INTRODUCTION TO GSM

MOBILE TELEPHONY
First generation (1G) systems were analog with reasonably reliable networks but limited service offerings and did not permit roaming between networks Second generation (2G) mobile systems are digital and bring significant advantages in terms of service sophistication, capacity capacit and q alit quality General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is an example of a 2.5G technology and is a standardized packet switched technology enabling mobile use of the Internet 2G systems uses incompatible radio technologies, on different frequency spectrum, they cannot capture a real worldwide mass-market in the long-term These factors have led to the concept of third generation (3G) systems which will allow communication, information and entertainment services to be delivered via wireless terminals An example of a 3G system is Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems (UMTS).

HISTORY OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

1906

Reginald Fesseden successfully transmits human voice over radio. Until then, radio communications consisted of transmissions of Morse Code J. A. Fleming invents the vacuum tube making it possible to build mobile radios Amplitude Modulation (AM), t o a Amplit de Mod lation (AM) two-way mobile s stems half duplex systems d ple Invention of frequency modulation ( FM ) improved radio quality , requires less p q power to operate p Ericsson launches the world's first cellular system in Saudi Arabia based on the analog NMT 450 standard. The first digital cellular standard (GSM) is launched The GPRS packet data standard released. First 3G test networks built in Monaco, Isle of Man and Sweden and first 3G licenses auctioned in UK. First successful test calls made on 3G networks i f l ll d k TDMA networks in the Americas moving to GSM

1915 1930s 1935 1981 1991 1999 2000 2001 2002

GSM PHASES ( Services )

Phase 1
Voice telephony International roaming ( p ) Basic fax/data services (up to 9.6 kbits/s) Call forwarding Call barring Short Message Service (SMS)

Phase 2
Advice of charge Calling line identification Call waiting Call hold Conference calling Closed user groups Additional data communications capabilities

Phase 2+
Multiple service profiles Private numbering plans Access to Centrex services g , g Interworking with GSM 1800, GSM 1900 and the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard

GSM System Components

The GSM network is divided into two Systems

Switching System SS AUC

VLR Other networks

HLR

EIR

GMSC

MSC

Base Station System BSS

BSC

NMC and OMC

Signaling transmission Ca connections and Call co ec o s a d signaling transmission

BTS

MS

System Model

Switching System ( SS ) Components

SS

AUC HLR

ILR EIR
SMS-GMSC SMS-IWMSC SMS IWMSC

GMSC

DTI

MSC/ VLR

AUTHENTICATION CENTER (AUC)

The i Th primary function of an AUC is to provide information, which f ti f i t id i f ti hi h is then used by an MSC/VLR to perform subscriber authentication and to establish ciphering procedures on the p gp radio link between the network and MSs. The information provided is called a triplet and consists of: A non predictable Random number (RAND) A Signed Response (SRES) A ciphering Key (Kc) i h i ( )

AUTHENTICATION CENTER (AUC)

Authentication Procedure

1. RAND

MSC/VLR

3. SRES MS 2. MS calculates SRES using RAND + Ki (SIM-card) through A3 and Kc using RAND+Ki through A8 A8. MSC/VLR Mobile service Switching Center MS Mobile Station RAND Random number SRES Signed Response

4. Compare SRES received from MS with SRES in triplet. If they are equal access is granted granted.

Authentication in GSM

AUC

Random number (RAND) g p ( ) Signal response (SRES)

HLR

Subscriber number (IMSI) Code key (Ki)

RAND / SRES

VLR
RAND

MSC
SRES

Encryption in GSM
AUC
Random number (RAND) ( ) Encryption key (Kc)

HLR

Subscriber number (IMSI) Code key (Ki)

RAND / Kc

VLR MS
RAND

MSC
Kc

Kc

BSC 11

BTS

MOBILE SERVICES SWITCHING CENTER / VISITOR LOCATION REGISTER (MSC/VLR)

Each MSC has a VLR, VLR Stores Temporarily data for mobiles served by the MSC, information stored are : MSC IMSI MS ISDN Mobile Station Roaming Number Local Mobile Station Identity Temporary Mobile Station Identity Location area of th M bil L ti f the Mobile Supplementary services

MOBILE SERVICES SWITCHING CENTER (MSC) FUNCTIONS

Switching and call routing Charging g g Service provisioning Communication with HLR Communication with the VLR Communication with other MSCs Control of connected BSCs

HOME LOCATION REGISTER (HLR)

Stores the details of all subscribers in the network such as : Subscription information Location information : mobile station roaming number, VLR, MSC International mobile subscriber id i (IMSI) i l bil b ib identity ( ) MS ISDN number Tele service and bearer service subscription Service restrictions Supplementary services pp y There is only on HLR in the network ( it may consist of several computers)

GATEWAY MOBILE SERVICES SWITCHING CENTER (GMSC)

Routes Traffic entering a mobile network to the correct destination A Access th HLR to find the location of the required mobile the t fi d th l ti f th i d bil subscriber Particular MSC can be assigned to act a GMSC The operator may decide to assign more than one GMSC

EQUIPMENT IDENTITY REGISTER (EIR)

Its a Database store unique International Mobile Equipment q q p Identity number (IMEI), it have 3 levels : White-listed : Terminal is allowed to use the network. Gray-listed : Terminal is under observation by the network y y for possible problems. Black-listed : the terminal cant use the network (e.g. Stolen mobiles).

INTERWORKING LOCATION REGISTER (ILR)

Makes inter-system roaming possible, meaning that a subscriber can roam from a GSM 1900 network to an AMPS network t k The ILR consists of an AMPS HLR and a GSM 1900 VLR In the near future the ILR will make intersystem roaming possible in both directions between all GSM/AMPS/TDMA networks

DATA TRANSMISSION INTERFACE (DTI) The DTI is a hardware platform which implements the GSM-defined InterWorking Function (IWF). Performs data handling functions such as data rate conversion.

TRANSCODER CONTROLLER (TRC)

The purpose of a TRC is to multiplex network traffic channels from multiple BSCs onto one 64 kbits/s PCM channel which reduces network transmission costs. The TRC can be combined with the BSC or exist as a stand-alone node.

Base St ti System ( BSS ) Components B Station S t C t

BSC BTS

Base Station System

BASE STATION CONTROLLER (BSC)

Allocates a channel for the duration of a call. Maintains a call : Monitoring quality. gq y Controlling the power transmitted by the BTS or MS. Generating a handover to another to another cell when required. Antennas and feeder cables. Positioning the BTS is important for radio coverage.

BASE TRANSCEIVER STATION (BTS)

The purpose of BTS is : Provide radio access to mobile stations Manage the radio access aspects to the system BTS Contains : i Radio transmitter / Receiver (TRX) Signal Si l processing and control equipment i d t l i t Antennas and feeders cables In Ericsson s GSM systems the BTS is included as part of a Ericsson's product called RBS Ericsson offers a wide range of RBSs for use in GSM g networks e.g. : BS 2103 RBS 2106 RBS 2207

NETWORK MONITORING CENTERS

1. Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC) An OMC is a computerized monitoring center which is connected to other network components p Network Management Center (NMC) Centralized control of a network is done at a Network Management Center (NMC)

2.

Mobile Station (MS)

An MS is used by a mobile subscriber to communicate with the mobile network. network

SIM Subscriber Identity Module

ME Mobile Equipment

Mobile Station (MS)

The MS is the equipment used to access the network. The MS consists of two independent parts: Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card Mobile Equipment (ME) A SIM card is an electronic smart card which stores information about th subscription. Th ME i th actual i f ti b t the b i ti The is the t l telephone terminal.

S (Subsc be de t ty odu e) SIM (Subscriber Identity Module)

The SIM stores three types of subscriber related information: i f ti Fixed data stored before the subscription is sold: e.g. IMSI,authentication key and security algorithms Temporary network data: e.g. the location area of the subscriber and forbidden PLMNs. Service data: e.g. language preference, advice of charge.

GSM GEOGRAPHICAL NETWORK STRUCTURE

Every telephone network needs a specific structure to route incoming calls to the correct exchange and then on to the subscriber

CELL

A cell is the basic unit of a cellular system and is defined as the ll i h b i i f ll l d i d fi d h area of radio coverage given by one BS antenna system. Each cell is assigned a unique number called Cell Global Identity (CGI).

LOCATION AREA (LA)

Cell

A Location Area (LA) is defined as a group of cells, The identity of the current LA is stored in the VLR.

MSC Service Area

An MSC service area is made up of a number of LAs and represents the geographical part of the network controlled by one MSC

LA3
MSC

LA1
VLR

LA4

cell 6 cell 1 cell 5

LA5

cell 4 cell 2 cell 3

PLMN Service Area

A Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) service area is the bli d bil k( ) i i h entire set of cells served by one network operator and is defined as the area in which an operator offers radio coverage and access to its network

GSM SERVICE AREA

GSM Service Area PLMN Service Area (one per operator) MSC Service Area Location Area Cell

The GSM service area is the entire geographical area in which a subscriber can gain access to a GSM network.

"Hardware" view of a Sample Network

MSC Service Area 2 MSC Service Area 1

BSC 1C

BSC 2C

BSC 1B

BSC 2B

BSC 2A BSC 1A PSTN AUC GMSC ILR LEGEND HLR EIR MSC/VLR 1

MSC/VLR 2

MSC Boundary BSC Boundary PCM Links Base Station

"Software" view of a Sample Network

MSC Service Area 2 MSC Service Area 1 LA 2-A Cell 2-A-25 LA 1-B

LA 2-B LA 2-C

LA 1-A 1A

LA 2-D

MSC/VLR 2

PSTN AUC GMSC ILR HLR EIR

MSC/VLR 1

LEGEND

MSC Boundary BSC Boundary PCM Li k Links Base Station

GSM FREQUENCY BANDS

Used for coverage ( United state & Japan )

Used for coverage ( other countries )

Used for Capacity ( other countries )

Used for Capacity ( other countries )

Frequency bands for the different GSM-based networks. (Values GSM b d t k (V l within brackets refer to E-GSM)

Network type

Frequency band UL/DL

Ericssons Implementations
GSM 900 GSM 1800 GSM 1900

GSM 900 GSM 1800 GSM 1900

(880)890-915/(925)935-960 (880)890 915/(925)935 960 MHz 1710 - 1785/1805 -1880 MHz 1850 - 1910/1930 -1990 MHz

KEY TERMS
The primary terms used to describe call cases and situations involving an MS are set out b l below. An MS can have one of the following states: Idle: the MS is ON but a call is not in progress Active: the MS is ON and a call is in progress Detached: the MS is OFF The following table defines key terms used to describe GSM traffic cases (th are no traffic cases in (there t ffi i detached mode):

MS REGISTRATION AND ROAMING

When the MS has just been powered on, the MS must register with the network which will then update the MS's status to idle. When the user is outside of your service providers local coverage area or h home calling area, this user is in roaming. lli hi i i i Roaming arrangements between service providers allow you to use other carriers network (VPLMN)

ERICSSON'S GSM SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

 FREQUENCY An MS communicates with a BTS by transmitting or receiving radio y g g waves, which consist of electromagnetic energy. The frequency of a radio wave is the number of times the wave oscillates per second. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz). Wavelength There are many different types of electromagnetic waves. These waves electromagnetic waves can be described by a sinusoidal function, which is characterized by wavelength. y g BANDWIDTH Bandwidth is the term used to describe the amount of frequency range allocated to one application. CHANNELS A channel is a frequency or set of frequencies which can be allocated for the transmission.

Uplink and Downlink on a Radio Ch R di Channel l

Duplex Distance
The use of full duplex requires that uplink and downlink transmissions are separated in frequency by a minimum distance, called duplex distance. Without it, uplink and downlink frequencies would interfere with it each other.
Uplink M Hz Duplex Distance (45 M Hz) Bandwidth (2 x 25 M Hz) 890 915 Downlink 935 960

Carrier Separation p
This is the d s ce on the frequency band between channels s s e distance o e eque cy b d be wee c es being transmitted in the same direction.

MHz Carrier Separation (200 KHz)

895.4

895.6

Capacity and Frequency Re-use

E h company with a license to operate a mobile network is Each i h li bil ki allocated a limited number of frequencies. It is important when allocating frequencies that interference is avoided.
B G A F E D F C G A

Frequencies must be re-used many times at different geographical locations in order to provide a network with sufficient capacity.

ACCESS METHOD: TIME DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (TDMA)

A carrier is used to carry a number of calls, each call using that calls carrier at designated periods in time. These periods of time are referred to as time slots. p

Wireless Concepts

ANALOG AND DIGITAL TRANSMISSION

Analog Signals An analog signal is a continuous waveform which changes in Accordance with the properties of the information being represented.

Digital Signals For F mobile systems, digital signals may be considered to be sets bil t di it l i l b id d t b t of discrete waveforms.

Advantages Of Using Digital

All signals analog and digital become distorted signals, digital, over distances. In analog,the only solution to this is to amplify the signal.However, in doing so, the distortion is also amplified. In digital, the signal can be completely regenerated as new, without the distortion.

Advantages of Digital (cont) Therefore, digital signals are more immunity to noise. i In digital signals more signaling operations is allowed like Encryption, Multi-media yp , messages.etc Using Digital signals is more faster

Disadvantages of Digital
The problem with using digital signals to transfer analog information is that some information will be missing due to the technique of taking samples. However, the more often the samples are taken, the g g closer the resulting digital values will be to a true representation of the analog information. Moreover, digital signals require more bandwith than analog signals.

Transmission Problems in GSM

Path loss Shadowing Rayleigh fading Signal strength Time dispersion Time Alignment

PATH LOSS

Path loss occurs when the received signal becomes weaker and weaker due to increasing distance between MS and BTS even if th b t d BTS, there are no obstacles b t l between the transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) antenna antenna. The path loss problem leads to a dropped call so call, before the problem becomes extreme, a new transmission path is established via another BTS.

SHADOWING
Shadowing occurs when there are physical obstacles including hills and buildings between the BTS and the MS. The obstacles create a shadowing effect which can d decrease th received signal strength. the i d i l t th

CARRIER TO INTERFERENCE C/I

Reusing an identical carrier frequency in different cells is limited by co channel interference or C/I co-channel C/I. Co-channel interference is the relation between the desired signal C and the undesired re-used signal re used I, both using the same carrier frequency.

CARRIER TO ADJACENT C/A

Some of the energy of the adjacent frequency will leak into the serving cell and cause interference. The relation between the desired signal C from the correct carrier and the undesired signal A from the carrier 200 kHz away is called adjacent channel interference or C/A.

MULTI PATH FADING

Multipath fading occurs when there is more than one transmission path to the MS or BTS, and therefore more than one signal is arriving at the g g receiver. This may be due to buildings or mountains, either close to or far from the receiving device. g Rayleigh fading and time dispersion are forms of y g g p multipath fading.

RAYLEIGH FADING
This occurs when a signal takes more than one path between the MS and BTS antennas. In this case, the signal is not received on a li of sight path di i d line f i h h directly f l from the T antenna. h Tx Rather, it is reflected off buildings, for example, and is received from several different indirect paths. Rayleigh fading occurs when the obstacles are close to the receiving antenna.

TIME DISPERSION
Time dispersion is another problem relating to multiple paths to the Rx antenna of either an MS or BTS. BTS Time dispersion causes Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) where consecutive symbols (bits) interfere with each other making it difficult for the receiver to y determine which symbol is the correct one.

TIME ALIGNMENT
Each MS on a call is allocated a time slot on a TDMA frame. This is an amount of time during which the MS transmits information to the BTS i f i h BTS. The information must also arrive at the BTS within that time g problem occurs when p of the part slot. The time alignment p information transmitted by an MS does not arrive within the allocated time slot. Instead, that part may arrive during the next time slot and may interfere with information from another MS slot, using that other time slot.

Intermodulation (IM) in cellular systems

System Duplex Maximum band, B, (MHz) to avoid IM order: distance, D, (MHz) IM3 IM5 IM7 IM9 45 95 80 10 22.5 22 5 47.5 40.0 5.0 50 15.0 15 0 31.7 26.7 3.3 33 11.3 11 3 23.8 20.0 2.5 25 9.0 90 19.0 16.0 2.0 20

GSM900 DCS1800 PCS1900 NMT450

Definitions: Worst-case relations W t l ti IM3 in Rx band if D/B < 2 IM5 in Rx band if D/B < 3 IM7 in Rx band if D/B < 4 IM9 in Rx band if D/B < 5
IM3, IM5, etc.=Intermodulation products of 3 d 5th, I d l i d f 3rd, h etc., D = Duplex distance (MHz) B = Allocated band (MHz) Worst case = IM from the lowest and the highest frequencies in the allocated band

COMBINED SIGNAL LOSS

An illustration of what the signal strength may look like at the MS Rx antenna when moving away from the BTS Tx antenna is shown in the figure . The problems of path loss, shadowing and Rayleigh fading are present for this transmission path.

Rx Signal Strength
At any one point from the Tx antenna, the received g g g signal can look like the signal in Figure below.

SOLUTIONS OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS

Fading d g - Distance : Eventually leading to handover

- Shadowing : Make a better coverage of the cell or smaller cells - Rayleigh : Antenna diversity (Space or Polarization Diversity) Two antennas on the BS, 5-6 m apart if Space Diversity is used. , p p y Repeated change of frequencies after each frame Interference Channel coding Interleaving, Frequency Hopping coding, Interleaving Hopping

CHANNNEL CODING
In digital transmission, the quality of the transmitted signal is often expressed in terms of how many of the received bits are incorrect incorrect. Transmitted bits 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Received bits 1001001010 Errors E 3/10 = 30% BER Channel coding is used to detect and correct errors in a received bit stream It adds bits to a message These stream. message. bits enable a channel decoder to determine whether the message has faulty bits, and to potentially correct the faultybits.

INTERLEAVING
A process called interleaving is used to separate consecutive bits of a message so that these are transmitted in a nonconsecutive way.

Advantages of Interleaving
If interleaving is used, If one block is lost in g , transmission, again there is a 25% BER overall. However, this time the 25% is spread over the entire set of message blocks, giving a 25% BER f each. f % for This is more manageable and there is a greater possibility that the channel decoder can correct the errors.

ANTENNA DIVERSITY
Antenna diversity increases the received signal g y g g properties strength by taking advantage of the natural p p of radio waves. TYPES OF DIVERSITY

SPACE DIVERSITY

POLARIZATION DIVERSITY

SPACE DIVERSITY

POLARIZATION DIVERSITY
With polarization diversity the two space diversity antennae are replaced b one d l polarized antenna. t l d by dual l i d t This antenna has normal size but contains two differently polarized antenna arrays The most common arrays. types are vertical/horizontal arrays and arrays in 45 g degree slant orientation. For most applications, the difference between the pp , diversity gain for space diversity and polarization diversity is negligible, but polarization diversity reduces the th space required f th antenna. i d for the t

FREQUENCY HOPPING
Rayleigh fading is frequency dependent. This means that the fading dips occur at different places for different frequencies. To benefit from this fact, it is frequencies fact possible for the BTS and MS to hop from frequency to frequency during a call. The frequency hopping of the q y g q y pp g BTS and MS is synchronized. Types of frequency hopping Base-band F.H hopping between frequencies on different transceivers in a cell. cell Synthesizer F.H hopping from frequency to Frequency on the same transceiver in a cell.

Frequency Hopping (cont)

TIMING ADVANCE
Timing advance is a solution specifically designed to counteract the problem of time alignment. It works by instructing the mis-aligned bl f ti li t k b i t ti th i li d MS to transmit its burst earlier or later than it normally would. , g , In GSM, the timing advance information relates to bit times. Thus, an MS may be instructed to commence its transmission a certain number of bit times earlier or later, related to previous position, to reach its timeslot at the BTS in right time time.

GSM TRANSMISSION PROCESS

Analog to Digital Conversion

One of the primary functions of an MS is to convert the analog speech information into digital form for transmission using a digital signal.

The Th A/D conversion i performed b using a process called i is f d by i ll d Pulse Code Modulation (PCM). PCM involves three main steps: Sampling Quantization Coding

Sampling
Sampling involves measuring the analog signal at specific time intervals.

The sampling theory states that:

To reproduce an analog signal without distortion, the signal must b sampled with at least twice the frequency of the be l d ih l i h f f h highest frequency component in the analog signal.

Quantization
The next step is to give each sample a value. For this reason, reason the amplitude of the signal at the time of sampling is measured and approximated to one of a finite set of values.

Coding
Coding involves converting the quantized values into binary. Every value is represented by a binary code of 13 bits (213 = 8192). For example, a quantized value of 2,157 would have a bit pattern of 0100001101101:

Summary For A/D Conversion

The result from t e p ocess o A/D co e s o is 8,000 e esu t o the process of / conversion s samples per second of 13 bits each. This is a bit rate of 104 kbits/s. When it is considered that 8 subscribers use one radio channel, the overall bit rate would be 8 x 104 kbits/s = 832 kbits/s. Recalling the general rule of 1 bit per Hertz, this bit rate would not fit into the 200 kHz available for all 8 subscribers. The bit rate must be reduced somehow - this is achieved using SEGMENTATION and SPEECH CODING.

SEGMENTATION
The key to reducing the bit rate is to send information about the speech instead of the speech itself.
Segmentation: Given that the speech organs are relatively slow in p g g , parameters representing the speech p g p adapting to changes, the filter p organs are approximately constant during 20 ms. For this reason, when coding speech in GSM, a block of 20 ms is coded into one set of bits. In effect it is similar to sampling speech at a rate of 50 times bits effect, per second instead of the 8,000 used by A/D conversion.

SPEECH CODING Instead of using 13 bits per sample as in A/D conversion, GSM speech coding uses 260 bits. This calculates as 50 x 260 = 13 kbits/s. This provides a speech quality which is acceptable for mobile telephony and comparable with wire-line PSTN phones. wire line phones

Types Of Speech Coding

Many types of speech coders are available. Some offer better speech quality, at the expense of a higher bit rate (waveform coders). Others use lower bit rates, at the expense of lower speech quality ( (vo-coders). The hybrid coder which GSM uses p ) y provides g good speech quality with a relatively low bit rate, at the expense of speech coder complexity.

Summary of Segmentation and Speech Coding

The GSM speech coder produces a bit rate of 13 kbits/s per subscriber. When it is considered that 8 subscribers use one radio channel, the overall bit rate would be 8 x 13 kbits/s kbit / = 104 kbit / Thi compares favorably with th kbits/s. This f bl ith the 832 kbits/s from A/D conversion. However, speech coding does not consider the problems which may be encountered on the radio transmission path. The next stages in the transmission process, channel coding and interleaving, help to overcome these problems.

CHANNEL CODING
Channel coding in GSM uses the 260 bits from speech coding as i di input t channel coding and outputs 456 t to h l di d t t encoded bits.

INTERLEAVING
First level of interleaving The channel coder provides 456 bits for every 20 ms of speech which are interleaved in eight blocks of 57 bi shown below. hi h i l d i i h bl k f bits h b l

NORMAL BURST
In a normal bu st t e e is space for t o o t ese o a burst there s o two of these speech blocks Thus, if one burst transmission is lost, there is a 25% BER for the entire 20 ms of speech (2/8 = 25%).

2nd LEVEL OF INTERLEAVING

If only one level of interleaving is used, a loss of this burst results in a total loss of 25%. This is too much for the channel decoder to correct. A second level of interleaving can be introduced to further reduce the possible BER to 12.5%. Instead of sending two blocks of 57 bits from the same 20 ms of speech within one burst, a block from one 20 ms and a block from next sample of 20 ms are sent together together.

INTERLEAVING (cont)

CIPHERING/ENCRYPTION

The purpose of ciphering is to encode the burst so that it cannot be interpreted by any other device than the intended receiver. The ciphering algorithm in GSM is called the A5 algorithm. It does not add bits to the burst, meaning that the input and output to the ciphering process is the same as the input: 456 bits per 20 ms.

BURST FORMATTING
The process of burst formatting is to add 26 training sequence bits to the basic speech/data (57+57=114 bits) being b i sent. C t Consequently thi i tl this increases th b t f the burst from 114 to 148 bits, thus increasing the transmission rate on the air, air but is necessary to counteract problems encountered on the radio path. Each time slot on a TDMA frame is 0.577 ms long. This p provides enough time for 156.25 bits to be transmitted but g a burst only contains 148 bits. The rest of the space, 8.25 bit times, is empty and is called the Guard Period (GP). The output of burst formatting is a burst of 156.25 bits (one burst) or 625 bits(four bursts) for 20 ms sample. The transmission bit rate for GSM

MODULATION TECHNIQUE
The bits must then be sent over the air using a carrier frequency. As previously explained, GSM uses the GMSK modulation technique. The bits are q modulated onto a carrier frequency and transmitted over the air.

GSM Transmission Process