On the Road to UMTS

(Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service)

Hongyi Wu
Xiaojun Cao

Copyright, 2000 SUNY at Buffalo.

Outline

Introduction to GSM
GPRS
EDGE
UMTS
WCDMA
Summery

What is GSM??
(Global System for Mobile Communications)

GSM Architecture
Three broad parts
Mobile Station (MS): carried by the subscriber
Base Station Subsystem: control radio link with MS
Network Subsystem: its main part is MSC

Interfaces:
Um Interface : known as air interface or radio link.
Abis Interface: between BTS and BSC
A Interface: between BSC and MSC

Mobile Station
ME(mobile equipment)
the terminal

SIM (Subscriber identity Module)

provides personal mobility.
Can insert the SIM card into another
GSM terminal and use

Base Station Subsystem

BTS (Base Transceiver Station)
handle the radio link protocols with
the Mobile Station
many BTSs in a large urban area

BSC (Base Station Controller)

manages the radio resources for one
or more BTSs
handles such as: channel setup ,
frequence hopping and handovers.
connection between MS and MSC

Network Subsystem
MSC (Mobile Services Switching Center)
acts like a normal switching node of the
PSTN or ISDN
provides the connection to the fixed
networks (such as the PSTN or ISDN).

HLR (Home Location Register )

contains information of each subscriber
registered in the corresponding GSM
network, along with the current location of
the mobile.
logically one HLR per GSM network

Network Subsystem cont.

VLR (Visitor Location Register)
contains selected information from the HLR,
necessary for call control and provision of
the subscribed services,
each mobile currently located in the
geographical area controlled by the VLR.

EIR (The Equipment Identity Register)

a database that contains a list of all valid mobile
equipment on the network,

AuC (The Authentication Center)

is a protected database:secret key of SIM

GSM Features
Multiple access: use TDMA/FDMA to share the
limited radio spectrum
The FDMA part involves the division by frequency of
the (maximum) 25 MHz bandwidth into 124 carrier
frequencies spaced 200 kHz apart.
Each of these carrier frequencies is then divided in
time, using a TDMA scheme.

GSM is a digital network

Based on Circuit-switch

GSM Features cont.

SMS: Short Message Service
is a bi-directional service for short (up to 160 bytes)
messages. Messages are transported in a store-andforward fashion.
an acknowledgement of receipt is provided to the
sender.
can also be used in a cell-broadcast mode, for
sending messages such as traffic updates or news
updates. Messages can also be stored in the SIM
card for later retrieval

GPRS System
(General Packet Radio Service)

GPRS Architecture
Introduce two new nodes into GSM network
SGSN (the Serving GPRS Support Node):
Keep track of the location of the mobile within its service
area and send/receive packets from the mobile , passing
them on, or receiving them from the GGSN

GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node):

convert the GSM packets into other packet protocols
(e.g.IP or X.25) and send them out into another network.

GPRS Features
Log on to GPRS
A GPRS-capable terminal communicates with GSM
base Stations, but unlike circuit-switched data calls
which connects to MSC, GPRS packets are sent sent
from the base station to SGSN, SGSN communicates
with GGSN.
Establishes a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) which is
logical connection between the mobile and GGSN
now visible to the outside fixed networks

GPRS Features Cont.

SGSN and GGSN use GPRS tunnel protocol (GTP)
which operates over the top of TCP/IP to encapsulate
the packets
Tunnels: information may be encrypted and
additional data is added to each packet to prevent
tampering

Packed based
No dial-up, just as with a LAN connection.
No delay for sending data

GPRS Features Cont.

pay for the amount of data they actually
communicate, and not the idle time
users need to confirm their agreement to pay for the
delivery of content from the service. This is
performed by using WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)
unsolicited packets may not be charged
voice and Data Communication at the same time
can be viewed as a sub-network of the Internet

GPRS Features Cont.

Spectrum Efficiency
users can share the resource (Radio link),it is used only
when users are actually sending or receiving data

Speed: Based on GMSK

a modulation technique known as Gaussian minimumshift keying.
Theoretical Max speeds up to 171.2kbps.
(GSM:9.6Kbps)

GPRS Features Cont.

a channel that is 200kHz wide, is divided into 8
separate data streams, each carrying maximum
20kbps(14.4kbps typical), GSM only use one channel,
GPRS combine up to 8 of these channels.

complement rather than replace the current data

services available through todays GSM
doesn't require new radio spectrum
supports TDMA: also use for IS-136

GPRS Phrase
Phrase 1
expectedly to be available commercially in 2001, Point
to point GPRS will be supported

Phrase 2
net yet fully defined, but is expected to higher data
rates through possible incorporation of techniques
such as EDGE, in addition to Point-to-Multipoint
support.

EDGE
(Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution)

EDGE Features
Introduce new methods at the physical layer
new form of modulation: 8PSK(phrase Shift Keying)
introduced as a complement to GMSK (Gaussian Filter Minimum
Shift Keying)

8PSK: use 8 phrases to carry signals

Different ways of encoding

nine MCS(Module Coding Schemes) have been defined,
from 8.8kbps per timeslot(MCS-1 with GMSK modulation)
up to 59.2kbps per timeslot(MCS-9 with 8PSK modulation)

High radio interface data rates (up to 384kbps)

EDGE Features cont.

Provides an evolutionary migration path from
GPRS to UMTS
Only one EDGE transceiver unit need to be added to
each cell.
Software upgrades to BSC and Base Stations can be
carried out remotely.
Higher layer protocols (GGSN, SGSN) stay the same
Can be introduced smoothly in GPRS(doesnt require
any new elements)

EDGE Features cont.

EDGE is a technology both for
HSCSD(High Speed Circuit Switched Data) is simply a
Circuit Switched Data call in which a single
user can take over up to four separate channels
at the same time.
and for GPRS(General Packet Radio Service) to meet
the demands of wireless multimedia
applications.
Also introduced into existing IS-136 networks

EDGE Features cont.

The Data networking for WCDMA will
likely be based on EDGE/GPRS
infrastructure protocols, Such as GTP(GPRS
Tunneling Protocol)
As a consequence EDGE is a way
to provide 3G services on 2G
networks

Scenario for Migration

from 2G to 3G

What are 3G Technologies?

UMTS

(Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service)

EDGE can co-exist with UMTS

e.g. Edge provide high speed services for wide-area
coverage while UMTS is deployed in urban hot spots.

Cdma 2000
based on the cdma One standard, two air
modes:
one based on the parallel use of 3 contiguous
cdmaOne carriers (multi-carrier approach),
the other one on the use of the corresponding 3
carriers width spreading (direct spread approach)

What are 3G Technologies? Cont.

UWC-136

(USA cellular standard)

based on GPRS and EDGE technologies

defined by ETSI for data on overlay of ANSI136 "classical" networks for voice.
Nevertheless, UWC-136 can benefit from
the expected standardization of voice over
IP (VoIP) on EDGE. D-AMPS operators mainly
promote UWC-136.

To be Continued
Mr. HongYi Wu will give us More detail
about these topics

What does UMTS provide?

Circuit- and Packet-Oriented Services
Seamless Global Roaming
Capacity and Capability to serve more than
50% population
A Wide Range of Services
Voice, low-rate data and high-rate data
144kb/s, 384kb/s , 2Mb/s

UMTS coverage vs. bit rate

UMTS

Vehicle
Outdoor
s

Broadband Radio

Walk
Fixed

Indoors

GSM
0.5

2.0

155Mb/s

UMTS Hierarchical Cell

Structure
Satellite Mega-Cell

Satellite Mega-Cell

Macro-Cell

Micro-Cell
Pico-Cell

Micro-Cell
Pico-Cell

Macro-Cell

Micro-Cell
Pico-Cell

Micro-Cell
Pico-Cell

UTRAN-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network

Core Network
lu

lu
lur

lubRNC

lu
lur

RNC

RNC

Node BNode B Node BNode B Node BNode B

Uu

MH

Frequency Allocation
1920-1980 MHz paired with 2110-2170
MHz
Total 35 MHz unpaired band
C

C
1920

MSS
1980

2010 2025

A MSS
2110 2170 2200

FDD vs. TDD

Both FDD and
TDD are available
in UMTS
TDD has been
designed for use in
high density areas
The highest
bearer rate:
TDD-2.048Mb/s
FDD-384kb/s

WCDMA

Radio Parameters
Performance Improvement
Channels
Channel Generation
Power Control
Handoff

WCDMA Radio Parameters

Group 200KHz bands into 4.2-5.0 MHz
carriers
Chip Rate is 4.096 Mchips/sec
System Capacity of 128 channels per cell
provided by 5 MHz bandwidth

WCDMA Performance Improvement

Capacity Improvement
No Frequency Planning
Multiple Services per Connection
Frequency Handoff
HCS
Hot Spot

HCS & Hot-Spot

HCS-Scenario

Macro

Hot-Spot Scenario

Hot-Spot

Micro Macro

f2

f2
f1

f1

Handoff between layers

is alwayse needed

f1

f1

f1

Handoff at Hot-Spot
is sometimes needed

WCDMA Channels
Forward WCDMA Channels

Pilot Channel
Sync Channel
Paging Channel
Forward Traffic Channel
Forward Information Channel
Forward Singal Channel

WCDMA Channels
Reverse WCDMA Channels
Access Channel
Reverse Traffic Channel
Reverse Information Channel
Reverse Signaling Channel

An Example of Channel Generation

Walsh 128
16 ksps

Long
Code
Generator
4.096 Mcps

16 ksps

64 ksps

Convolution
Block
al
Symbol
Interleave
Encoder
Repetition
r
R=1/2, k=9
64 ksps
16 ksps
16 ksps
16 kbps

A Forward WCDMA Sync Channel

WCDMA Convolutional Encoder

Input
data
a,b,...

Output
Symbols
(a1,a2)
(b1,b2)
...

A (2,1,8) Convolutional Encoder Implemented by LFSR

WCDMA Block Interleaving

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32

1
17
9
25
5
21
13
29

...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...

WCDMA Orthoganal Modulation

Walsh Code Generation
H1 0
H1
H2
H1
H4

H2

H2

H1
H 1

0

0
0
0
H2

0
H2

......
H 128 128 128Matrix

0
1
0
1

0
0

0
1

1
1

0
1
1

CDMA Orthoganal Modulation

Modulation
Take 6 bit from the input stream (C0, C1, C2, C3,
C4, C5)
Compute MSI (Modulation Symbol Index)
MSI= C0+2 C1+4 C2 +8C3+16C4+32 C5
Each of the six symbol group is mapped to the
row(MSI) of H128

WCDMA Direct Sequence

Spreading
Long Code Generation by LFSR
Long Code Seed
1

x2

x32

XOR
Long Code 4.096 Mcps

WCDMA Direct Sequence

Spreading

dw(t)
0

0
1

C(t)
0

0
Ds(t
)

0
1

0
1

0
1

0
1

0
1

0
1

Power Control In WCDMA

Bit Error Rate and Power

e ,userP

Q ( 3 N )

N: Spread Factor
p : Carrier-to-Interference-Ratio for
Pp
subscriber P

K 1

k 0
k p

Power Control In WCDMA

Perfect Power Control

k 1

Pe Q (

3N
)
k 1

Power Control In WCDMA

Near-Far Problem in CDMA
Different Performance for Subcriber Links
A Few Subscribers closest to the BTS may
contribute too much multiple Access
Interference.

Power Control In WCDMA

How to do power control
Force all users to transmit the minimum amount
of power
Reduce the power transmitted by users closest
to the BTS; increase the power transmitted by
users farest to the BTS

Power Control In WCDMA

Open Loop vs. Close Loop
Open Loop Power Control
Subscriber measures the DL power and adjusts
its transmission power
Close Loop Power Control
BS measures the UL power. MS measures the
DL power and reports to the BS. BS instructs
the user to raise or lower it transmission power

WCDMA Soft Handoff

BS1
BS2
BS1

Active set = BS1

BS2

Active set = BS1 & BS2

BS2 SS > add threshold

BS1
BS2
Active set = BS2
BS1 SS < drop threshold

Active Research Topics

Cellular system architecture

UMTS air interface
Power control in CDMA
Handoff
Satellite-UMTS traffic

Reference

http://www.europe.alcatel.fr/telecom/rcd/keytech/
http://www.comms.eee.strath.ac.uk/~gozalvez/gsm/
http://www.gsmworld.com/
http://www.ibctelecoms.com/
http://www.span.net.au/
http://www.cdg.org/tech/a_ross/
http://www.nokia.com/networks/mobile/
http://www.gsmdata.com/
http://www.sds.lcs.mit.edu/~turletti/gmsk/

http://www.wirelessweek.com/issues/3G/

Reference

http://www.umts-forum.org/reports.html
http://www.itu.int/imt/
http://www.etsi.org/
S. Dutnall, N. Lobley, A. Clapton, UMTS: The mobile part of broadband
communications for the next century IEEE Atm Workshop, Proceedings. p242252,1998
S. Breyer, G. Dega, V. Kumar, L. Szabo, Global view of the UMTS concept
Alcatel Telecommunications Review. n 3 1999. p 219-227
M. Lee, CDMA Network Security , Prentice-Hall, 1998
U. Black, Mobile & Wireless Networks, Prentice-Hall, 1999
M. Gallagher, W. Webb, UMTS: The next generation of mobile radio, IEE
Review. v 45 n 2 1999. p 59-63

Reference

A. Samukic, UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications

System:Development of standards for the third generation, IEEE Global
Telecommunications Conference & Exhibition. v 4 1998. p 1976-1983
N. Prasad, GSM evolution towards third generation UMTS/IMT2000, IEEE
International Conference on Personal Wireless Communications 1999, p 50-54
A. Samukic, UMTS universal mobile telecommunications system:
Development of standards for the third generation, IEEE Transactions on
Vehicular Technology. v 47 n 4 Nov 1998. p 1099-1104