Mobile Communications

Prof.G.Markarian

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

Architecture
The following figure shows a simple mobile
system architecture.
This system shows a mobile system with
three Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), one
Base Station Controller (BSC), and one
Mobile Switching Center (MSC).
This figure also shows three mobile stations
(MSs ).
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Architecture
MS

BSC

BTS

MS

Fixed
telephony
infrastructure

BTS

MS
BTS

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

MSC

Architecture
In a typical net-work that covers a European
country or a U.S. state, there are several
thousands of BTSs.
The BTSs are commonly called base
stations, and sometimes the acronym RBS,
Radio Base Station, is used.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

Network Architecture More

Details:

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

GSM Network Topology

Mobile Stations (MS) connect to Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), which are
controlled by Base Station Controllers (BSC). One BSC may control several BTS,
and deals with handovers, frequency assignment, etc.

Base Stations connect to Mobile Switching Centres (MSC) which connect to the
PSTN (public switched telephone network).

BTS
MS

BSC

MSC/VLR

OMC

HLR/AUC

Operator

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

MS:
BTS:
BSC:
MSC:
VLR:
HLR:
AUC:
OMC:

PSTN/ISDN

Mobile Station
Base Transceiver Station
Base Station Controller
Mobile Switching Centre
Visitors Location Register
Home Location Register
Authentication Centre
Operator Management Centre

Architecture
Infrastructure vendors such as Ericsson,
Nokia, and Lucent develop the mobile
system, and a mobile operator buys the
system in order to sell the service and
airtime to subscribers.
The operators usually buy handsets at the
same time. (The majority of handsets are
sold this way.)
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Architecture
In other words, you never buy a mobile
phone subscription from Lucent; rather, you
buy one from AT&T, Vodaphone, or
whatever operator that serves your area.
Next, we will describe the individual parts
of the mobile system in more detail.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

The Handset and Mobile Station

The handset is probably the most wellknown piece of equipment, because this is
the part we use to make phone calls (and to
access data services).
When we talk about advanced services, the
handset is commonly called an MS, which
consists of terminal equipment (TE) and a
mobile terminal (MT).
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Handset and Mobile Station

The TE is the device that hosts the applications
and the user interaction, while the MT is the
part that connects to the network.
In the following, we show an configuration
where the two parts are physically separated.
Other configurations combine these two parts
into one physical, multipurpose device

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

The Handset and Mobile Station

TERMINAL
EQUIPMENT

MOBILETERMINAL

Mobile
Network
Bluetooth/IR/Cable

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

The Handset and Mobile Station

In systems, such as Global System for
Mobile (GSM) communication, General
Packet Radio Ser- vices (GPRS), Enhanced
Data-rates for GSM and TDMA Evolution
(EDGE), and Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access (WCDMA), the subscriber
data is stored separately on a Subscriber
Identity Card (SIM).
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Handset and Mobile Station

This feature enables a user to change SIM
cards when leaving work in order to convert
his or her phone into a private phone that
has a private number.
The SIM card can also host additional
services through the use of SIM Toolkit
technology.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

Although the architecture varies a bit
between different systems, there is always
an antenna that receives signals from the
handsets and transports it to the mobile
systems.
The antennas can be found at various highlevel places in order to obtain the best
possible coverage.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

Connected to each antenna is usually a base
station that processes the call setups and
routes the calls to the network.
In the following figure and in many texts
the base station is depicted as an antenna
tower-although the core of the functionality
lies in a small shed that is usually located at
the bottom of the tower.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

Coverage area

Base station

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

As previously discussed the cell is the
basic geographical unit of a cellular system
and is defined as the area of radio coverage
that one base station antenna system
provides.
Each cell is assigned a unique number
called a Cell Global Identity (CGI).
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

One cell sometimes sends information in all
directions from the base station, and
sometimes there are multiple sectors
surrounding the antenna.
The first configuration is common in rural
areas, where it is crucial to obtain as high
coverage as possible.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

The latter is especially suited for hightraffic areas, and the cells can be directed in
clever ways in order to cope with the high
traffic.
One common example is a sports stadium,
where the load on the network can be
incredibly high at times.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

In these cases, one cell is usually aimed
directly at that spot so that it does not deal
with any other traffic
So, a base station has an antenna that
enables an air interface connection with the
MS .

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

When setting up a call, there are commonly
some resources (transceiver, power, and so
on) allocated to the user in question.
One major difference between secondgeneration (2G) and third-generation (3G)
systems is that the allocation in the base
station is much more flexible in 3G.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

In 2G, there is commonly one kind of resource
that is dedicated to a certain kind of service,
and this kind of limitation would make a
multi-service 3G system very inefficient.
A number of base stations are then connected
to a controller (a BSC) for GSM and to a
Radio Network Controller (RNC) for
WCDMA.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

Much of the intelligence of the mobile
system exists here.
The BSC/RNC manages all advanced radiorelated functions, handover (going from one
cell to another), radio channel assignments,
Quality of Service (QoS), and the collection
of cell configuration data.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Base Station Subsystem

Advanced load balancing and admission
control functionality also exists in the
BSC/RNC.
The controllers and the base stations
together are called the base station
subsystems.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

The Core Network

The core network has traditionally been
equipped with switches and subscriberhandling functionalities.
These features include subscriber handling,
authentication, security, and system
maintenance.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

The Core Network

As more and more advanced services are
introduced, the core network becomes more
and more of a data network in which
circuit-switched and packet-switched
services share the same network.
As we will see when we consider GPRS in
more details this migration will become
more obvious
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Core Network

The main task of the traditional core
network is to route traffic that enters a
mobile network from other networks to the
right base station and to route calls from an
MS within the system to the right
destination network, as shown in the
following figure
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

The Core Network

Phone
Networks

Internet
Radio Access Network

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

Core Network

The Core Network

The destination network for data services
might be another mobile network, a landline phone network, or the Internet.
The advent of advanced data services
changes this situation, however, and creates
a need for items such as SMS centers, WAP
gateways, and so on.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Other Networks
After a call is routed from the MS via the
base station, the BSC, and the core network,
it now finds the right destination network.
The core network switches determine
whether the call should be sent to a landline phone network, to another mobile
phone network, or to a different destination.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Other Networks
If the destination network is a mobile system,
this route is repeated in reverse order.
At the base station, the MS is paged with a
signal that tells it that someone wants to
reach it.
You will sometimes notice the paging traffic
if your mobile phone is close to a radio when
someone calls you.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Other Networks
The receiving user's phone rings, and the
call can be set up.
As you can see, there are no satellites
involved in a regular call with a mobile
phone (as often mistakenly thought) and
only in very special cases does this situation
occur.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Other Networks
The phones do not talk directly with each
other; rather, they communicate via
networks.
The base stations do not send the calls
directly to each other; instead, they
communicate via a network that most of the
time is buried in the ground
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Other Networks
Hopefully we now have the basics about
how a mobile system works.
We will now consider some of the technical
solutions involved in separating multiple
users from each other and how we separate
sending and receiving traffic

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

Uplink & Downlink

In telecommunications, the words uplink
and downlink are often used to describe
outgoing and incoming traffic for the
handset (respectively).
The following figure illustrates these two
concepts.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

Uplink & Downlink

UPLINK

DOWNLINK

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

Uplink & Downlink

We need to know how uplink and downlink
traffic for one user is separated.
The choice of duplex method determines
this decision.
Time Division Duplex (TDD) separates the
uplink and downlink channels in time.
This is used by Bluetooth, for instance.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Uplink & Downlink

Frequency Division Duplex ! (FDD)
allocates different frequencies for the uplink
and downlink channels.
WCDMA FDD is an example of how
different frequencies are used for sending
and receiving.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

Separating Users
For the majority of data communications that
take place, there is a requirement for several
users to share a common channel resource at
the same time.
This resource could be the high speed optical
fibre links between continents, the frequency
spectrum in a cellular telephone system, or the
twisted pair 'ethernet' cable in the office
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Separating Users
For multiple users to be able to share a
common resource in a managed and
effective way requires some form of access
protocol that defines when or how the
sharing is to take place and the means by
which messages from individual users are to
be identified upon receipt.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Separating Users
This sharing process has come to be known
as multiplexing in wired communication
systems, and multiple access in wireless
digital communications.
In these lectures we shall concentrate on the
multiple access techniques for wireless
systems.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Separating Users
Three classes of multi-user access
techniques will be considered in these
lectures: techniques where individual users
are identified by assigning different
frequency slots, time slots, and techniques
where users are given the same time and
general frequency slots, and are identified
by different codes
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

Frequency Division
Multiple Access (FDMA)
Used extensively in the early telephone and
wireless multi-user communication systems,
frequency division multiple access of
users is perhaps the most intuitive form of
resource sharing.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
If a channel, such as a cable, has a transmission
bandwidth W Hz, and individual users require
B Hz to achieve their required information rate,
then the channel in theory should be able to
support W/B users simultaneously by using
bandpass modulation, and placing each user in an
adjacent slot of the available bandwidth.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
TIME

USER 1

USER 2

Example: TACS

USER 3

USER N
FREQUENCY

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
Immediately, we see that the efficiency of
the multiplexing is governed by how
effectively the transmission bandwidth is
constrained by each user.
It is also dependent on how selective the demultiplexing system is at filtering out the
modulation corresponding to each user.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
With frequency division multiplexing, the data
rate and hence modem design for each user
remains unchanged by the requirement to operate
a multi-user system, and the only additional
circuitry is for frequency conversion to the
assigned slot.
The user will typically be assigned the frequency
slot for the duration of the message.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
FDMA is widely used in wireless
communications systems where the radio
environment creates several challenges for
any multiple access method owing to the
unpredictable and time varying nature of the
communications channel.

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
One of the biggest challenges is the very large
variations in received signal power that arise from
users in different frequency slots due to the socalled near-far effect.
A radio user that is very near to a base-station
receiver will produce a much stronger signal than
that from a distant (far) user operating on the
extreme of the communication range.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
TIME

Local oscillator and

Doppler shift error

Near-far
Fading

FREQUENCY

Department of Communication Systems

Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
A great deal of effort is placed on
controlling the bandwidth and side-lobe
energy of digital modulation formats, such
as CPFSK, and on designing modulation
formats that are not overly sensitive to
amplifier distortion, such as /4 QPSK, are
all driven by this near-far problem in the
wireless application.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK

FDMA
Other challenges in the radio environment
include dealing with the frequency
uncertainty for any individual user caused
by Doppler shift and local oscillator error.
This inevitable error requires guard-bands
to be allocated between frequency slots,
thus sacrificing some of the efficiency of
the FDMA scheme.
Department of Communication Systems
Lancaster University, UK