1

THIRD GENERATION
(3G) WIRELESS
TECHNOLOGY

BY
P.SUNIL
rd
3 YEAR , E.C.E,
ELECRTONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING,
VIGNAN’S ENGINEERING COLLEGE, VADLAMUDI,
GUNTUR DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH .
PINCODE : 522213

VIGNAN’S ENGINEERING COLLEGE

VADLAMUDI

1
 2

ABSTRACT:

Third Generation (3G) mobile devices and services will transform

wireless communications in to on-line, real-time connectivity. 3G
wireless technology will allow an individual to have immediate access to
location-specific services that offer information on demand. The first
generation of mobile phones consisted of the analog models that
emerged in the early 1980s. The second generation of digital mobile
phones appeared about ten years later along with the first digital mobile
networks. During the second generation, the mobile telecommunications
industry experienced exponential growth both in terms of subscribers as
well as new types of value-added services. Mobile phones are rapidly
becoming the preferred means of personal communication, creating the
world's largest consumer electronics industry.
The rapid and efficient deployment of new wireless data and Internet
services has emerged as a critical priority for communications
equipment manufacturers. Network components that enable wireless
data services are fundamental to the next-generation network
infrastructure. Wireless data services are expected to see the same
explosive growth in demand that Internet services and wireless voice
services have seen in recent years.
This white paper presents an overview of current technology trends in
the wireless technology market, a historical overview of the evolving
wireless technologies and an examination of how the communications
industry plans to implement 3G wireless technology standards to
address the growing demand for wireless multimedia services. We also
show the differences between third generation wireless technology when
compared to different wireless technologies.

2
 3

3G Wireless Market Drivers:

Telecommunications service providers and network operators are embracing the

recently adopted global third generation (3G) wireless standards in order to address
emerging user demands and to provide new services. The concept of 3G wireless
technology represents a shift from voice-centric services to multimedia-oriented
(voice, data, video, fax) services. In addition, heavy demand for remote access to
personalized data is fueling development of applications, such as the Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP) and multimedia management, to complement the 3G
protocols. Complementary standards, such as Bluetooth, will enable interoperability
between a mobile terminal (phone, PDA etc.) and other electronic devices, such as a
laptop/desktop and peripherals, providing added convenience to the consumer and
allowing for the synchronization and uploading of information at all times.
According to Lehman Brothers, approximately 50 percent of current voice services
subscribers are expected to use wireless data services by 2007, instead of 25 percent
as previously forecast1. Lehman Brothers further predicts that, within seven years,
18 percent of cellular revenues and 21 percent of PCS (personal communications
services) revenue will come from wireless data services. Cellular subscriptions are
forecast to exceed one billion by 20032, compared with the 306 million that was
forecast at the end of 1998, representing a compound annual growth of 29 percent.
Demand for voice services has traditionally been a market driver. However, today,
demand for data services has emerged as an equally significant market driver. After
many years of stasis, the telecommunications industry is undergoing revolutionary
changes due to the impact of increased demand for data services on wireline and
wireless networks. Up until recently, data
traffic over mobile networks remained low at around 2% due to the bandwidth
limitations of the present second-generation (2G) wireless networks. Today, new
technologies are quickly emerging that will optimize the transport of data services
and offer higher bandwidth in a mobile environment. As a case in point, the
increased use of the Internet as an acceptable source for information distribution
and retrieval, in conjunction with the increased demand for global mobility has
created a need for 3G wireless communications protocols.
The third generation of mobile communications will greatly enhance the
implementation of sophisticated wireless applications. Users will be able to utilize
personal, location-based wireless information and interactive services. Also, many
companies and corporations are restructuring their business processes to be able to
fully exploit the opportunities provided by the emerging new wireless data services.
Many advanced wireless services are already available today, and the introduction
of 3G wireless technologies will add to their ubiquity.

3
 4

Generation First Wireless Technology:

The first generation of wireless mobile communications was based on analog

signalling. Analog systems, implemented in North America, were known as Analog
Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), while systems implemented in Europe and the rest
of the world were typically identified as a variation of Total Access Communication
Systems (TACS). Analog systems were primarily based on circuit-switched
technology and designed for voice, not data.

Second Generation Wireless Technology:

The second generation (2G) of the wireless mobile network was based on low-band
digital data signalling. The most popular 2G wireless technology is known as Global
Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM). GSM systems, first implemented in
1991, are now operating in about 140 countries and territories around the world. An
estimated 248 million users now operate over GSM systems. GSM technology is a
combination of Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and Time Division
Multiple Access (TDMA). The first GSM systems used a 25MHz frequency
spectrum in the 900MHz band. FDMA is used to divide the available 25MHz of
bandwidth into 124 carrier frequencies of 200kHz each. Each frequency is then
divided using a TDMA scheme into eight timeslots. The use of separate timeslots for
transmission and reception simplifies the electronics in the mobile units. Today,
GSM systems operate in the 900MHz and 1.8 GHz bands throughout the world with
the exception of the Americas where they operate in the 1.9 GHz band. In addition
to GSM, a similar technology, called Personal Digital Communications (PDC), using
TDMA-based technology, emerged in Japan. Since then, several other TDMA-based
systems have been deployed worldwide and serve an estimated 89 million people
worldwide. While GSM technology was developed in Europe, Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA) technology was developed in North America. CDMA uses
spread spectrum technology to break up speech into small, digitized segments and
encodes them to identify each call. CDMA systems have been implemented
worldwide in about 30 countries and serve an estimated 44 million subscribers.
While GSM and other TDMA-based systems have become the dominant 2G wireless
technologies, CDMA technology is recognized as providing clearer voice quality
with less background noise, fewer dropped calls, enhanced security, greater
reliability and greater network capacity. The Second Generation (2G) wireless
networks mentioned above are also mostly based on circuit-switched technology. 2G
wireless networks are digital and expand the range of applications to more
advanced voice services, such as Called Line Identification. 2G wireless technology
can handle some data capabilities such as fax and short message service at the data
rate of up to 9.6 kbps, but it is not suitable for web browsing and multimedia
applications.

4
 5

Next Generation Mobile Networks:

Second Generation (2G+) Wireless Networks: As stated in a previous section, the

virtual explosion of Internet usage has had a tremendous impact on the demand for
advanced wireless data communication services. However, the effective data rate of
2G circuit-switched wireless systems is relatively slow -- too slow for today's
Internet. As a result, GSM, PDC and other TDMA-based mobile system providers
and carriers have developed 2G+ technology that is packet-based and increases the
data communication speeds to as high as 384kbps. These 2G+ systems are based on
the following technologies: High Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD), General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution
(EDGE) technologies. HSCSD is one step towards 3G wideband mobile data
networks. This circuit-switched technology improves the data rates up to 57.6kbps
by introducing 14.4 kbps data coding and by aggregating 4 radio channels timeslots
of 14.4 kbps. GPRS is an intermediate step that is designed to allow the GSM world
to implement a full range of Internet services without waiting for the deployment of
full-scale 3G wireless systems. GPRS technology is packet-based and designed to
work in parallel with the 2G GSM, PDC and TDMA systems that are used for voice
communications and for table look-up to obtain GPRS user profiles in the Location
Register databases. GPRS uses a multiple of the 1 to 8 radio channel timeslots in the
200kHz-frequency band allocated for a carrier frequency to enable data speeds of
up to 115kbps. The data is packetized and transported over Public Land Mobile
Networks (PLMN) using an IP backbone so that mobile users can access services on
the Internet, such as SMTP/POP-based e-mail, ftp and HTTP-based Web services.
EDGE technology is a standard that has been specified to enhance the throughput
per timeslot for both HSCSD and GPRS. The enhancement of HSCSD is called
ECSD, whereas the enhancement of GPRS is called EGPRS. In ECSD, the
maximum data rate will not increase from 64 kbps due to the restrictions in the A
interface, but the data rate per timeslot will triple. Similarly, in EGPRS, the data
rate per timeslot will triple and the peak throughput, including all eight timeslots in
the radio interface, will exceed 384 kbps.

GPRS networks consist of an IP-based Public Mobile Land Network (PLMN), Base
Station Services (BSS), Mobile handsets (MS), and Mobile Switching Centers (MSC)
for circuit-switched network access and databases. The Serving GPRS Support
Nodes (SGSN) and Gateway GPRS Support Nodes (GGSN) make up the PLMN.
Roaming is accommodated through multiple PLMNs. SGSN and GGSN interface
with the Home Location Register (HLR) to retrieve the mobile user's profiles to
facilitate call completion. GGSN provides the connection to external Packet Data
Network (PDN), e.g. an Internet backbone or an X.25 network. The BSS consists of
Base Transceiver Stations and Base Station Controllers. The Base Transceiver
Station (BTS) receives and transmits over the air interfaces (CDMA, TDMA),
providing wireless voice and data connectivity to the mobile handsets. Base Station
Controllers (BSC) route the data calls to the packet-switched PLMN over a Frame
Relay (FR) link and the voice calls to the Mobile Switching Center (MSC). MSC
switches the voice calls to circuit-switched PLMN network such as PSTN and ISDN.

5
 6

MSC accommodates the Visitor Location Register (VLR) to store the roaming
subscriber information. The reverse process happens at the destination PLMN and
the destination BSS. On the data side, the BSC routes the data calls to the SGSN,
and then the data is switched to the external PDN through the GGSN or to another
mobile subscriber.
Figure 1 shows a GPRS network.

The following is a brief description of each protocol layer in the GPRS network
infrastructure: Sub-Network Dependent Convergence Protocol (SNDCP): protocol
that maps a network level protocol, such as IP or X.25, to the underlying logical link
control. SNDCP also provides other functions such as compression, segmentation
and multiplexing of network-layer messages to a single virtual connection. Logical
Link Control (LLC): a data link layer protocol for GPRS which functions similar to
Link Access Protocol – D (LAPD). This layer assures the reliable transfer of user
data across a wireless network. Base Station System GPRS Protocol (BSSGP):
processes routing and quality of service (QoS) information for the BSS. BSSGP uses
the Frame Relay Q.922 core protocol as its transport mechanism. GPRS Tunnel
Protocol (GTP): protocol that tunnels the protocol data units through the IP
backbone by adding routing information. GTP operates on top of TCP/UDP over
IP.

6
 7

Figure 2 shows the protocols used in BTS, BSC, SGSN, GGSN, and mobile
handsets:

GPRS Mobility Management (GMM/SM): protocol that operates in the signalling

plane of GPRS, handles mobility issues such as roaming, authentication, selection of
encryption algorithms and maintains PDP context. Network Service: protocol that
manages the convergence sub-layer that operates between BSSGP and the Frame
Relay Q.922 Core by mapping BSSGP's service requests to the appropriate Frame
Relay services. BSSAP+: protocol that enables paging for voice connections from
MSC via SGSN, thus optimizing paging for mobile subscribers. BSSAP+ is also
responsible for location and routing updates as well as mobile station alerting.
SCCP, MTP3, MTP2 are protocols used to support Mobile Application Part (MAP)
and BSSAP+ in circuit switched PLMNs. Mobile Application Part (MAP): supports
signaling between SGSN/GGSN and HLR/AuC/EIR.

Third Generation (3G) Wireless Networks:

3G wireless technology represents the convergence of various 2G wireless

telecommunications systems into a single global system that includes both terrestrial
and satellite components. One of the most important aspects of 3G wireless
technology is its ability to unify existing cellular standards, such as CDMA, GSM,
and TDMA, under one umbrella. The following three air interface modes
accomplish this result: wideband CDMA, CDMA2000 and the Universal Wireless
Communication (UWC-136) interfaces. Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) is

7
 8

compatible with the current 2G GSM networks prevalent in Europe and parts of
Asia. W-CDMA will require bandwidth of between 5Mhz and 10 Mhz, making it a
suitable platform for higher capacity applications. It can be overlaid onto existing
GSM, TDMA (IS-36) and IS95 networks. Subscribers are likely to access 3G
wireless services initially via dual band terminal devices. W-CDMA networks will be
used for high-capacity applications and 2G digital wireless systems will be used for
voice calls. The second radio interface is CDMA2000 which is backward compatible
with the second generation CDMA IS-95 standard predominantly used in US. The
third radio interface, Universal Wireless Communications – UWC-136, also called
IS-136HS, was proposed by the TIA and designed to comply with ANSI-136, the
North American TDMA standard. 3G wireless networks consist of a Radio Access
Network (RAN) and a core network. The core network consists of a packet-switched
domain, which includes 3G SGSNs and GSNs, which provide the same functionality
that they provide in a GPRS system, and a circuit-switched domain, which includes
3G MSC for switching of voice calls. Charging for services and access is done
through the Charging Gateway Function (CGF), which is also part of the core
network. RAN functionality is independent from the core network functionality.
The access network provides a core network technology independent access for
mobile terminals to different types of core networks and network services. Either
core network domain can access any appropriate RAN service; e.g. it should be
possible to access a “speech” radio access bearer from the packet switched domain.
The Radio Access Network consists of new network elements, known as Node B and
Radio Network Controllers (RNCs). Node B is comparable to the Base Transceiver
Station in 2G wireless networks. RNC replaces the Base Station Controller. It
provides the radio resource management, handover control and support for the
connections to circuit-switched and packet-switched domains. The interconnection
of the network elements in RAN and between RAN and core network is over Iub,
Iur and Iu interfaces based on ATM as a layer 2 switching technology. Data services
run from the terminal device over IP, which in turn uses ATM as a reliable
transport with QoS. Voice is embedded into ATM from the edge of the network
(Node B) and is transported over ATM out of the RNC. The Iu interface is split into
2 parts: circuitswitched and packet-switched. The Iu interface is based on ATM
with voice traffic embedded on virtual circuits using AAL2 technology and IP-over-
ATM for data traffic using AAL5 technology. These traffic types are switched
independently to either 3G SGSN for data or 3G MSC for voice.
The following is a brief description of each protocol layer in a 3G wireless network
infrastructure:
Global Mobility Management (GMM): protocol that includes attach, detach,
security, and routing area update functionality. Node B Application Part (NBAP):
provides procedures for paging distribution, broadcast system information and
management of dedicated and logical resources. Packet Data Convergence Protocol
(PDCP): maps higher level characteristics onto the characteristics of the underlying
radio-interface protocols. PDCP also provides protocol transparency for higher
layer protocols
Figure 3 shows the 3G wireless network architecture.

8
 9

Figure 4 shows protocols used in Node B, RNC and mobile handsets.

PDCP also provides protocol transparency for higher layer protocols. Radio Link
Control (RLC): provides a logical link control over the radio interface. Medium
Access Control (MAC): controls the access signaling (request and grant) procedures

9
 10

for the radio channel. Radio resource Control (RRC): manages the allocation and
maintenance of radio communication paths.
Radio Access Network Application Protocol (RANAP): encapsulates higher layer
signaling. Manages the signaling and GTP connections between RNC and 3G-
SGSN, and signaling and circuit-switched connections between RNC and 3G MSC.
Radio Network Service Application Part (RNSAP): provides the communication
between RNCs. GPRS Tunnel Protocol (GTP): protocol that tunnels the protocol
data units through the IP backbone by adding routing information. GTP operates
on top of TCP/UDP over IP. Mobile Application Part (MAP): supports signaling
between SGSN/GGSN and HLR/AuC/EIR. AAL2 Signaling (Q.2630.1, Q.2150.1,
Q.2150.2, AAL2 SSSAR, and AAL2 CPS): protocols suite used to transfer voice
over ATM backbone using ATM adaptation layer 2. Sigtran (SCTP, M3UA):
protocols suite used to transfer SCN signaling protocols over IP network.
Evolution to 3G Wireless Technology:
Initial coverage Initially, 3G wireless technology will be deployed as "islands" in
business areas where more capacity and advanced services are demanded. A
complete evolution to 3G wireless technology is mandated by the end of 2000 in
Japan (mostly due to capacity requirements) and by the end of 2001 in Europe. NTT
DoCoMo is deploying 3G wireless services in Japan in the third quarter of 2000. In
contrast, there is no similar mandate in North America and it is more likely
thatcompetition will drive the deployment of 3G wireless technology in that region.
For example, Nextel Communications has announced that it will be deploying 3G
wireless services in North America during the fourth quarter of 2000. The
implementation of 3G wireless systems raises several critical issues, such as the
successful backward compatibility to air interfaces as well as to deployed
infrastructures. Interworking with 2G and 2G+ Wireless Networks The existence of
legacy networks in most regions of the world highlights the challenge that
communications equipment manufacturers face when implementing next-
generation wireless technology.Compatibility and interworking between the new 3G
wireless systems and the old legacy networks must be achieved in order to ensure
the acceptance of new 3G wireless technology by service providers and end-users.
The existing core technology used in mobile networks is based on traditional circuit-
switched technology for delivery of voice services. However, this traditional
technology is inefficient for the delivery of multimedia services. The core switches
for next-generation of mobile networks will be based on packet-switched technology
which is better suited for data and multimedia services. Second generation GSM
networks consist of BTS, BSC, MSC/VLR and HLR/AuC/EIR network elements.
The interfaces between BTS, BSC and MSC/VLR elements are circuit-switched
PCM. GPRS technology adds a parallel packet-switched core network. The 2G+
network consists of BSC with packet interfaces to SGSN, GGSN, HLR/AuC/EIR.
The interfaces between BSC and SGSN network elements are either Frame Relay
and/or ATM so as to provide reliable transport with Quality of Service (QoS). 3G
wireless technology introduces new Radio Access Network (RAN) consisting of Node
B and RNC network elements. The 3G Core Network consists of the same entities as
GSM and GPRS: 3G MSC/VLR, GMSC, HLR/AuC/EIR, 3G-SGSN, and GGSN. IP
technology is used end-to-end for multimedia applications and ATM technology is

10
 11

used to provide reliable transport with QoS. 3G wireless solutions allow for the
possibility of having an integrated network for circuit-switched and packet-switched
services by utilizing ATM technology. The BSC may evolve into an RNC by using
add-on cards or additional hardware that is co-located. The carrier frequency
(5Mhz) and the bands (2.5 to 5Ghz) are different for 3G wireless technology
compared to 2G/2G+ wireless technology. Evolution of BSC to RNC requires
support for new protocols such as PDCP, RRC, RANAP, RNSAP and NBAP.
Therefore, BTS' evolution into Node B may prove to be difficult and may represent
significant capital expenditure on the part of network operators. MSC evolution
depends on the selection of a fixed network to carry the requested services. If an
ATM network is chosen, then ATM protocols will have to be supported in 3G MSC
along with interworking between ATM and existing PSTN/ISDN networks. The
evolution of SGSN and GGSN to 3G nodes is relatively easier. Enhancements to
GTP protocol and support for new RANAP protocol are necessary to support 3G
wireless systems. ATM protocols need to be incorporated to transport the services.
The HLR databases evolve into 3G-HLR by adding 3G wireless user profiles. The
VLR database must also be updated accordingly. The EIR database needs to change
to accommodate new equipment that will be deployed for 3G wireless systems.
Finally, global roaming requires compatibility to existing deployment and graceful
fallback to an available level when requested services are not available in the region.
Towards this end, the Operator Harmonization Group (OHG) is working closely
with 3G Partnership Projects (3GPP and 3GPP2) to come up with global standards
for 3G wireless protocols.

Comparison of 2G and 3G Mobile Networks:

As mentioned above, although there are many similarities between 2G and 3G

wireless networks (and many of the 2G and 3G components are shared or connected
through interworking functions), there are also many differences between the two
technologies. Table 1 compares the differences between the core network, the radio
portion and other areas of the two networks.

11
 12

REFERENCES:

WWW.GOOGLE.COM
WWW.IEEE.COM
NATIONALWIDE WIRELESS.NET
SLIMSOUISSI.ADVANCES RESEARCH.NOVATTEL WIRELESS INC.
CDMA DEVELOPMENT GROUP.WHITE PAPERS

12