber record if inactive for longer than a preset time
SIM
The Subscriber Identity Module or SIM is a removable smart card located inside the MS that carries all the subscriber specific information. The SIM is one of the important innovations introduced by the GSM network. The SIM is actually a tiny computer - microcomputer - inside the phone having 16 to 128 Kbit memory.
SIM
SIM contents :
Unique identification of the SIM based on a number called the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). Changing the SIM means changing your phone number/identity Authentication and encryption based on a secret key for the purpose of preventing eavesdropping Personal settings and services that can be moved from one handset to another for example: alarms, information services, login to different services etc Personal phone book, abbreviated dialling codes, and text messages Rate plans, billing information, account information. (not active in Turkey) Location information for the purpose of accelerating the connection to the network when the phone is switched on. We already know that in GSM there are 124 FDMA channels. When a handset is switched on it has to search all frequencies in order to find the operating one in its specific cell. To shorten this process the phone has in the SIM the information regarding the last cell it was connected with before was switched off. Of course if meantime was moved to another cell this info is not anymore helpful.