Introduction to GSM

Uplink/Downlink FDMA Frequencies Number Identifiers MSISDN IMSI TMSI IMEI IMEISV MSRN

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Introduction
GSM is an acronym that stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. The original french acronym stands for Groupe Spcial Mobile. It was originally developed in 1984 as a standard for a mobile telephone system that could be used across Europe. GSM is now an international standard for mobile service. It offers high mobility. Subscribers can easily roam worldwide and access any GSM network. GSM is a digital cellular network. At the time the standard was developed it offered much higher capacity than the then-current analog systems. It also allowed for a more optimal allocation of the radio spectrum, which therefore allows for a larger number of subscribers. GSM offers a number of services including voice communications, Short Message Service (SMS), fax, voice mail, and other supplemental services such as call forwarding and caller ID. Currently there are several bands in use in GSM. 450 MHz, 850 MHZ, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 1900 MHz are the most common ones. Some bands also have Extended GSM (EGSM) bands added to them, increasing the amount of spectrum available for each band. GSM makes use of Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). *TDMA will be discussed later
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Uplinks/Downlinks & Reverse Forward

GSM allows for use of duplex operation. Each band has a frequency range for the uplink (cell phone to tower) and a separate range for the downlink (tower to the cell phone). The uplink is

also known as the Reverse and the downlink is also known as the Forward. In this tutorial, I will use the terms uplink and downlink.

Uplink and Downlink

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Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)

GSM divides the allocated spectrum for each band up into idividual carrier frequencies. Carrier separation is 200 khz. This is the FDMA aspect of GSM.

Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN)

The ARFCN is a number that describes a pair of frequencies, one uplink and one downlink. The uplink and downlink frequencies each have a bandwidth of 200 kHz. The uplink and downlink have a specific offset that varies for each band. The offset is the frequency separation of the uplink from the downlink. Every time the ARFCN increases, the uplink will increase by 200 khz and the downlink also increases by 200 khz. An ARFCN has an allowed bandwidth of 200 kHz, which corresponds exactly to the carrier

separation. The frequency of the ARFCN refers to its center frequency. If an ARFCN has a frequency of 914.80 MHz, then it occupies the frequency space from 914.7 MHz to 914.9 MHz (200 kHz total). Remember that this is the allocated bandwidth. Because of the nature of the modulation method (GMSK) and data rate used in GSM, the actual physical bandwidth will be about 135.4 kHz. The unused bandwidth for each ARFCN acts as a buffer between other ARFCN to avoid interference.
*Note: Although GSM operates in duplex (separate frequencies for transmit and receive), the mobile station does not transmit and receive at the same time. A switch is used to toggle the antenna between the transmitter and receiver.

The following table summarizes the frequency ranges, offsets, and ARFCNs for several popular bands.

GSM Bands

The following diagram illustrates an ARFCN with paired uplink and downlink frequencies for ARFCN 1 in the GSM 900 band.

GSM900 ARFCN 1

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Calculating Uplink/Downlink Frequencies

The following is a way to calculate the uplink and downlink frequencies for some of the bands, given the band, the ARFCN, and the offset.

GSM 900
Up = 890.0 + (ARFCN * .2) Down = Up + 45.0 example: Given the ARFCN 72, and we know the offset is 45MHz for the GSM900 band: Up = 890.0 + (72 * .2) Up = 890.0 + (14.4) Up = 904.40 MHz

Down = Up + Offset Down = 904.40 + 45.0 Down = 949.40 MHz The uplink/downlink pair for GSM900 ARFCN72 is 904.40/949.40 (MHz) Note that channel 0 (890.0 MHz) is used as a guard band in GSM-900 and is not usable for traffic. Here are the formulas for EGSM900, DCS1800, and PCS1900:

EGSM900
Up = 890.0 + (ARFCN * .2) (ARFCN 0-124) Up = 890.0 + ((ARFCN-1024)*0.2) (ARFCN 975 - 1023) Down = Up + 45.0 ***Notice that the extended portion of the E-GSM band actually occurs below the regular band in frequency. ARFCN 974-1023 occur from 880.0 MHz to 889.80 MHz. The regular GSM (0124) occurs from 890.0 MHz to 914.8 MHz. ARFCN 974 (880.0 MHZ) is used as a guard band and so is not usable for traffic. ARFCN 0 (890.0 MHz), which is used as a guard band in regular GSM-900, is available for use as a traffic channel in E-GSM since this channel happens to be in the middle of this band and a guard channel is not necessary there.

DCS1800
Up = 1710.0 + ((ARFCN - 511) * .2) Down = Up + 95.0

PCS1900
Up = 1850.0 + ((ARFCN - 512) * .2) Down = Up + 80.0
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Numbering System (Identifiers)

Mobile Subscriber ISDN (MSISDN)

The MSISDN is the subscriber's phone number. It is the number that another person would dial in order to reach the subscriber. The MSISDN is composed of three parts: Country Code (CC) National Destination Code (NDC) Subscriber Number (SN)

MSISDN

Country Code (CC) - This is the international dialing code for whichever country the MS is registered to. National Destination Code (NDC) - In GSM, an NDC is assigned to each PLMN. In some cases, a PLMN may need more than one NDC. Subscriber Number (SN) - This is a number assigned to the subscriber by the service provider (PLMN).

The combination of the NDC and the SN is known as the National (significant) Mobile Number. This number identifies a subscriber within the GSM PLMN.

National (significant) Mobile Number

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International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)

The IMSI is how the subscriber is identified to the network. It uniquely identifies the subscriber within the GSM global network. The IMSI is burned into the SIM card and is paired with an MSISDN. The IMSI is composed of three parts: Mobile Country Code (MCC)

Mobile Network Code (MNC) Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (MSIN)

IMSI

Mobile Country Code (MCC) - This number identifies which country the subscriber's network is in. It has 3 digits. Mobile Network Code (MNC) - This number identifies the home GSM PLMN of the subscriber (Cingular, T-Mobile, etc.). It has 2 or 3 digits. Some networks may have more than one MNC allocated to it. The current version of the ITU all ocation for the MCC can be found here Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (MSIN) - This number uniquely identifies a user within the home GSM network.
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Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI)

The TMSI is a 32-bit number (4 octets) that is temporarily assigned to a MS and is used on the network in lieu of the IMSI. It is designed to protect the privacy of the subscriber and prevent the IMSI from being discovered. The VLR will assign the TMSI to a MS when it registers in that Location Area. The network may also require the VLR to assign a new TMSI to a MS periodically or even every time it completes a transaction. The TMSI is stored on the SIM card. The TMSI is always assigned when in cipher mode. (traffic is encrypted). Click here to read more about authentication and encryption.
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International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)

The IMEI uniquely identifies the Mobile Equipment (the phone itself). It is essentially a serial number that is burned into the phone by the manufacturer. The current format for the IMEI is composed of three parts: Type Allocation Code (TAC) - 8 digits Serial Number (SNR) - 6 digits Check Digit (SP) - 1 digit

IMEI

Type Allocation Code (TAC) - This number uniquely identifies the model of a wireless device. It is composed of 8 digits. Under the new system (as of April 2004), the first two digits of a TAC are the Reporting Body Identifier (RBI) of the GSM approved group that allocated this model type. Serial Number (SNR) - This number is a manufacturer defined serial number for the model of wireless device. Check Digit This number is a check digit known as a Luhn Check Digit. It is used to ensure that the first 14 digits were transmitted/received correctly. On many devices the IMEI number can be retrieved by entering *#06#

Former IMEI Structure

Prior to April, 2004 the IMEI had a different structure: Type Allocation Code (TAC) - 6 digits Final Assembly Code (FAC) - 2 digits Serial Number (SNR) - 6 digits Check Digit - 1 digit

Former IMEI Structure

As of April 2004, the use of the FAC was no longer required. The current practice is for the TAC for a new model to get approved by national regulating bodies, known as the Reporting Body Identifier.
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International Mobile Equipment Identity/Software Version (IMEISV)

This is a newer form of the IMEI that omits the Spare digit at the end and adds a 2-digit Software Version Number (SVN) at the end. The SVN identifies the software version that the wireless device is using. This results in a 16-digit IMEI. Type Allocation Code (TAC) - 8 digits Serial Number (SNR) - 6 digits Software Version Number (SVN) - 2 digits

IMEISV

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Mobile Station Roaming Number (MSRN)

The MSRN is a number that is used to route calls to the Mobile switching Center (MSC) that is associated with the VLR that the MS is registered with. Process: When someone places a call to a MS the network will query the Home Location Register (HLR) to find out which VLR the MS is currently registered with. The HLR will send a request to the VLR of the MS indicating a call setup. The VLR generates the MSRN for the call and sends it back to the HLR. The network then passes the MSRN to the MSC that is originating the call. The originating MSC then contacts the desired MS's MSC and uses the MSRN to setup the call.

The format of the MSRN is similar to the MSISDN. It will start with the CC and be followed by the NDC. The remaining digits are allocated however the network wants to. Some form of sequential numbering is often employed. It is important to remember that the MSRN is assigned to a call and not to a MS itself. The MSRN is essentially a reference number assigned to a call that is so that the MSC/VLR knows which MS the call is for and to enable call setup. For that reason, the MSRN is sometimes dubbed Mobile Station Routing number. [Back to Top]

Links
The structures of all of the numbers mentioned here are covered in detail in 3GPP specification 23.003 This website is an excellent resource for looking up and decoding MSISDNs, IMSIs, and IMEIs. http://www.numberingplans.com/

Uplink/Downlink FDMA Frequencies Number Identifiers MSISDN IMSI TMSI IMEI IMEISV MSRN Introduction Architecture TDMA Logical Channels Authentication & Encryption Advances Speech Encoding GSM Events Cell Selection/Reselection Updates Sitemap Contact Me Timing

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