GSM Channels

Lecture 12
GSM Control Channels
Three main types of control channels
Broadcast ch (BCH)
Common control ch (CCCH)
Dedicated control ch (DCCH)
Each control ch comprises several
logical chs which are distributed in time
to provide nec GSM control functions
GSM Control Channels
BCH and CCCH forward control chs are implemented only on
certain ARFCNs and are allocated TSs in a specific fashion
Normally allocated TS0 and are broadcast only during certain
frames within repetitive 51 control ch MF sequence
TS1 through TS7 carry regular TCH traffic
So ARFCNs designated as BCH can still carry traffic on seven out
of eight TSs
GSM specs defines 34 ARFCNs as standard BCH
For each BCH frame 51 is an idle frame
However, reverse CCCH channels still able to receive MS
transmissions during TS0 of any frame (incl idle frame)
DCCH data may be sent during any TS and any frame and entire
frames are specifically dedicated to certain DCCH transmissions
GSM Control Channels (BCH)
BCH is defined by three separate
channels which are given access
to TS0 during various frames of
the 51 fame sequence. Three
types of BCH are
Broadcast Control Channel
(BCCH) a forward control
channel used to broadcast
information such as
cell and network identity, and
operating characteristics of the
cell (current control channel
structure, channel availability,
and congestion)
Also broadcast a list of channels
currently in use within the cell
Frame 2 through 5 in a control
MF (4 out of every 51 frames)
contain BCCH data
GSM Control Channels
GSM Control Channels (BCH)
Frequency correction
channel (FCCH)
A special data burst
which occupies TS0 for
the very first GSM frame
(frame 0) and is repeated
every 10
th
frame within
a control channel MF
Allows each MS to
synchronize its internal
frequency standard (local
oscillator) to the exact
frequency of the BS

GSM Control Channels (BCH)
Synchronization Channel
(SCH)
broadcast in TS0 of the
frame immediately after
FCCH frame
Allows each mobile to frame
synchronize with BS
FN (0 to 2,715,647) is sent
with BSIC during the SCH
burst
BSIC assigned to each BTS
An MS may be 35 km away
from a serving BS
SCH transmitted once every
10
th
frames within the
control channel MF
GSM Control Channels
(CCCHs)
Common Control Channels (CCCHs)
On the broadcast (BCH) ARFCN,
the CCCHs occupy TS0 of every
frame not otherwise used by BCH or
the Idle frame.
Consists of three different channels
Paging channel (PCH), forward link
Random access channel (RACH)
reverse link, and
Access grant channel (AGCH),
forward link
Most commonly used channels used
to
page specific subscribers
assign signalling channels to specific users
and
receive mobile requests for service
GSM Control Channels
(CCCHs)
Paging Channel (PCH)
Provides paging signals from the BS to all
mobiles in the cell
Notifies a subscriber of a Mobile Terminating Call
Transmits TMSI of the target subscriber, along
with a request for ack from mobile unit on RACH
Alternatively may be used to provide
cell broadcast and Text messages to all subscribers, as
part of SMS feature
GSM Control Channels
(CCCHs)
Random Access Channel (RACH)
A reverse link channel used by a subscriber
unit to ack a page from the PCH
Also used by mobiles to originate a call
All mobiles must request access or respond to
a PCH alert within TS0
BTS responds to a RACH channel using
Access Grant Channel to assign a stand-alone
dedicated control channel (SDCCH) for
signalling during a call
GSM Control Channels
(CCCHs)
Access Grant Channel (AGCH)
Used by BS to provide forward link communication
to the mobile
Carries data which instructs mobile to to operate
in a particular physical channel (TS and ARFCN)
with a particular dedicated control channel
(SDCCH)
Final CCCH message sent by BS before a
subscriber is moved off the control channel
Used by BS to respond to a RACH sent by a
mobile station in a previous CCCH frame
GSM Control Channels
(DCCHs)
Dedicated Control Channels (DCCHs)
Three types of dedicated control channels in GSM
Bidirectional like TCHs and have the same format and
function on both the forward and reverse link
Like TCHs, DCCHs may exist in any time slot and on any
ARFCN except TS0 of the BCH ARFCN
Stand-alone dedicated control channels (SDCCHs) used for providing
signalling services required by the users
Slow-and Fast- Associated Control Channel (SACCHs and FACCHs) used
for supervisory data transmission between the MS and the BS during a
call
GSM Control Channels
(DCCHs)
Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channels (SDCCHs)
Carries signalling data following the connection of the mobile
with the BS, and just before a TCH is issued by BS
Ensures that the MS and the BS remain connected while the
BS and MSC verify the subscriber unit and allocate resources
for the mobile
Can be thought of as an intermediate and temporary
channel that holds the traffic while waiting for BS to allocate
a TCH
May be assigned their own physical channel or may occupy
TS0 of the BCH if there is low demand for BCH or CCCH
traffic
GSM Control Channels
(DCCHs)
Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH)
Always associated with TCH or a SDCCH and maps onto the
same physical channel
So each ARFCN systematically carries SACCH data for all of its
current users
On the forward link, SACCH used to send slow but regularly
changing control information to the mobile, such as transmit
power level instruction and specific TA instructions for each user
on the ARFCN
Reverse SACCH carries information about the received signal
strength and quality of the TCH, as well as BCH measurement
results from neighbouring cells
SACCH transmitted during 13
th
frame (and 26
th
frame when half-
rate traffic is used) of every speech/dedicated control channel
MF
Within this frame,all eight TSs are dedicated to providing SACCH
data to each of the eight users on the ARFCN
GSM Control Channels
(DCCHs)
Fast Associated Control Channels (FACCHs)
Carries urgent message, and contains essentially the same
type of information as the SDCCH
Assigned whenever a SDCCH has not been dedicated for a
particular user and there is an urgent message (such as a
handoff request)
Gains access to a TS by stealing frames from the TCH to
which it is assigned
Done by setting two special bits, in a TCH forward channel
burst
If the stealing bits are set, the TS is known to contain
FACCH data, not a TCH, for that frame
Example of a GSM Call
When the MS is turned on it will listen to BCH carrier of a
BTS having highest received power.
Then BTS will use FCCH in order to syn to the carrier
frequency
Then the MS listen to the SCH to get info on the TDMA
frame structure
The MS will then listen to the BCCH to get info such as
location area, Max allowed O/P power & neighboring cells
The MS will periodically listen to the PCH to determine if
someone is trying to call it.
If the MS hears a page it will use the RACH to ask for access
to the system in order to respond to the incoming call

Example of a GSM Call
On the other hand, to originate a call , the user first dials the
intended digit combination and presses the send button on
the GSM phone
The mobile transmits a burst of RACH data using the same
ARFCN as the BS to which it is locked
The BS responds with an AGCH message on the CCCH which
assigns the mobile to a new channel for SDCCH connection
The subscriber unit, which is monitoring TS0 of the BCH, would
receive its ARFCN and TS assignment from the AGCH and would
immediately tune to the new ARFCN and TS
This new ARFCN and TS assignment is physically the SDCCH
(not the TCH)
Example of a GSM Call
Once tuned to the SDCCH, the subscriber unit first
waits for the SACCH frame to be transmitted, which
informs the mobile of any TA and transmitter power
command
The BS is able to determine the proper TA and signal
level from mobiles earlier RACH transmission and
sends the proper value over the SACCH for the
mobile to process
Upon receiving and processing the TA information in
the SAACH, the subscriber is now able to transmit
normal burst messages as required for speech traffic
Example of a GSM Call
The SDCCH sends message between the mobile unit
and the BS, taking care of authentication and user
validation, while the PSTN connects the dialled party
to the MSC and the MSC switches the speech path to
the serving BS
After a few seconds, the mobile unit is commanded
by the BS via SDCCH to return to a new ARFCN and
new TS for TCH assignment
Once returned to TCH, speech data is transferred on
both forward and reverse links, the call is successfully
underway and the SDCCH is vacated
Example of a GSM Call
For calls from PSTN, BS broadcasts a PCH message
during TS0 with in an appropriate frame on the BCH
The mobile station, locked onto that same ARFCN,
detects its page and replies with an RACH message
acknowledging receipt of the page
BS then uses the AGCH on the CCCH to assign the
mobile unit to a new physical channel for connection
to SDCCH and SACCH while the network and the
serving BS are connected
Once the subscriber estb TA and authentication on
the SDCCH, the BS issues a new physical ch
assignment over the SDCCH, and TCH assignment is
made
Rest of the procedure is the same as described for
Mobile originating call
Signal Processing in GSM
Channel Coding
Interleaving
Authentication & Ciphering
GMSK Modulation
Identifiers

Channel Coding
For channel coding 260 bits of data in a TRAU frame separated
into
182 class-1 bits (very important) and
78 class-2 bits (less important)
Channel coding protects the two classes with different priorities
After channel coding original data packet of 260 bits (user data)
or 184 bits (signaling data) extended to a data block of length
456 bits
Data block then mapped on various bursts for the actual
transmission
Channel Coding for User Data
Channel Coding for Signalling
Data
Interleaving

Packets of 456 bits spread over a larger time period in separate
TSs
Spreading depends on application the bits represent
Signalling & data traffic are spread more than voice traffic
Goal - to minimize the impact of Air-interface peculiarities that
account for rapid, short-term changes of the quality of the
transmission channel
A particular channel may be corrupted for a very short period of
time and all the data sent during that time are lost
That could lead to loss of complete data packets of n times 114
bits
Interleaving does not prevent loss of bits
If there is a loss, the same number of bits are lost
However, in interleaving, the lost bits are part of several
different packets bits
These few bits can be recovered by error-correction
mechanisms
Interleaving