Paging and

Location Update
By: Abidullah Zarghoon

Some Terms:
MSC/VLR - Mobile Switching Center / Visitor
Location Register
HLR - Home Location Register
PLMN - Public Land Mobile Network
TMSI Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity
LA - Location Area
LAI - Location Area Identity
LAC - Location Area Code
LU Location Update

MS - The Mobile Station

BSS - The Base Station Subsystem
NSS - The Network Switching Subsystem
OSS - The Operation Support Subsystem

Overview
A GSM or UMTS network, like all cellular networks,
is basically a radio network of individual cells,
known as base stations.
Each base station covers a small geographical
area which is part of a uniquely identified location
area.

Location Area
A location area is a set of base stations that are
grouped together to optimize signaling
Location Area is a group of cells and the
subscriber is paged in this area.
One or more base station controllers are used to
serve each Location Area but by a single MSC.
Each Location Area has a unique Location Area
Identity number.

Location Area Update

The mobile station also performs location
updating, in order to indicate its current location,
when it moves to a new Location Area or a
different Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). This
location updating message is sent to the new
MSC/VLR, which gives the location information to
the subscriber's HLR. If the mobile station is
authorized in the new MSC/VLR, the subscriber's
HLR cancels the registration of the mobile station
with the old MSC/VLR.

Location Update Procedure

The location update procedure allows a mobile
device to inform the cellular network, whenever it
moves from one location area to the next.
Mobiles are responsible for detecting location
area codes.
When mobile finds that location area code is
different from its last update, it performs another
update by sending to the network, a location
update request, together with its previous
location and TMSI (Temporary Mobile Subscriber
Identity)

Periodic Location Update

A location updating is also performed periodically.
If after the updating time period, the mobile
station has not registered, it is then deregistered.
Each mobile is required to regularly report its
location at a set time interval using a periodic
location update.

Random Location Update

Whenever a mobile moves from one location area
to the next while not on a call, a random location
update is required.
This is also required of a stationary mobile that
reselects coverage from a cell in a different
location area, because of signal fade.

Continued
When a subscriber is paged in an attempt to
deliver a call or SMS and the subscriber does not
reply to that page then the subscriber is marked
as absent in both the Mobile Switching Center /
Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR) and the Home
Location Register (HLR) (Mobile not reachable flag
MNRF is set). The next time the mobile performs
a location update the HLR is updated and the
mobile not reachable flag is cleared.

Paging
Paging is the one-to-one communication between
the mobile and the base station
Paging is a procedure the network uses to find out
a subscribers location before actual call
establishment.
Paging is used to alert the mobile station of an
incoming call.

 Paging is initiated by the NSS (Network

Subsystem) and is based on the Location
Registration information the Mobile Subscriber
has supplied when performing the Location
Update.

Paging Strategies
Location Area Splitting in Paging Areas
o Mobile registers only when entering the Location Area; it doesnt
register when moving between Paging Areas of one Location Area.
o For an incoming call, paging messages are broadcasted in the Paging
Areas according to a sequence determined by different strategies.

Location Area Splitting in

Paging Areas

Paging Strategies
Multilayer Location Areas:
o Each mobile is assigned to a given group, and each group is assigned
one or several layers of Location Areas.
o Location Update traffic is distributed over all the cells.
o Multilayer Las solves the problem where Location Update traffic is
mainly concentrated in the cells of the Location Area border.

Multilayer Location Areas:

Differences between Paging

and Location Update
Mobility
Management based
on pure Location
Update:
o Each time the user crosses cell
boundaries a location update
is triggered
o Paging is not required
o As location updates must be
initialized whenever crossing
cell boundaries
high signaling and
database update overhead
high power consumption in
the terminals

Mobility
Management based
on pure Paging
o If a call arrives, terminal is
paged in all cells of the mobile
network
o Location update is not
required
o As paging must be executed in
all cells of the network for each
arriving call/SMS/data-packet
high signaling overhead
high delay in call/SMS/datapacket delivery

 Paging

Location Update

Some Definitions
TMSI:
o TheTemporary Mobile Subscriber Identity(TMSI) is a temporary
identification number that is used in theGSM network instead of
theIMSI to ensure the privacy of the mobile subscriber

LAI
o A Location Area Identity (LAI) is a globally unique number.

LAC
o A Location Area Code (LAC) is only unique in a particular network

 Cell:
o Cell is the basic service area: one BTS covers one cell. Each cell is
given a Cell Global Identity (CGI), a number that uniquely identifies the
cell.

MSC/VLR Service Area:

o The area covered by one MSC is called the MSC/VLR service area.

PLMN
o The area covered by one network operator is called PLMN. A PLMN can
contain one or more MSCs.
o Anetworkthat is established and operated by anadministrationor by
arecognized operating agency (ROA) for the specific purpose of
providing land mobile telecommunications services to the public

References:
Advances in Network Management
o By Jianguo Ding 2009