Mobile Computing

MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Part I

Asst. Prof. Dr. Intisar Al-Mejibli

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 This lecture Includes:

1. Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)

2. GSM Architecture
3. Types of Handover
4. GSM Security
5. Advantages and Disadvantages of GSM

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 GSM
(Global System for Mobile
Communications)

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4
 [Link] Services
1. It provides capability to the customers to send and receive
the data from remote computer.
2. Simply known as Internet services or data services.
3. It supports transparent data transmission over PSTN, ISDN
at rates from 300 bps to 9600 bps.
4. It is implemented in the lower 3 layers OSI model.
5. It provides the user to execute remote applications from
mobile.
6. It permits both transparent and non-transparent, synchronous
and asynchronous data transmission.
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[Link]

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 Teleservices
 Telephony:
➢ It provides the high quality digital voice transmission, offering
bandwidth of 3.1 kHz of analog phone systems.
➢ Special codes are used for voice transmission, other codes used
for transmission of analog data and fax data.
 Emergency Number:
➢ Single number can be used for entire area.
➢ This service is free of cost and mandatory provided by all service
providers.
➢ This call will automatically setup with closest emergency centers.
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 Teleservices
❖ Short Message Services
➢ This services offers the text data transmission of sizes up to 160
characters.
➢ SMS services use the signalling channels, making possible the
duplex system of the sending and receiving the SMS messages.
 Fax
➢ Using modems fax data is transmitted as digital data over the
analog telephone network according to the ITU-T Standards T.4
and T.30.

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 [Link] services

➢ User identification
➢ Call redirection
➢ Forwarding of ongoing calls.
➢ Standard ISDN features
➢ closed user groups
➢ multiparty communication are available.

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 GSM Architecture

The GSM architecture consists of three major interconnected subsystems

that interact with themselves and with users through certain network
interface. The subsystems are the Radio Subsystem (RSS), the network
and Switching Subsystem (NSS) and the Operation Subsystem (OSS).
 GSM Architecture
1. RSS=radio subsystem
[Link]=network and switching subsystem
[Link]=operation subsystem (OSS)
● BSS=Base Station Subsystem.
● MS = Mobile Station
● BTS=base transceiver stations.
● BSC=Base Station Controller
● MSC=Mobile services switching center
● HLR=Home location register
● VLR=Visitor location register
● OMC=Operation and maintenance
center
● AuC=Authentication centre
● EIR=Equipment identity register.

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[Link] subsystem (RSS)
● Mobile Station (MS)
■ Mobile Equipment (ME)
■ Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
● Base Station Subsystem (BSS)
■ Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
■ Base Station Controller (BSC)

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2. Network Switching Subsystem(NSS)
 Mobile Switching Center (MSC)
 Home Location Register (HLR)
 Visitor Location Register (VLR)

3. OSS=operation subsystem (OSS)

■ Authentication Center (AUC)

■ Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

■ OMC-Operation and maintenance center

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 [Link] Subsystem
❖ It contains,
➢ Mobile Stations
➢ Base Station Subsystems
➢ The base transceiver station
➢ Base station controllers.
❖ Works:
➢ Establish a communication with MS.
➢ Error Correction.
➢ Power Management.

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❖ Mobile Station (MS):
➢ It is a cell phone contains 2 major components
■ Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card.
■ Mobile Device.
➢ Each mobile module has unique identification number know
as IMEI ( International Mobile Equipment Identity ).
➢ Apart from telephone interface MS offers other interfaces like USB, Bluetooth
etc.,
➢ SIM contains a chip or microcontrollers that holds the
information about subscription information.
➢ Additional flash memory is used for storing multimedia contents of users.
➢ SIM Card contains other information like card type, serial number,
a list of subscribed services, and Personal Identification Number
(PIN).
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 Base Station Subsystem (BSS):

➢ The GSM System contains many BSSs.

➢ Each BSS Contains Base Station Controller (BSC) and
several Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs).
➢ The BSS Maintains all functions necessary to maintain radio connections to
an MS.
➢ It is also responsible for coding/decoding of voice.

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❖ Base Transceiver Station (BTS):

➢ BTS Contain all radio equipment's such as antenna, signal processors and
amplifiers.
➢ It encodes the received signal , modulates it on a carrier wave, and feeds the
RF signals to the antenna.
➢ It communicates with both the mobile station and the BSC.

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❖ Base Station Controller:

➢ A BSC manages the radio resources of the BTSs in the sense that it assigns
frequency and time slots for all MSs in the area.
➢ It also manages the handoff from one BTS to another within the BSS.
➢ The BSC multiplexes the radio channels onto the fixed network connection to
the Mobile Switching Centre (MSC).

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 [Link] and Switching Subsystem (NSS)

➢ It is a subsystem that forms the heart of GSM System.

➢ It connects the wireless networks to the standard public networks and carries
out usage-based charging, accounting, and also handles the roaming.
➢ NSS Contains switching centre and several databases.
Three main jobs:
1) connects calls from sender to receiver
2) collects details of the calls made and received
3) supervises operation of the rest of the network components

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❖ Mobile Switching Centre (MSC):

➢ It is heart of GSM System.

➢ An MSC sets up connections to other MSCs and to other networks such as
Public Data Network (PDN).
➢ MSC Responsible for the connection setup, connection release,
and call handoff to other MSCs.
➢ A Gateway MSC (GMSC) is responsible for gateway
functions, while customer roams in other networks.
➢ It is also handles supplementary services such as call forwarding, multi party
or group calls, etc.

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❖ Home Location Registers (HLRs):
➢ A HLR stores in a database important information that is specific
to each
subscriber.
➢ The information contains subscriber’s IMSI, pre/post paid, user’s
current location, etc
❖ Visitor Location Register (VLR):
➢ MS needs an entry to roam in foreign network in their temporary database.
➢ A temporary database that is updated whenever a new MS enters its are by
roaming.
➢ periodically updates the database on which phones are turned on and ready
to receive calls
➢ The function of VLR is to reduce the number of queries to the HLR and make
the user feel as if he were in his home network.

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 [Link] subsystem (OSS)
The operation subsystem contains all the functions necessary for network operation
and maintenance.
❖ Operation and Maintenance Centre (OMC):
➢ It supervises all other network entities.
➢ Its functions are traffic monitoring, subscribers, security
management and accounting billing.
❖ Authentication Centre (AuC):
➢ It protest against the intruders targeting the air interface.
➢ The AuC stores information concerned with security features such
as user authentication and encryption.
➢ The Auc related to the HLR.
❖ Equipment Identity Register (EIR):
➢ It is database that used to track handsets using IMEI.
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➢ It helps to block calls from stolen unauthorized, or defective mobiles.
 Localization and calling
GSM provides roaming capability even in world wide. To locate an
MS and to address the MS, several numbers are needed:

❖ Mobile station international ISDN number (MSISDN)

❖ International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)
❖ Temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI)
❖ Mobile station roaming number (MSRN)

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 Handover in GSM
❖ Intra-cell handover. (Same BTS but changes the channel or
slot)
❖ Inter-cell, intra-BSC handover. (Same BSC but changes
BTS)
❖ Inter-BSC, intra-MSC handover. (Changes BSC)
❖ Inter MSC handover. (Changes MSC)

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 GSM Security
❖ GSM Offers the best security services when compared to 1G.
❖ GSM protects the sim card data with PIN code against unauthorized access.
❖ Security in GSM is broadly supported at three levels:
 Operator level
 Customer's level
 System level.
❖ These three levels help oversee aspects such as correct billing, avoiding fraud,
protecting services and ensuring anonymity.

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❖ Security Services offered by GSM are :
1. Access control and Authentication.
2. Confidentiality.
3. Anonymity.

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 [Link]
 Protect the network against unauthorized use.
 Denying the possibility for intruders to impersonate authorized users.
 GSM network operator verify the identity , making it highly improbable to
clone someone's mobile phone identity.
 Authentication can be achieved in a simple way by using a password
such as PIN.

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 [Link]
 GSM network protects voice, data and sensitive information against eavesdropping on
the radio path.
 It is achieved by using encryption techniques by GSM designers.
 Data on the radio path is encrypted between the ME and BTS against eavesdropping.

[Link]
 GSM protects against someone tracking the location of a user or identifying
calls made to
the user by eavesdropping on the radio path.

 It is achieved by allocating Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSIs)

instead of permanent identities.

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 Algorithms in GSM Security

❖ A3 Algorithm - Authentication.
❖ A5 Algorithm - Encryption.
❖ A8 Algorithm - Generation of Cipher Key (Kc).
❖ A5 is publically available.
❖ A3 and A8 is Secret.

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 Authentication

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Encryption

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 GSM LOGIC CHANNELS

GSM LOGIC

CHANNELS

TRAFFIC CONTROL
CHANNEL
CHANNEL

HALF DUPLEX FULL DUPLEX Broadcast Common Dedicated

(Data rate (Data rate is control control control
11.4 kb/sec) 22 kb/sec) channel channel channel

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Advantages of GSM
● Voice quality
● Security against fraud and eavesdropping
● International roaming capability in over 100 countries
● Improved battery life
● Efficient network design for less expensive system expansion
● Efficient use of spectrum
● Advanced features such as short messaging and caller ID

Disadvantages of GSM
● Electromagnetic radiation
● High Complexity in systems
● Incompatibility within GSM Standards
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Thank you