10 - GPRS Air Interface

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SYSTEM TRAINING
GPRS Air Interface

Training Document

GPRS Air Interface

2 (51) Nokia Networks Oy

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Contents

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Contents
1 ModuIe objectives ..................................................................................5
2 Introduction ............................................................................................6
2.1 The GPRS radio interface: key functions .................................................6
3 Air interface Iayering..............................................................................9
3.1 Operation ...............................................................................................10
3.2 Physical RF layer (optional topic)...........................................................11
3.3 Physical Link layer (optional topic) .........................................................11
3.4 Medium Access Control layer (optional topic) ........................................12
3.5 Radio Link Control layer (optional topic) ................................................13
4 AdditionaI GPRS channeIs in GSM.....................................................14
4.1 Channel organisation in GSM/GPRS.....................................................14
4.1.1 Physical channel and TDMA-Frame.......................................................14
4.1.2 Bursts .....................................................................................................15
4.2 GSM logical channels and their mapping in physical channels...........16
4.2.1 GSM logical channels..........................................................................16
4.2.2 Multiframes in GSM................................................................................18
4.2.3 Radio block ............................................................................................20
4.3 GSM additional logical channels and their mapping in physical
channels.................................................................................................20
4.3.1 GPRS additional logical channels .......................................................20
4.3.2 Additional Multiframes with GPRS .........................................................22
5 GPRS muItisIot capabiIities.................................................................24
6 ChanneI coding (optionaI topic) .........................................................25
6.1 GPRS.....................................................................................................25
6.1.1 CS-1.......................................................................................................27
6.1.2 CS-2.......................................................................................................27
6.1.3 CS-3.......................................................................................................28
6.1.4 CS-4.......................................................................................................28
6.1.5 CS selection and identification ...............................................................29
6.1.6 Multislot handsets...................................................................................29
6.2 Air interface performance.......................................................................30
7 Radio resource management ..............................................................32
7.1 Available resources for GPRS................................................................32
7.2 GPRS resource for subscribers: Uplink resource allocation ..................33
8 Data transfer .........................................................................................36
8.1 Mobile originated packet transfer ...........................................................37
8.2 Mobile terminated packet transfer ..........................................................38

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9 ModuIation ........................................................................................... 42
9.1 GMSK.................................................................................................... 42
9.2 EDGE .................................................................................................... 42
9.2.1 EDGE coding schemes ......................................................................... 44
9.2.2 ncremental Redundancy and Link adaptation ...................................... 45
10 Key points ............................................................................................ 47
11 Review questions ................................................................................ 48
References ........................................................................................................... 50

ModuIe objectives

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1 ModuIe objectives
At the end oI the module the participant will be able to:
Explain the Iunctions oI the air interIace in the Physical, MAC and RLC
layers
DiIIerentiate between physical and logical GPRS channels
List and describe the GPRS air interIace logical channels and their
Iunctions
Explain the GPRS TDMA Irame, multiIrame and superIrame structure
List and compare Iour diIIerent coding schemes and the puncturing
concept
Describe multiple timeslot usage
Describe brieIly the process oI channel allocation, in the uplink and
downlink
without using any reIerences.

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2 Introduction
All communication between the mobile station (MS) and the GPRS/GSM
network takes place over the air interIace. It is the most important interIace in
the current mobile network as it is the cause oI the bottleneck in current GPRS
network perIormance.
MS
GSM/ GPRS Net work
Um
Uplink Direction
Downlink Direct ion

Figure 1. The air interface
2.1 The GPRS radio interface: key functions
The GPRS air interIace consists oI asymmetric and independent uplink and
downlink channels. It is asymmetric because the radio resources allocated to an
MS in the uplink and downlink may be diIIerent. The downlink carries data
Irom the network to multiple MSs and does not require contention arbitration.
The uplink resources are shared among multiple MSs and require contention
resolution Ior orderly use oI the radio resources. Entities communicating over
the air interIace perIorm a number oI Iunctions as summarized below:
Modulation is the process oI converting binary signals into a
transmittable signal using a carrier Irequency. The physical RF layer
perIorms this Iunction. The GMSK modulation scheme is used in
GSM/GPRS and the 8-PSK scheme is used in EGPRS.
Timing advance is needed because as the distance between the
transmitter and receiver vary, timing advance is used to estimate the time
at which the mobile stations in a cell should transmit signals so that they
arrive at the base station (BTS) in time synchronization and without any
collisions.
Synchronization deals with synchronization between the transmitter and
the receiver so that the receiver can know the rate and time at which to
sample incoming bit stream. This is a physical layer Iunction.

Introduction

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Power control is the process oI controlling the transmitted power by an
MS so as to maintain a good radio link but at the same minimize the
interIerence with neighbouring cells reusing the same Irequency.
Channel coding is needed because inIormation transmitted over the air
interIace is corrupted by noise, interIerence and Iading. Thus binary 1s
and 0s are converted into a Iormat which maximizes the data throughput
through the air interIace. In the GPRS standard, Iour coding schemes CS
1-4 are deIined. In the EGPRS standard, 8 coding schemes MCS 1-8 are
deIined.
Puncturing is the intentional removal oI a number oI bits at predeIined
positions in a radio block so as to reduce the number oI bits to size 456
bits. Puncturing is used in CS-2, 3, and 4.
Interleaving is a technique used to protect inIormation transmitted over
the air interIace. It uses the idea oI "not carrying all your eggs in one
basket". By distributing inIormation to be transmitted over a number oI
containers, the chances oI getting data through the air interIace are better.
This is interleaving. This Iunction is perIormed in the MS and the BTS.
Framing involves packing oI inIormation into time bursts, Irames,
hyperIrames, radio blocks, etc. DiIIerent Iraming structure is used Ior
GSM and GPRS since one physical channel can be shared by a number oI
GPRS users.
Medium access control (MAC) is used when a number oI mobile
stations are trying to access a medium in an orderly manner.
Segmentation involves breaking up oI variable size large data blocks
into Iixed size smaller blocks Ior eIIicient transmission over the air
interIace. Segmented data has to be reassembled at the other end oI the
air interIace. RLC and SNDCP layer perIorm segmentation and
reassembly.
Congestion control procedures are needed Ior detection and recovery
Irom congestion on the air interIace. This Iunction is implemented in the
LLC layer.
Ciphering is the process oI converting transmitted inIormation into a
ciphered data that can only be read by authorized persons. All user data
transmitted on the air interIace is ciphered Ior security purposes. The
LLC layer in the MS and SGSN perIorms this Iunction.
Multiplexing is the process oI combining a number oI signals together
Ior transmission over a channel. Time division multiplexing is used in the
GSM/GPRS air interIace. Multiplexing oI data Irom a number oI sources
is also perIormed at the SNDCP layer.
Signal measurements: A mobile station is continuously monitoring the
signal strength received Irom the BTS and other cells. These
measurements are used Ior several purposes.

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Handover is the process oI changing Irom one BTS to another. All oI the
handover signalling takes place over the air interIace.

Air interface Iayering

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3 Air interface Iayering
The GPRS air interIace can be modeled as a hierarchy oI layers as shown in
Figure 2. Layering is an important concept in the development oI
communication protocols. Each layer perIorms a speciIic Iunction and provides
services to the layers above it and uses the services provided by the layers
below it.
BSS (PCU, CCU)
MS
SNDCP
RLC
Radio Link
Control
MAC
Medium Access
Control
GSM RF
phy. link & RF
IP / X.25
LLC
Um
RLC
Radio Link
Control
MAC
Medium Access
Control
GSM RF
phy. link & RF
LLC segmentation/ re-assembly
acknowledged/ unacknowledged
mode
Backward Error Correction BEC
Access signalling procedures
physical channel bundling
sub-multiplexing
physical channel organisation
channel coding
GSMK

Figure 2. GPRS air interface layered model
RLC/MAC layer and the Physical layer are important layers. The Physical layer
is the lowest layer oI the hierarchy and is divided into two distinct sub-layers,
namely Physical RF layer and the Physical Link layer. Its primary role is to
enable communication over the air interIace. These layers are described in
Sections 3.2 and 3.3.
The RLC/MAC layer reIers to the RLC and MAC layers oI the protocol
architecture. It provides services Ior communication over the GPRS radio
interIace. The MAC layer also controls access to the shared medium and
contention resolution between a number oI mobile stations and the network.
The RLC/MAC layer uses the services oI the Physical Link layer. The MAC
layer Iunctions may allow a single MS to use several physical channels
simultaneously. The RLC Iunction deIines the procedures Ior selective

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retransmission oI unsuccessIully delivered RLC data blocks. These layers are
described in 3.4 and 3.5.
The LLC layer above RLC/MAC layer uses the services oI the RLC/MAC.
Now we shall have a look at the Iunctions oI each oI the layers.
3.1 Operation
The access to the GPRS uplink uses a Slotted-Aloha based reservation protocol.
Each layer oI the GPRS protocol architecture perIorms three Iunctions:
receives data (protocol data unit or PDU) Irom the layer above it
perIorms some processing on it
sends it to the layer below it.
This operation carried on until the lowest layer, Physical RF layer, where the
inIormation is transmitted through the air interIace. At the receiver, each layer
extracts the relevant data and sends it to the higher layer.
SNDCP PDU (SN-PDU)
LLC-PDU
RLC BIock
MAC BIock
Network PDU (NPDU) e.q. lP-ackeL
SNDCP
LLC
RLC
MAC
Phys. Link
Phys. RF
Network
LLC-PDU
RLC BIock
Burst Burst Burst Burst
channel codinq

Figure 3. GPRS protocol data units
The network protocol data units (N-PDUs) are sent to SNDCP layers. Here they
are segmented into one or more subnetwork protocol data units (SN-PDUs).
The SN-PDUs are then sent to the LLC layer where they are encapsulated into


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one or several LLC Irames/PDUs. At the RLC layer, the LLC PDUs are
segmented into one or more RLC data blocks to which a RLC and MAC header
may be added. At the RLC/MAC layer, a selective ARQ (Automatic Repeat
Request) protocol (including block numbering) between the MS and the
network provides retransmission oI erroneous RLC data blocks. When a
complete LLC Irame is successIully transIerred across the RLC layer, it is
Iorwarded to the LLC layer above it. The radio blocks are normally carried by
Iour normal bursts in GPRS and EGPRS. Though, there are some exceptions to
this rule. The Iormat oI the radio block will be discussed later.
3.2 PhysicaI RF Iayer (optionaI topic)
The Physical RF layer is the lowest layer oI the GPRS protocol stack across the
GPRS air interIace. It perIorms two Iunctions:
Modulation oI the physical waveIorms based on the sequence oI bits
received Irom the Physical Link layer.
Demodulation oI received waveIorms into a sequence oI bits. These bits
are transIerred to the Physical Link layer Ior interpretation.
Modulation techniques used in GPRS and EGPRS are described in Section 9,
and demodulation techniques are also covered in GSM 5 Series Specifications
(5.01 - 5.04.).
3.3 PhysicaI Link Iayer (optionaI topic)
The Physical Link layer operates above the Physical RF layer. It provides all oI
the services needed Ior inIormation transIer over the physical channel between
the MS and the network. These Iunctions include:
Data unit Iraming: Placement oI data into bursts, Irames, radio blocks,
superIrames, etc.
Channel coding: Conversion oI binary 1s and 0s into a Iormat that
maximizes the data throughput.
Detection and correction oI errors due to noise in the physical medium.
Procedures Ior detecting congestion on the air interIace.
Procedures Ior synchronizing MS and network including determining and
adjusting oI timing advance Ior MS to correct Ior variances in
propagation delay.
Procedures Ior monitoring and evaluation oI radio link signal quality.
Procedures Ior cell (re-) selection.

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Procedures Ior transmitter power control and battery power conservation
procedures, Ior example, Discontinuous Reception (DRX) procedures.
Detailed inIormation about this Iunctionality can be Iound in the subsequent
sections and in GSM 5 Series Specifications (5.01 - 5.04.).
3.4 Medium Access ControI Iayer (optionaI topic)
The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer operates above the Physical Link
layer. Its Iunctions are the Iollowing:
Uplink and downlink multiplexing oI data and control signalling
Handling contention resolution, collision detection, and recovery Ior
mobile originated channel access
Scheduling oI access attempts, including queuing oI packet accesses Ior
mobile terminated channel access
Handling priority oI data and control messages.
DiIIerent radio block structures are used Ior GPRS and EGPRS data transIer
and control message. A GPRS radio block Ior data transIer consists oI one
MAC header, one RLC header, and one RLC data block. It is always carried in
Iour normal bursts (discussed later).
The descriptions oI the radio block structure Iields are given below:
MAC header contains an 8-bit control Iield which is diIIerent Ior uplink
and downlink directions.
RLC header contains a variable length control Iield which is diIIerent
Ior uplink and downlink directions.
RLC data field contains one or more LLC PDUs.
Block check sequence (BCS) is used Ior error detection and correction.
The Physical Link layer appends BCS.
For EGPRS, a radio block Ior data transIer consists oI a combined RLC/MAC
header, a header check sequence, one or two RLC data blocks, and BCS.
Figure 4. EGPRS radio block structure for data transfer

PLCjMAC
Reader
Reader
Check
Sequence
PLC 0aLa 8CS PLCjMAC
Reader
Reader
Check
Sequence
PLC 0aLa 8CS


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For GPRS and EGPRS control messages, a radio block Ior control message
transIer consists oI a MAC header, RLC/MAC control message, and the BCS.
Figure 5. RLC and MAC Radio Blocks
3.5 Radio Link ControI Iayer (optionaI topic)
The GPRS RLC Iunction is responsible Ior the Iollowing actions:
TransIer oI Logical Link Control layer PDUs (LLC-PDU) to the MAC
layer
Segmentation and re-assembly oI LLC-PDUs into RLC data blocks
Backward Error Correction (BEC) procedures Ior selective re-
transmission oI incorrect code words in the acknowledged mode oI
transmission
During a transmission, the coding schemes can be adjusted to the radio
channel conditions.
LL 0aIa
8LS
SNDCP
RLC
Radio Link
Control
MAC
Medium Access
Control
LLC
Phy. RF
Phy. Link
user daLa
LLL P0u
B scgmcnIaIon
LL 0. .L 0aIa
8LS = 8|ock Lhcck Scqucncc
LL 0aIa 8LS
LL 0aIa 8LS
MAL
hcadcr
radio link siqnallinq u
conLrol daLa
LLjMAL LonIro|
Mcssagcs
MAL
hcadcr
LL
hcadcr
LL
hcadcr
LL 0aIa
8LS
SNDCP
RLC
Radio Link
Control
MAC
Medium Access
Control
LLC
Phy. RF
Phy. Link
user daLa
LLL P0u
B scgmcnIaIon
LL 0. .L 0aIa
8LS = 8|ock Lhcck Scqucncc
LL 0aIa 8LS
LL 0aIa 8LS
MAL
hcadcr
radio link siqnallinq u
conLrol daLa
LLjMAL LonIro|
Mcssagcs
MAL
hcadcr
LL
hcadcr
LL
hcadcr

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4 AdditionaI GPRS channeIs in GSM
4.1 ChanneI organization in GSM/GPRS
In GSM, 25 MHz spectrum has been Irequency divided into 124 bands, each
having a bandwidth oI 200 kHz. On each oI the 200 kHz bands a carrier can be
transmitted at the centre Irequency oI the band. So the carriers are Irequency
division multiplexed.

Figure 6. FDD and FDMA organization in GSM
Each carrier is Iurther time divided into timeslots (TSL) and each timeslot is
reIerred to as a physical channel as inIormation can be transmitted in it. It is
possible to share a physical channel amongst many processes or users. These
are reIerred to as logical channels.
4.1.1 PhysicaI channeI and TDMA-Frame
In GSM, the physical channel is a timeslot oIIering a data rate oI 22.8 kbits/sec.
The GPRS physical channel is called a packet data channel (PDCH). Each
PDCH is a shared medium between multiple MSs and the network. In GPRS,
diIIerent packet logical channels can be transported in the same physical
channel (PDCH) in the same way as in the traditional GSM air interIace.
UPLINK DOWNLINK
GSM900: 890 MHz - 915 MHz 935 MHz - 960 MHz
1 2 3
...
Channel 1 - 124
1 - 374
200 kHz
1 2 3
...
Duplex frequency 45 MHz / 95 MHz
guard band
UPLINK DOWNLINK
1 2 3
...
Channel 1 - 124
1 - 374
200 kHz
1 2 3
...
Duplex frequency 45 MHz / 95 MHz
guard band

AdditionaI GPRS channeIs in GSM

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A TDMA frame is deIined as a grouping oI eight bursts or TSs which are
numbered 0 to 7 as shown below. It has duration oI 4.615ms (8 x 577s).
J0MA framc
= 8 LinesloLs
0
1
2
8
4
5
1
8
0
1
2
8
4
5
1
8
0
1
2
8
4
5
200 kRz
Physca| channc|,
c.g. a||ocaIcd Io onc
suhscrhcr wIh F vocc B
no frcqucncy hoppng
frequency
L
i
n
e
J0MA framc

Figure 7. Physical channel and TDMA frame

TDMA Irames are transmitted one aIter another. Every TDMA Irame is
allocated a frame number. Frame numbers are broadcasted by BTS on the
synchronizing channel (SCH) and this is used Ior Irame level synchronization
between the MS and BSS. The numbering repeats every hyperIrame, which has
duration oI 3 hours, 28 minutes, 53 seconds, and 760 milliseconds. Frame
numbers are also used Ior ciphering thus making it diIIicult Ior hackers to
decipher messages being transmitted.
In GSM, 51 (26-Irame) multiIrames or 26 (51-Irame) multiIrames go to make
up a superIrame oI duration 6.12 seconds. 2048 superIrames go to make up a
hyperIrame oI duration 3 hours 28 minutes 53 seconds 760 ms (577s * 8 * 52*
25 * 2048). There are 2 662 400 Irames in a hyperIrame. This represents the
maximum value oI the Irame number, since the TDMA Irame number (FN) is
repeated once per hyperIrame.
4.1.2 Bursts
Channels and Irames represent the organization oI the radio interIace resources.
A burst is an electro-magnetic impulse, which is used to transmit user

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inIormation. Within GSM, the transmission oI bursts must be synchronized to
the channel and Irame organization.
Each burst has duration oI 577 milliseconds and contains 148 bits oI
inIormation. Between successive burst, there is a guard interval oI 30
microseconds that is equivalent to 8.25 bits.
There are Iive types oI bursts:
Normal burst carries traIIic and controls channels in the uplink and
downlink direction. It contents include: 3 tail bits, 57 encrypted bits,
1 Ilag bit, 26-bit training sequence, 1 Ilag bit, 57 encrypted bits, 3 tail
bits, and a guard period oI 8.25-bit length.
Frequency correction burst is broadcasted in the BCH and is called the
FCCH. It serves as the BTS beacon. The contents oI this burst are 3 tail
bits, 142 Iixed bits (all coded as 0), 3 tail bits, and a guard period.
Synchronizing burst is used on the synchronizing channel SCH to
transmit inIormation that is used to time-synchronize the MS with the
GSM network. This burst contains a long training sequence as well as the
TDMA Frame Number (FN) and the Base Station Identity Code (BCIC).
It contains 3 tail bits, 39 encrypted bits, 64 bit synchronizing sequence,
39 encrypted bits, 3 tail bits, and a guard period oI 8.25-bit length.
Access burst is used Ior Random Access by an MS. It has a longer guard
period as the mobile could be Iar away Irom the BTS and not know the
timing advance required to work the base station. Its contents include
3 tail bits, 41-bit synchronizing sequence, 36 encrypted bits, 3 tail bits,
and a guard period oI 68.25-bit length.
Dummy burst carries no inIormation and uses a Iixed bit pattern which
consist oI 3 tail bits, 58 mixed bits, 26 bit training sequence, 58 mixed
bits, 3 tail bits and a guard period oI 8.25-bit length.
4.2 GSM - IogicaI channeIs and their mapping in
physicaI channeIs
4.2.1 GSM - IogicaI channeIs
Logical channels imply partial use oI physical channels by many sources. Thus
each physical channel can contain a number oI logical channels. Each logical
channel perIorms a well-speciIied task. In GSM, a number oI logical channels
are deIined:
Traffic channels (TCH) that are used to carry GSM data and speech in
both directions. There are two types oI TCH, namely TCH/F and TCH/H.


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Control channels (CCH) perIorm all oI the control Iunctions and are
subdivided into BCH, CCCH, and DCCH.
Frequency correction channel (FCCH) is a downlink, broadcast,
signalling channel that is used Ior carrying inIormation that allows
MS to tune in to the BTS.
Synchronizing channel (SCH) is a downlink, broadcast,
signalling channel that is used Ior carrying the identity oI a BTS
(BSIC) and Irame-synchronization (RFN) between MS and BTS.
Broadcast common channel (BCCH) is a downlink, broadcast,
signalling channel that is used to covey cell speciIic inIormation to
MS in a cell.
Common control channels (CCCH) are bi-directional, point-to-
multipoint, signalling channels that are used to establish dedicated
channel. There are three types oI CCCHs:
Paging channels (PCH) are downlink, broadcast channels, which
are used to page Ior subscribers Ior mobile terminated calls.
Random access channel (RACH) is an uplink channel that is used
by MS to request a dedicated control channel.
Access grant channels (AGCH) are downlink channels used to
assign an MS to a speciIic DCCH in response to a RACH.
BCCH
FCCH Frcqucncy corrcction
Signalling
and Control
Traffic
CCCH
DCCH
SCH Framc synchronisation + BSIC
PCH Paging mobilcs
RACH Rcqucsting dcdicatcd channcl
AGCH Allocating dcdicatcd/traffic CH
Broadcast of ccll information,
c.g. channcl combination
SDCCH
Signalling bctwccn MS and BTS
c.g. Authcntication, SMS, LUP
SACCH Mcasurcmcnts, TA, PC, ...
FACCH
Etra signalling within
26 TDMA Multiframc
TCH/F full ratc traffic channcl
TCH/H half ratc traffic channcl
BCH
DL
UP
DL
DL
DL & UP
DL & UP
Logca|
channc|s arc
uscd Io
IransmI a
wc|| dcfncd
conIcnI

Figure 8. Logical Channels in GSM

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Dedicated Control Channels (DCCH) are channels, which are
exclusively allocated to a MS to exchange signalling and control
inIormation with the PLMN network.
- Standalone dedicated control channels (SDCCH) are used Ior
exchanging signalling inIormation (MS authentication, location
updates, and TCH assignment) between MS and BTS beIore a TCH
is allocated.
- Slow associated control channels (SACCH) are used mainly Ior the
transmission oI radio link control inIormation between the MS and
the BTS. For instance, measurement reports are sent uplink and
power control and timing advance commands downlink.
- Fast associated control channels (FACCH) are used on traIIic
channel resources (26 multiIrames). They are used Ior instance
during the handover process.
4.2.2 MuItiframes in GSM
The conventional GSM multiIrames are either
26 TDMA Irames s (duration 120 ms) used Ior TCH, or
51 TDMA Irame (duration 235.38) used Ior signalling.
MultiIrames describe, how logical channel inIormation is multiplexed/
organized via a physical channel.
!he loqical channel infornaLion nusL be
LransniLLed on a hysical channels
MulLifranes secify, aL which osiLion
wiLhin a hysical channel a secific
loqical channel infornaLion is
LransniLLed
TDMA Frame
26 TDMA
Frame
e.g.
used for
GSM
speech
TS 0 TS 1 TS 2 TS 3 TS 4 TS 5 TS 7 TS 6
TCH
TCH
SACCH
idIe

Figure 9. 26 TDMA Multiframe


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Figure above demonstrates how Ior Iull rate speech is transmitted via the radio
interIace. In this example, TS 6 was allocated to the mobile subscriber. This
timeslot is the physical channel resource Ior the mobile subscriber. Speech
transmission is organized over 26 TDMA Irames. OI course, the mobile
subscriber in our example is only using TS 6 in each TDMA Irame. The Iirst 12
TDMA Irames within a 26 TDMA multiIrame are used Ior speech transmission.
As a consequence, TCH/F can be Iound here. TDMA Irame 13 (or TS 13) is
than used Ior radio link management. TA and PC commands are transmitted
downlink, and uplink, we can Iind measurement reports here. This inIormation
is transmitted via the SACCH. The next 12 TDMA Irames are used Ior speech
again, and then there is an idle Irame, where the mobile phone as time to make
measurements in the neighbourhood. Then, the next 26 TDMA multiIrame
begins.
In the Iigure below, you can see an example oI a 51 TDMA multiIrame
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
F = FLLh
S = SLh
8 = 8LLh
L = PLh + A0Lh
= ALh
I = I0LL FAML
A|| on Imcs|oI zcro
of succcssvc J0MA
framcs.
0
10
20
30
40
50
F
F
F
S
B
C
S
C
C
S
C
C
F
S
C
C
S
C
C
F
I
0own|nk up|nk
61-!0MA-Frane
I
m
c
1 Radio BIock
= 4 Frames
= 456 info. bits

Figure 10. 51 TDMA Multiframe example: CCCH multiframe

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4.2.3 Radio bIock
GSM uses radio blocks Ior signalling (see also Iigure above). Hereby a speciIic
content is transmitted via Iour consecutive TDMA Irames in the same timeslot
position. All logical channels, which were speciIied additionally with GPRS,
use the radio block structure.

Figure 11. Radio block: four bursts in consecutive frames
4.3 GSM - additionaI IogicaI channeIs and their
mapping in physicaI channeIs
4.3.1 GPRS - additionaI IogicaI channeIs
GPRS introduces several new logical channels to the GSM air interIace. There
are no dedicated signalling channels as in GSM. The PDCH are used Ior data
and signalling.
Packet broadcast control channel (PBCCH) is a downlink-only
channel Ior broadcasting packet data (GPRS) speciIic system inIormation
messages to all GPRS-enabled mobile stations in a cell. II the PBCCH is
not allocated, the packet-data-speciIic system inIormation is broadcast on
the BCCH.
Radio
BIock
TS0 TS7 TS1 TS2 TS3 TS4 TS5 TS6
Frame 0
Frame 1
Frame 2
Frame 3
Radio
BIock
Frame 0
Frame 1
Frame 2
Frame 3
TS0 TS7 TS1 TS2 TS3 TS4 TS5 TS6 TS0 TS7 TS1 TS2 TS3 TS4 TS5 TS6
Frame 0
Frame 1
Frame 2
Frame 3


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Packet common control channel (PCCCH) consists oI logical channels
used Ior common control signalling Ior packet data. There are Iour types
oI PCCCH:
Packet random access channel (PRACH) is an uplink-only
channel, which the MSs use Ior uplink traIIic channel request and
Ior obtaining the timing advance. The normal GSM RACH can
also be used Ior this, in case there is no PCCCH allocated in the
cell.
Packet paging channel (PPCH) is a downlink-only paging
channel used to page the MS prior to downlink packet transIer. The
PPCH can be used Ior paging oI both CS and PS data services. The
normal GSM PCH can be used Ior GPRS in case there is no
PCCCH allocated in the cell.
Packet access grant channel (PAGCH) is a downlink-only
channel used Ior resource assignment during the packet transIer
establishment phase. The normal GSM AGCH can be used in case
there is no PCCCH allocated in the cell.
Packet notification channel (PNCH) (only in GPRS Phase 2) is a
downlink-only channel used Ior the PTM-M notiIications to a
group oI MSs beIore PTM-M packet transIer.
Packet data traffic channel (PDTCH) is reserved Ior GPRS packet data
transIer. A PDTCH corresponds to the resource allocated to a single MS
on one physical channel Ior user data transmission. In multislot operation,
one MS may use multiple PDTCHs in parallel Ior individual packet
transIer. PDTCH are uni-directional as opposed to TCH in GSM.
Packet associated control channel (PACCH) (bi-directional) is a
signalling channel dedicated Ior a certain MS. The signalling inIormation
could include acknowledgements, power control, resource assignments,
or reassignment messages
Packet timing advance control channel (PTCCH) is used in uplink
direction Ior the transmission oI random access bursts to estimate the
timing advance Ior one mobile. In the downlink direction one PTCCH is
used to transmit timing advance inIormation to several MSs. PTCCH
inIormation is transmitted in positions 12 and 38 oI the 52-multiIrame
structure.

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PTCCH/D
PTCCH/U
PBCCH
Signalling
and Control
Packet
Traffic Channel
PCCCH
PPCH
PRACH MS initiates uplink transfer
PAGCH Resource assignment to an MS
PNCH Notifying PtM Packet Transfer
Broadcast of packet data
specific information
PDTCH Packet Data Transfer; (multislot)
PACCH
DL
UP
DL
DL
DL
DL & UP
PTCH
Signalling: resource allocation,
acknowledgements, PC, TA, etc.
Paging MSs for packet data
and circuit switched services
Used by MS to send random
burst to BSS for timing advance
Used to send timing advance
nformation to MSs of one PDCH
UP & DL
UL
DL
PDCCH

Figure 12. Additional logical channels with GPRS
4.3.2 AdditionaI MuItiframes with GPRS
GPRS means the introduction oI a new TDMA multiIrame: the 52 TDMA
multiframe. Each multiIrame consists oI 416 (52 x8) bursts. Even iI an
operator only oIIers GPRS services (and no circuit switched services, two
multiIrame types are required:
51 TDMA multiIrame (duration 235.38) used Ior signalling, and
52 TDMA multiIrame used Ior user traIIic and optionally Ior
signalling
All GPRS operators oIIer oI course circuit switched services, so that in this
case, 26, 51, and 52 TDMA multiIrames can be Iound in one cell. They can
even co-exist on the same TRX.
II one TSL is allocated Ior GPRS, then one multiIrame oI 52 Irames will
contain:
12 radio blocks that can used packet data channels (PDCH)
2 idle Irames that are used Ior interIerence measurements
2 Irames Ior PTCCH that are used Ior timing advance control.


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B0 B1 B2 T B3 B4 B5 i B6 B7 B8 T B9 B10 B11 i
Radio BIock
= 4 TS in consecutive
TDMA frames
idle frame
= 1 frame
52 TDMA Frame = PDCH Multiframe
UpIink on one PDCH:
Multiplexing of
PDTCH & PACCH, or
PDTCH, PACCH & PRACH
DownIink on one PDCH:
Multiplexing of
PDTCH, PACCH
PDTCH, PACCH & PCCCH, incl.
PBCCH (indicated by BCCH)
PDTCH, PACCH and PCCCH
(indicated by (P)BCCH)
PTCCH

Figure 13. The multiframe structure of the packet data channel (PDCH)
A number oI MSs can share a single timeslot in uplink and downlink direction
by assigning diIIerent radio blocks oI one PDCH to diIIerent MSs. Since the
GPRS radio interIace consists oI asymmetric and independent uplink and
downlink channels, we need to be some mechanism Ior multiplexing and
resource sharing. This is covered in radio channel allocation.
The MAC Iunction deIines the procedures that enable multiple MSs to share a
common transmission medium, which may consist oI several physical channels.
The MAC Iunction provides arbitration between multiple MSs attempting to
transmit simultaneously, and provides collision avoidance, detection and
recovery procedures. The downlink carries packets Irom the network to multiple
MSs and does not require contention arbitration. The uplink is shared among
multiple MSs and requires contention control procedures.

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5 GPRS muItisIot capabiIities
One requirement, which had to be met with GPRS, was to over increased data
rates to the subscribers. Two solutions Ior increased data rates were introduced
in GPRS:
New coding schemes: coding schemes are algorithms to add redundancy to
the user inIormation. By adding redundancy, the reliability oI the
transmission via the radio interIace can be increase. But the more
redundancy is added, the less user data can be transmitted during a certain
period oI time. Coding schemes are discussed in the next section.
Channel bundling: Not only one physical channel, but up to 8 physical
channels can be allocated to one MS. This can be done asymmetrically, i.e. iI
a subscriber wants to download a huge Iile, several downlink physical
channels can be allocated to him, and only one physical channel Ior uplink
data transmission. The number oI physical channels is limited to 8, because
all physical channels allocated to one subscriber must be located on the same
TRX. The vast majority oI GPRS-MS supports only channel bundling oI up
to 3 physical channels in one direction. Why?
Since each MS has only one transponder, the start oI the TDMA Irame on
the uplink is delayed by three timeslot periods Irom the corresponding start
oI the TDMA Irame in the downlink as shown below. This allows the mobile
to receive, process, and transmit using the same timeslot number. The time
between the transmission and reception is also used Ior perIorming
measurements on the signal quality Irom neighbouring cells Ior handover
purposes. II the MS has two timeslots, then the uplink and downlink will be
separated by a smaller gap. The maximum number oI timeslots that a single
transponder MS can use is thus limited to three.
1-s|oI
2-s|oI
8-s|oI
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1
0 2 3 4 5 6 5 6 7 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1
0 2 3 4 5
6
5 6 7 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1
0 2 3 4 5 6 5 6 7 1
0own|nk
up|nk
MonIor
0own|nk
up|nk
MonIor
0own|nk
up|nk
MonIor

Figure 14. Gap between uplink and downlink transmissions

ChanneI coding (optionaI topic)

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6 ChanneI coding (optionaI topic)
6.1 GPRS
Coding scheme CS-1 is used in GSM. In the GPRS standards, there are Iour
possible air-interIace-coding schemes namely CS1, CS2, CS3, and CS4. Coding
scheme CS1 has the highest error correction and the lowest data throughput,
while CS4 has no error correction but the highest data throughput. Thus CS-2 to
CS-4 oIIer higher throughput rates at the cost oI less protection against
transmission errors.
CS-1 CS-2 CS-8 CS-4
lncreasinq daLa LhrouqhuL raLes
lncreasinq roLecLion aqainsL errors

Figure 15. Comparison of coding schemes
ETSI standards require that all coding schemes (CS-1 to CS-4) are mandatory
Ior mobile stations supporting GPRS. However, Ior a network supporting
GPRS, only CS1 is mandatory. In Nokia GPRS Release 1, the coding schemes
CS1 and CS2 are supported. The network selects the coding scheme to be used.
PLC 0aLa 8lock
+ MAC header
ConvoluLional Code
ln: 228 biLs
0uL: 46 biLs
Cyclic Codinq +
!ail
1 + 4 biLs
Fire Code + !ail
ln: 184 biLs
0uL: 228 biLs
Peorderinq,
ParLioninq,
Addinq SLealinq
Flaqes
lnLerleavinq
CS-1
CS-2, 8, 4
ConvoluLional Code
And PuncLurinq
ln: x biLs
0uL: 46 biLs
CS-4
|rIcrroticr bits |rtcr|covcJ bits

Figure 16. Coding processing

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The processing used in GPRS channel coding and interleaving is depicted in
Figure 16. The RLC data blocks are coded with a systematic block code Ior
error-detection purposes. CS-1 is coded with a Iire code and CS-2, 3, and 4 are
coded with a cyclic redundancy coding scheme (CRC). Both these schemes add
parity bits to the RLC data block. Tail bits are also added. For error-correction
purposes, the resulting data blocks are encoded with a 1/2-rate convolution
code, except in CS-4, and punctured iI necessary to Iit into 456-bit radio blocks
structure. The block structures oI the coding schemes are shown in CS-1 to
CS-3 are shown in Figure 17. The Iinal radio block size is 456 bits Ior CS-1 to
CS-4. The composition oI the radio block is tabulated.
aIc 1j2 Lonvo|uIon Lodng SIagc
PuncIurng SIagc
46 biLs
bSF
8CS
40j1 biLs
MAC Reader
!ail
(4 biLs}
Precoded bSF
8jj12 biLs
bSF
(8 biLs}
MAC
(6 biLs}
PLC 0aLajConLrol 8lock
(17j288j807 biLs}
Lyc|c or Frc Lodng

Figure 17. Radio block structure for CS1 to CS3
Table 1. Coding parameters for the GPRS coding schemes
Scheme Code
rate
USF Pre-
coded
USF
Radio BIock
excI. USF
and BCS
BCS TaiI Coded bits Punctured
bits
Data rate
kb/s
CS-1 1/2 3 3 181 40 4 456=2*(3+181+40+4) 0 9.05
CS-2 2/3 3 6 268 16 4 588=2*(6+268+16+4) 132 13.4
CS-3 3/4 3 6 312 16 4 676=2*(6+312+16+4) 220 15.6
CS-4 1 3 12 428 16 - 456=428+12+16 0 21.4


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6.1.1 CS-1
CS-1 scheme in GPRS is identical to the CS-1 scheme used in GSM, which is
used Ior signalling on the SDCCH, SACCH, and FACCH channels. In GPRS,
CS 1 is used Ior Packet Random Access Channel (PRACH) and Packet Timing
Advance Control Channel on Uplink (PTCCH/U).
In CS-1 you start with a MAC data or control block oI 181 bits, which contains
a 176-bit RLC block and a 5-bit MAC header. The USF has eight states, which
are represented by a binary 3-bit Iield. The 3-bit USF header is added to the
MAC block and the 184-bit block is sent to the Iire coder, which adds the block
check sequence oI 40 bits and a 4-bit tail Iield oI 0000. The resulting 228-bit
Iield is then input to the 1/2-rate convolution coder that produces an output code
oI 456 encoded bits. This 456-bit block is then transmitted in a radio block in
Iour consecutive bursts oI 114 bits each as discussed earlier. Puncturing is not
used in CS-1. The eIIective throughput in CS-1 is calculated as Iollows Ior a
456-bit radio block:
Number oI data bits in one radio block 181 bits
Duration oI radio block 20 ms
EIIective throughput rates 181/20 ms 9.05 kbits/sec
Number oI overhead bits 456-181 275 bits
Percentage oI overhead 275/456 60
The Iirst step oI the coding procedure is to add a Block Check Sequence (BCS)
Ior error detection. For CS-1 to CS-3, the second step consists oI pre-coding
USF (except Ior CS-1), adding Iour tail bits and a halI-rate convolution coding
Ior error correction that is punctured to give the desired coding rate.
6.1.2 CS-2
In CS-2 you start with a MAC data block oI 268 bits, which contains a 263-bit
RLC data block and a 5-bit MAC header. The 3-bit USF header is pre-coded Ior
extra protection and extended to 6 bits in CS-2. To the pre-coded 6-bit USF and
268 data block, a 16-CRC-bit Iield, and a 4-bit tail block is appended to give a
total oI 294 bits. The 16-bit CRC Ior BCS is calculated over the whole uncoded
MAC data block. This 294-bit block containing pre-coded USF, MAC data
block, CRC, and tail is then input to the 1/2-rate convolutional coder that
produces an output code oI 588 encoded bits. It is not possible to Iit this
encoded block into a 456-bit radio block so puncturing is used to reduce the
size oI the encoded block. Thus 132 bits are deleted Irom pre-deIined positions
Irom the output bit sequence. Any coding scheme that uses puncturing is more
vulnerable to errors in data transmission. This coding rate is reIerred to as
approximately 2/3 because the input to the encoder was 294 bits and the output
aIter puncturing was 456 bits. The eIIective throughput in CS-2 is calculated as
Iollows Ior a 456-bit radio block:

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6.1.3 CS-3
The MAC data block in CS-3 is 312 bits, which contains a 307-bit RLC data
block and a 5-bit MAC header. As in CS-2, the 3-bit USF header is pre-coded
and extended to 6 bits, to which a 312 MAC block, a 16 parity bit Iield and a
4-bit tail block is appended to give a total oI 338 bits. This block is then input to
the 1/2-rate convolutional coder that produces an output code oI 676 encoded
bits. Puncturing is used to reduce the size oI the encoded block to 456 bits by
deleting 220 bits Irom pre-deIined positions. This coding rate is reIerred to as
approximately 3/4 or 338/456. The eIIective throughput in CS-3 is calculated as
Iollows Ior a 456 bit radio block:
6.1.4 CS-4
The input to CS-4 is a 428-MAC data block that consists oI 5-bit MAC header
and 423-bit RLC data block. A 12-bit pre-coded USF Iield and a 16-bit CRC
Iield is added to give a 456-bit block. The 16-bit CRC Iield is computed Irom
the MAC data block. No convolutional coding or puncturing is applied in CS-4
as shown below, which implies that there is no Iorward error correction. Most
amount oI protection against transmission errors is given to the USF Iield only
Ior backward error correction purposes.


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block
code
no coding
456 bits
USF BCS
Radio Block

Figure 18. Radio block structure for CS-4
The eIIective throughput in CS-4 is calculated as Iollows Ior a 456-bit radio
block:
Percentage oI overhead 28/456 6.1
6.1.5 CS seIection and identification
The dynamic selection oI the coding scheme to be used is dependent on the
reception quality, error rate, and the equipment being used. The CS can also
change during a transaction. Furthermore, all active MSs in a GPRS cell have to
decode the downlink inIormation being transmitted. Thus a method to identiIy
the CS being currently used in a radio block is needed. The stealing Ilags, which
occur within Iour bursts oI one radio block, are used to identiIy the CS being
used.
6.1.6 MuItisIot handsets
In GSM, the MS typically uses one channel (timeslot) Ior uplink and one Ior
downlink. In GPRS it is possible to have a multislot MS, Ior example a 3-slot
MS with the same or diIIerent (asymmetric) uplink and downlink capability.
GPRS allows up to eight air interIace timeslots to be combined together to give
higher rate connections. In the 8-TSL MS, a single GPRS user has exclusive use
oI all eight timeslots.

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Table 2. Comparison of coding schemes CS-1 to CS-4
ChanneI Coding
Scheme
CS-1 CS-2 CS-3 CS-4
Single TSL Data
Rate
9.05 kbit/s 13.4 kbit/s 15.6 kbit/s 21.4 kbit/s
3-TSL Data Rate 27.15 kbit/s 40.2 kbit/s 46.8 kbit/s 64.2 kbit/s
8-TSL Data Rate 72.0 kbit/s 107.2 kbit/s 124.8 kbit/s 171.2kbit/s
6.2 Air interface performance
The Iigure below shows some results oI Nokia simulations to determine the air
interIace throughput rate Ior each coding scheme in diIIerent carrier-to-
interference ratios (C/I). The simulations were made Ior two cases: With one
timeslot and three timeslots allocated Ior GPRS. Remember that several users
could share the throughput.
Depending on the value oI C/I ratio, the CS that produces the best throughput
can be Iound. For C/I oI around 15 dB, CS-2 would give a little above 10 kbit/s,
CS-1 and CS-3 around 8 kbit/s, and CS-4 1 kbit/s per timeslot. For current
networks CS-1 and CS-2 are the viable options.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
0 5 10 15 20 25
C/I
K
b
i
t
/
s
CS-1
CS-2
CS-3
CS-4
0
10
20
30
40
50
0 5 10 15 20 25
C/I
K
b
i
t
/
s
CS-1
CS-2
CS-3
CS-4
Minimum Average
Typical NW C/
Minimum Average
Typical NW C/
1 TimesIot 3 TimesIots

Figure 19. Simulated network throughput of user data for GPRS coding
schemes (non-frequency hopping, polling interval = 18 blocks)


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At low values oI C/I ratio, CS-1 perIorms best. At around 15 dB, CS-2
perIormance is better than CS-1. Above C/I ratio oI 18 dB, CS-3 is better than
CS-1. A similar analysis can be perIormed Ior three-timeslots case.

Table 3. Throughput Ior C/I values oI 12, 15, and 20dB
C/I ratio CS-1 CS-2 CS-3 CS-4 Best
performance
12dB 8 kb/s 6 kb/s 4 kb/s 0.5 kb/s CS-1
15dB 8 kb/s 10kb/sec 8 kb/sec 1 kb/s CS-2
20dB 8kb/sec 12 kb/sec 14 kb/sec 5 kb/sec CS-3

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7 Radio resource management
7.1 AvaiIabIe resources for GPRS
GSM timeslots are used Ior used Ior circuit switched (CS) traIIic and assigned
by the GSM network, whereas timeslots Ior packet switched (PS) traIIic are
assigned by the PCU. One question that arises is how many timeslots are to be
reserved Ior each type oI service? Circuit switched traIIic has priority over
packet switched traIIic. But when there are idle GSM timeslots, one would like
to transmit as much PS traIIic on it.
GPRS timeslots are classiIied into dedicated, deIault and additional timeslots:
Dedicate timeslots are exclusively reserved Ior GPRS traIIic and no CS
traIIic can be transmitted on them. II congestion occurs Ior circuit
switched traIIic, then only dedicated GPRS traIIic channels can carry PS
traIIic.
Default timeslots are by deIault Ior GPRS traIIic channels that can be
dynamically conIigured to handle CS load iI needed. The deIault
timeslots are always switched to the PCU when allowed by the CS traIIic
load.
Additional timeslots by deIault carry CS traIIic but can be dynamically
conIigured into a GPRS timeslot when required. During peak GPRS
traIIic periods, additional channels are switched to GPRS use, but only iI
the CS traIIic load permits that to occur.
All Iull rate or dual rate traIIic channels are capable oI carrying GPRS traIIic
channels. The operator can set the Iollowing:
GPRS capacity cell by cell and TRX by TRX
Amount oI dedicated timeslots
Amount oI deIault timeslots
Amount oI additional timeslots
BCCH TRX or non-BCCH TRX is preIerred Ior GPRS.
Figure 20 shows how the boundary between CS and PS territory can move
dynamically.

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Figure 20. Radio Resource Management
7.2 GPRS resource for subscribers: UpIink resource
aIIocation
When a number oI mobile stations (MSs) are trying to access a shared medium,
there is a need Ior orderly access to that medium so that no two stations transmit
at the same time resulting in a collision oI data packets. This Iunction is reIerred
to as medium access control (MAC). The MAC layer oI the GPRS protocol
perIorms this Iunction. GSM/GPRS uses Slotted Aloha in that each MS station
can only start transmitting at the beginning oI a TSL interval.
Medium access control is relevant to the uplink direction only. It is not relevant
to data transmitted in the downlink direction Irom a single BTS to all the MSs
in a cell. This is because there is no contention when there is only one source in
the downlink direction. A Iurther complication is added because in GPRS one
PDCH is shared amongst many MSs. So there is a need Ior the BSS (PCU) to
indicate the radio blocks that are reserved Ior each active GPRS user Ior uplink
transmission.
There are three uplink resource allocation methods deIined in the GPRS
standards:
Fixed allocation oI uplink radio resources
Dynamic allocation oI uplink radio resources
Extended dynamic allocation oI uplink.
In Iixed resource allocation, the MS is simply given a list oI timeslots and a list
oI allocated radio blocks per timeslot in which the MS station can transmit. The
MS also needs to know when it can transmit on the allocated resources. This is
usually stated in terms oI the absolute Irame number. This resource allocation
method is mandatory Ior the network and the MS.
For dynamic resource allocation in the uplink direction, a Iield called Uplink
State Flag (USF) is used. The USF is a 3-bit Iield that is transmitted in the
MAC header oI every block in the downlink direction. Each MS that wants to

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transmit data requests a USF value in the PRACH message and is allocated a
3-bit USF value (xv:) in PAGCH message Ior a particular PDCH. Each active
MS then checks the USF value oI each radio block that it is transmitted by the
BTS. The Iollowing rule is applied:
"II the USF value xyz occurs in the MAC header oI downlink block j, it
identiIies that the MS (xyz) may transmit on the corresponding uplink block
j1".
What iI there are more than one PDCH available Ior GPRS data transmission?
In the initial assignment message on the PAGCH (AGCH), the MS gets a list oI
PDCHs and one corresponding USF value Ior each PDCH. The MS monitors
the USF values in downlink transmission on the assigned PDCHs. The MS may
transmit in uplink direction in the radio blocks that currently have the same USF
value that was given to it earlier in the assignment message.
An example oI the USF usage is shown in Figure 21. In the example, the user
on the right has been given USF value 1 (binary 001). The user on the leIt has
been given USF value 2 (binary 010) in this particular PDCH. The USFs are set
so that the user on the right may use radio blocks B0 to B4, and the user on the
leIt may use radio blocks B5 to B9. There is a parameter called USF
Granularity, which, iI set to 1 in a downlink radio block j, allows MS to
transmit in the j1 uplink block and the next 4 uplink block.

b
S
F
=
1
b
S
F
=
8
b
S
F
=
2

bSF=1:
80- 84
bSF=2:
86- 80
8
0
8
1

8
2
8
8
8
4
8
6
8
8
7
8
8
8
0

8
1
0
8
1
1
8
0

8
8

8
7

8

8
6
8
8

8
2

8
1

8
0
8
4

Figure 21. Usage of Uplink State Flag (USF)

Radio resource management

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The USF has only eight values (3 bits) so, in theory, only eight (2
3
) users can
simultaneously share one PDCH physical channel in uplink direction. The
binary pattern 111 can be reserved Ior indicating PRACH blocks, that is, Ior
mobiles to send resource allocation requests in the uplink direction. II the binary
pattern 111 is reserved Ior PRACH, then only up to seven MS can share a
PDCH.
Downlink multiplexing oI radio blocks destined Ior diIIerent MSs is enabled
with another identiIier called Temporary Flow IdentiIier (TFI), which is
included in each radio block.

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8 Data transfer
The Problem
The user data packets oI many subscribers are transmitted on the same TRX.
But how can the receiver decide, to whom a radio block or RLC Data Block
belongs to? Two problems can be observed:
Several subscribers can use (more or less) simultaneously the same
physical channel.
The user data oI one subscriber can be transmitted on several physical
channels oI the same carrier.
ThereIore, when radio resources are dedicated to the subscriber, the data Ilow
must be uniquely identiIied. Unlike circuit switched data transIer, packet data
transIer is unidirectional, asymmetric, and independent. Consequently, a unique
identiIication is required both Ior uplink and downlink traIIic.
The Temporary Flow Identity (TFI) is a 5-bit Iield allocated by the PCU that
is part oI each data block transmitted across the air interIace. The TFI uniquely
identiIies a data transIer session
1
in the uplink or downlink direction. Each TFI
is unique Ior the allocated PDCHs. But the same TFI may be used in the uplink
and downlink direction since these directions are independent oI each other.
There are two modes oI packet data transIer over the air interIace:
Acknowledged mode for RLC/MAC operation uses selective ARQ
mechanism to acknowledge correctly received RLC data blocks. These
data blocks are numbered with unique sequence numbers called a block
sequence number (BSN). The sender transmits data blocks using a
sliding window scheme. The receiver sends ACK or NACK to identiIy
the last correctly received RLC data block up to an indicated BSN. Every
time an ACK or NACK is received, the size oI the sending sliding
window is modiIied and the erroneous blocks are retransmitted. There is
an acknowledgement procedure in the LLC layer.
Unacknowledged mode for RLC/MAC operation does not use ACK
and NACK or retransmission oI erroneous data blocks. It uses Iorward-
error-correction technique to recover the original data blocks.
The important logical channels that are used Ior data transIer are the Iollowing:
Packet Random Access Channel (PRACH) is used by the MS in the
uplink to initiate uplink transIer Ior sending data or signalling
inIormation.

1
A data transIer session is not a PDP session! It reIers only to a set oI RLC blocks to be
transmitted. A TFI can change quite oIten during an active PDP context ( end user
'session).

Data transfer

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Packet Paging Channel (PPCH) is used to page an MS prior to
downlink packet transIer.
Packet Access Grant Channel (PAGCH) is used in the packet transIer
establishment phase to send resources assignment to an MS.
Packet Data Traffic Channel (PDTCH) is a channel allocated Ior data
transIer either in the uplink (PDTCH/U) or downlink (PDTCH/D)
direction.
8.1 MobiIe originated packet transfer
Mobile originated packet transIer can begin aIter a mobility management (MM)
and one or several PDP contexts have been established. Let us assume that the
subscriber is running a bursty application and has already sent some data via the
air interIace. Now the user wants to continue the data transIer. To do so, the
subscriber temporarily needs some resources. So the MS sends a request to the
PCU Ior radio resources and the PCU responds with a radio resource
assignment message. ThereaIter data transmission begins and positive
acknowledgement (ACK) and negative acknowledgements (NACK) are sent by
the peer entity. The sequence oI events that take place are shown in Figure 22
and described below:
MS Network
Packet Channel Request
Packet mmediate Assignment
Packet Resource Request
Packet Resource Assignment
PRACH or RACH
PAGCH or AGCH
PACCH
PACCH
(Optional)
(Optional)

Figure 22. Mobile originated packet transfer (access and allocation)
1. Packet Channel Request:
The uplink packet transIer is initiated by a Packet Channel Request. This
can be done on the RACH or PRACH.
2. Packet Immediate Assignment:
On the network side, resources Ior data transIer have to be allocated to
the subscriber. The reservation considers the resources, demanded with
the Packet Channel Request.

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II the MS used a RACH, it could only be indicated that a GPRS
service is demanded and the network can assign uplink resources
on one or two PDCHs. This might not be enough. ThereIore, the
mobile originated packet transIer is split into two phases. The
AGCH is used Ior the Packet Immediate Assignment.
Using a PRACH, the MS can deliver more adequate inIormation
about the requested resources. Consequently, one or more PDCHs
can be allocated to the subscriber. The PAGCH is used Ior the
Packet Immediate Assign. Power control (PC) and timing advance
(TA) inIormation are included in this message.
With the Packet Channel Request and the Packet Immediate Assignment, the
one-phase access has been completed.
The two-phase access then is optional. It is initiated by the MS, when it is not
satisIied with the uplink resources allocated to it.
3. Packet Resource Request:
This message is used to carry the complete description oI the requested
resources Ior the uplink transIer.
4. Packet Resource Assignment:
This message is the network`s response, indicating the resources reserved
Ior uplink transIer. Power control (PC) and timing advance (TA)
inIormation are included in this message.
Both Packet Resource Request and Packet Resource Assignment are realized on
a PACCH.
8.2 MobiIe terminated packet transfer
When a packet is received Irom an external network by the GGSN, it contains a
source and destination IP address. The GGSN has to translate the destination IP
address to a PDP context TID or establish a tunnel with SGSN serving MS. The
packet is then tunneled to the SGSN using the GTP protocol. The SGSN
translates TID into a TLLI and NSAPI, which identiIies a logical connection
between SGSN and MS. ThereaIter the SGSN sends the packet using the
SNDCP protocol to the MS.

Data transfer

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0ownward nulLilexinq of radio blocks is done usinq Jcmporary F|ow IdcnIfcr (JFI)
WhaL is !Fl
!Fl is assiqned in a resource assiqnnenL nessaqe rior Lo Lransnission LLC layer franes
beLween MS and 8SS
!Fl is unique anonq concurrenL rocesses
!Fl is referable Lo MS idenLiLy which is a very lonq nunber
!Fl is included in every PLC frane header
Padio blocks:
several subscribers served on on hysical channel
u Lo 8 channels can be used by one hone

Figure 23 Downlink multiplexing of data
Mobile terminated packet transIer is only possible iI MS is in the Ready state
and is initiated by the network using the Packet Resource Assignment message
as shown in Figure 25. In case there is a PCCCH allocated in the cell, the
Packet Resource Assignment is transmitted on the PAGCH. In case there is no
PCCCH allocated in the cell, the Packet Resource Assignment is transmitted on
the AGCH. The Packet Resource Assignment message includes the list oI
PDCH(s) that will be used Ior downlink transIer as well as the PDCH carrying
the PACCH. The MS will have to monitor all the PDCH and identiIy its
downlink data using the TFI, which is part oI each downlink data block.

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Radio
BIock
TFI g
Radio
BIock
TFI f
Radio
BIock
TFI e
Radio
BIock
TFI d
Radio
BIock
TFI c
Radio
BIock
TFI b
Radio
BIock
TFI a
Radio
BIock
TFI g
0 7 1 2 3 4 5 6
0 7 1 2 3 4 5 6
0 7 1 2 3 4 5 6
0 7 1 2 3 4 5 6
Frame 0
Frame 1
Frame 2
Frame 3
Mu|Is|oI a||ocaIon cxamp|c

Figure 24 Multislot use in downlink
The TFI is an identiIier that is included in every radio link control (RLC) header
belonging to a particular temporary block Ilow (TBF) and in the control
messages associated to the LLC Irame transIer in order to address the peer RLC
entities. The more oIten a TFI allocated to speciIic user is included in the
downlink RLC header the higher the DL bit rate will be. Theoretically a user
can thus have all eight slots in a TDMA Irame/multiIrame structure. In practice
there are other limitations such as MS capability. The timing advance and
power control inIormation is also included, iI available. Otherwise, the MS may
be requested to respond with an access burst.
MS Network
Packet Resource Assignment
PACCH or
PAGCH or
AGCH

Figure 25. Mobile terminated packet transfer
The release oI radio resources is initiated by the network by terminating the
downlink transIer and polling the MS Ior a Iinal Packet Ack/Nack.

Data transfer

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Data Block
temporary Packet Ack/Nack
Access and Assignment
MS Network
PDTCH
PACCH
Packet Resource Reassignment
Packet Resource Reassignment Ack
PACCH
PACCH
PACCH
final Packet Ack/Nack
Data Block
PDTCH
Data Block
PDTCH
Data Block (polling)
PDTCH
Data Block
PDTCH
Data Block
PDTCH
Data Block
PDTCH
Data Block
PDTCH
Data Block
PDTCH
Data Block (last, polling)
PACCH

Figure 26. Downlink data transfer

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9 ModuIation
Modulation is the process oI encoding binary data onto a carrier oI Irequency
Fc. All modulation schemes modiIy the amplitude, Irequency, or phase oI the
carrier. The input to the modulation scheme is the digital data (or modulating
data) that is to be transmitted and is usually measured in bits per second. The
modulator output is the modulated signal and is usually measured in symbols
per second.
M00bLA!0P
M00bLA!0P
0iqiLal daLa
biLsjsec
ModulaLed daLa
synbolsjsec

Figure 27. Modulation
9.1 GMSK
The GMSK modulation scheme is used Ior GSM and GPRS as it provides
minimum spectral requirements and constant output power. In this scheme, each
bit is represented by one symbol. The symbol rate is approximately 270.8
ksymbols per second, which corresponds to 270.833 kbit/s.
9.2 EDGE
To enhance data service GSM can use an additional technique called Enhanced
Data rates Ior GSM Evolution (EDGE). EDGE is a radio-based high-speed
mobile data standard. EDGE improves network capacity and data rates, Ior both
circuit switched and packet switched data.

EDGE uses 200 kHz radio channels, which are the same as current GSM
channel widths. From a technical perspective, EDGE allows the GSM and
GPRS network to oIIer a set oI new radio access bearers to its core network.
EDGE is designed to improve spectral eIIiciency through link quality control.

ModuIation

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EDGE requires wider transmission channel widths and Ieatures Ilexible time
slots to mix and match all Iorms oI communications, including voice, data, and
video. Although EDGE boosts the GSM and GPRS network, introducing EDGE
to the existing network has little technical impact, since it is Iully based on
GSM and requires relatively small changes to network hardware and soItware.
Thus operators do not have to make any changes to the network structure or
invest in new regulatory licenses.

The 8PSK modulation scheme is used Ior EGPRS. This is one oI the
improvements EDGE brings since the throughput oI this modulation scheme is
three times higher than oI GMSK. In this scheme, the transmitted symbols are
one oI eight sinusoids, which have the same amplitude and Irequency but diIIer
in phase. The digital data bits are combined into groups oI three bits. Thus there
are eight possible combinations starting Irom (0,0,0) to (1,1,1). Each oI the 3-bit
patterns is then matched to one oI 8PSK symbols. The mapping is done in such
a way that there is a single bit diIIerence between adjacent symbols. This is
reIerred to as Gray coding. It ensures that iI a symbol is received in error as an
adjacent symbol, only one oI the bits will be in error.

DigitaI bits SymboI Phase
(1,1,1) 0 0
(0,1,1) 1 /4
(0,1,0) 2 /2
(0,0,0) 3 3/4
(0,0,1) 4
(1,0,1) 5 -3/4
(1,0,0) 6 -/2
(1,1,0) 7 -/4

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(0,0,1}
(1,0,1}
(0,0,0}
(0,1,0}
(0,1,1}
(1,1,1}
(1,1,0}
(1,0,0}
I
0

Figure 28. PSK modulation scheme
The 8PSK symbols are continuously rotated with 3/8 radians per symbol
beIore pulse shaping. The symbol rate is approximately 270.833 ksymbols/sec,
which corresponds to 812.5 kbit/sec.
9.2.1 EDGE coding schemes
Nine modulation and coding schemes, MCS-1 to MCS-9, are deIined Ior the
EGPRS packet data traIIic channels, and these are tabulated below. For all
EGPRS packet control channels the corresponding GPRS control channel
coding is used. ETSI standards state that MCS-1 to MCS-9 are mandatory Ior
MSs supporting EGPRS. However, an EPGRS network may support only some
oI the MCSs.
Table 4. Coding parameters for the EGPRS coding schemes
Scheme Code
rate
Header
code rate
Mod RLC
bIocks per
RB
Bits in a
radio bIock
FamiIy B
C
S
T
A
I
L
H
C
S
Data rate
kb/s
MCS-9 1.0 0.36 2 2x592 A 59.2
MCS-8 0.92 0.36 2 2x544 A 54.4
MCS-7 0.76 0.36 2 2x448 B
2x12 2x6
44.8
MCS-6 0.49 1/3 1 592
544+48
A 29.6
27.2
MCS-5 0.37 1/3
8
P
S
K

1 448 B 22.4
MCS-4 1.0 0.53
G
M
S
K

1 352 C

12

6

8
17.6

ModuIation

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MCS-3 0.80 0.53 1 296
272+24
A 14.8
13.6
MCS-2 0.66 0.53 1 224 B 11.2
MCS-1 0.53 0.53 1 176 C 8.8
NOTE: The italic captions indicate the padding
9.2.2 IncrementaI Redundancy and Link adaptation
Incremental Redundancy (IR) is an eIIicient combination oI two techniques,
Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) and Forward Error Correction (FEC). In the
ARQ method, when the receiver detects the presence oI errors in a received
RLC block, it requests and receives a re-transmission oI the same RLC block
Irom the transmitter. The process continues until an uncorrupted copy reaches
the destination.

The Forward Error Correction (FEC) method adds redundant inIormation to the
user inIormation at the transmitter, and the receiver uses the inIormation to
correct errors caused by disturbances in the radio channel. In the IR scheme
(also known as Type II Hybrid ARQ scheme), all the redundancy is not sent
right away. Rather, only a small amount is sent Iirst, which yields a high user
throughput iI the decoding is successIul. However, iI decoding Iails, a re-
transmission takes place according to the ARQ method.
Using IR, the transmitter transmits a diIIerent set oI FEC inIormation Irom the
same RLC block. These sets are called puncturing schemes, and there are two
(P1 and P2) or three (P1, P2 and P3) oI them in each oI the nine MCSs oI
EGPRS. Supporting IR, the receiver is able to combine the necessary amount oI
error correcting inIormation. Since the combination includes more inIormation
than any individual transmission, the probability oI correct reception is
increased. IR co-operates with link adaptation, which selects the amount oI
redundancy inIormation transmitted in each transmission. The beneIits oI IR are
increased throughput due to better and automatic adaptation to diIIerent and
varying channel conditions and reduced sensitivity to link quality
measurements.

EDGE not only increases eIIiciency and speed, but also improves data
protection through link quality control. The system uses various measurements
oI the past link to predict up coming channel quality. This prediction determines
the relevant protection oI the inIormation to be sent. The Link Adaptation
(LA) mechanism works to provide the highest throughput and lowest delay
available by adapting the protection oI the inIormation to be sent, according to
the link quality. Enabling LA requires accurate link quality measurements and a
set oI modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) with diIIerent degrees oI
protection.

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The IR and LA beneIits can be combined. While IR improves throughput by
automatically adapting the total amount oI transmitted redundancy to the radio
channel conditions, LA selects the amount oI redundancy Ior each individual
transmission. This helps reduce the number oI re-transmissions, and thus keeps
the transIer delay reasonably low.

Key points

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10 Key points
The GPRS radio interIace consists oI asymmetric and independent uplink
and downlink channels. In addition to sharing the downlink channels, the
MSs can also share a single timeslot in the uplink direction. The MAC
Iunction on the air interIace deIines procedures that control the
multiplexing oI several MSs on the same transmission medium.
Entities communicating over the air interIace have to perIorm a number
oI Iunctions: Iraming, channel coding, modulation, congestion control,
segmentation, medium access control, synchronization, multiplexing,
timing advance, power control, handover, ciphering, interleaving, signal
measurements, puncturing, etc.
The GPRS protocol stack contains Physical RF, Physical Link, MAC and
RLC, LLC and SNDCP layers. Each layer perIorms a well-deIined
Iunction. It accepts data Irom a higher layer, perIorms processing on,
adds a header, and passes it to the layer below it.
GPRS introduces several new logical channels dedicated Ior GPRS
signalling and data transIer, mapped onto physical channels (PDCH).
The mapping oI logical channels is done over a multiIrame comprising
52 TDMA Irames, divided into 12 radio blocks (each consisting oI Iour
TDMA Irames), two PTCCH Irames, and two idle Irames. A radio block
is a set oI Iour consecutive bursts Irom/to a given mobile station,
transmitted over Iour successive TDMA Irames.
DiIIerent coding schemes (CS1, CS2, CS3 and CS4) and multislot usage
provides data rates Irom 9 to 170 kbps. Depending on the CS and # oI
TSL, diIIerent throughput rates can be obtained. At present CS-1 and 2
are the viable options. Higher data rates can be obtained using EGPRS.
Packet Resource Assignment and Reassignment messages play an
important role in controlling uplink and downlink data transIer.
The USF Ilag is used Ior MAC in the uplink direction. It allows up to
seven mobile stations to share a timeslot in the uplink direction.
The TFI Iield is a 5-bit Iield that is used Ior multiplexing in the uplink
and downlink directions.
Due to Ilexible radio resource management, GPRS channels can be
seamlessly integrated with the existing GSM CS channels, allowing the
operator to conIigure the radio timeslots as per requirement and CS traIIic
load.

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11 Review questions
1. Which Iields are used Ior medium access control and multiplexing
multiple users on the uplink and downlink PDCH?

2. How many users can share the same Packet Data Channel (PDCH)
timeslot in the uplink direction?

3. How many Irames, radio blocks, and bursts are there in a PDCH
multiIrame?

4. What is the purpose oI PTCCH?

5. Which layer is responsible Ior segmentation and reassembly oI LLC
PDUs and Backward Error Correction (BEC) procedures?

6. Which coding scheme has adopted the same coding as used Ior SDCCH?

7. Which layer uses the Iunctionality oI USF?

Review questions

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8. Which coding scheme does not use FEC?

9. Which logical channels can be used Ior resource assignment?

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References
Nokia DX200 SGSN Product Description
Nokia GPRS Charging Gateway Product Description
Nokia GN2500 GGSN Product Description
Nokia GPRS Solution Description
Nokia GPRS System Description
GSM 01.04 (ETR 350): Digital cellular telecommunications system
(Phase 2); Abbreviations and acronyms
GSM 02.60: Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2);
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); Stage 2
Stage 2 Service Description oI the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
GSM SpeciIication 03.64 (Overall Description oI the GPRS Radio
InterIace. R.99)
GSM 04.04: Digital cellular telecommunications system; Layer 1;
General requirements
Mobile radio interIace signalling layer 3 General aspects
Mobile radio interIace layer 3 speciIication
GSM 04.60: Digital cellular telecommunications system(Phase 2);
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); Mobile Station (MS) Base
Station System (BSS) interIace; Radio Link Control/Medium Access
Control (RLC/MAC) protocol
GSM 04.64: Digital cellular telecommunications system(Phase 2);
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); Logical Link Control (LLC)
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); Subnetwork Dependent
Convergence Protocol (SNDCP)
Physical layer on the radio path, General description
Multiplexing and multiple access on the radio path
Channel coding
Modulation
Radio transmission and reception

References

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Radio subsystem link control
Radio subsystem synchronization
GSM SpeciIication 07.60

10 - GPRS Air Interface

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