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BSCCONFIGURATION
BSSOVERVIEW
TheBaseStationController(BSC)controlsandsupervisestheradioresourcesintheBaseTransceiver
Station (BTS). Together with the BTS, the BSC constitutes the Base Station System (BSS),
responsibleforthemanagementandcellconfigurationdataoftheradionetwork.Themainfunctions
oftheBSCare:
AdministrationofBSSresources
SupervisionoftheBTS
Connectionhandlingofmobilestations
Locatingandhandover
Administrationofpaging
Transmissionnetworkmanagement
OperationandmaintenanceoftheBSS
Theunitthatperformsthespeechconversionfrom64kbit/sintoatotalof16kor8k,13+3kbit/sand
15.1+0.9kbit/s(FullrateandEnhancedspeechcoder,FRandEFR)or6.5+1.5kbit/s(Halfratespeech
codec,HR)perchanneliscalledthetranscoder.Thisfunctioncaneitherbeplacedinaseparatenode,
calledtheTranscoderController(TRC),ortogetherwiththeBSC,whichthenbecomesaBSC/TRC.
Thedifferentconfigurationtypesareillustratedinthepicturebelow.

TRCaStandAlonetranscodercontrollernode
TheTRCnodeallowsaflexiblelocationofthetranscoderresources.Typically,theTRCislocatedat
orneartheMSC.ItiscontrolledbytheBSC.16BSCscanbeconnectedtooneTRC.
BSC/TRCacombinedBSCandtranscodercontroller
TheBSC/TRCissuitableformediumandhighcapacityBSCapplications,thatis,urbanandsuburban
areanetworks.Thisnodecanhandleupto1,020Transceivers(TRXs).15standaloneBSCscanbe
connectedtotheBSC/TRC.
BSCaStandAloneBSCwithouttranscoders
The BSC is optimized for low and medium capacity BSS networks and is a complement to the
BSC/TRC,especiallyinruralandsuburbanareas.ForGSM900/GSM1800,itcanhandleupto1,020
TRXs.
GPRSSYSTEMOVERVIEW
AnoverviewofthesystemcomponentsintheGSMsystem,integratedwiththecircuitswitchedpart
oftheGSMSystem,isshowninFigure22.
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NETWORKNODES
TerminalEquipment(TE)
The Terminal Equipment (TE) is the computer terminal that the enduser works on. This is the
componentusedfortheGPRSsystemtotransmitandreceiveenduserpacketdata.TheTEcanbe,
forexample,alaptopcomputer.TheGPRSsystemprovidesIPconnectivitybetweentheTEandan
InternetServiceProviderorCorporateLAN,connectedtotheGPRSsystem.FromtheTEkbit/s of
view,itispossibletocomparetheMTtoamodemthatconnectstheTEtotheGPRSsystem.
MobileTerminal(MT)
TheMobileTerminal(MT)communicateswithaTE,andovertheairwithaBTS.TheMTmustbe
equippedwithsoftwarefortheGPRSfunctionalitywhenusedinconjunctionwiththeGPRSsystem.
TheMTisassociatedwithasubscriberintheGSMsystem.TheMTestablishesalinktoanSGSN.
ChannelreselectionisprovidedattheradiolinkbetweentheMTandtheSGSN.TheIPconnectionis
staticfromtheTEkbit/sofview,thatis,theTEisnotawareofbeingmobileandretainsitsassigned
IPaddressuntiltheMTdetaches.
MobileStation(MS)
ThecombinationofaTEandanMTisanMS(MobileStation).OfteninthisdocumentasintheETSI
GSM standard for GPRS, the term MS is used when discussing the GPRS features. It can be
concludedfromthecontextwhichpartsrelatetotheMTortheTEparts.NotethattheMTandTE
parts can coexist in the same piece of equipment. GPRS MSs can, depending on the MS and the
networkcapabilities,operateinthreedifferentmodes:
ClassAmodeofoperationallowsanMStohaveacircuitswitchedconnectionatthesametimeas
itisinvolvedinapackagetransfer.
ClassBmodeofoperationallowsanMStobeattachedtobothCSandPSbutitcannotuseboth
servicesatthesametime.However,anMSthatisinvolvedinapackagetransfercanreceiveapage
for circuitswitched traffic. The MS can then suspend the packet transfer for the duration of the
circuitswitchedconnectionandafterwardsresumethepackagetransfer.
ClassCmodeofoperationallowsanMSonlytobeattachedtooneserviceatatime.AnMSthat
onlysupportsGPRSandnotcircuitswitchedtrafficalwaysworksinclassCmodeofoperation.
BaseStationSystem(BSS)
TheBaseStationSystem(BSS)consistsofaBaseStationController(BSC)andaBaseTransceiver
Station(BTS).TheBTSistheradioequipment,whichtransmitsandreceivesinformationovertheair
toallowtheBSCtocommunicatewithMSsintheBSCsservicearea.AgroupofBTSsiscontrolled
by a BSC. The BTS must contain GPRSspecific software. The BSC provides all radiorelated
functions. The BSC has the functionality to set up, supervise, and disconnect circuitswitched and
packetswitched calls. It is a high capacity switch that provides functions including handover, cell
configuration data, and channel assignment. The BSC must be equipped with GPRS hardware and
softwarewhenusedforGPRS.OneorseveralBSCsareservedbyanMSC,andanumberofBSCs
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areservedbyanSGSN.TheBTSseparatestheMSoriginatedcircuitswitchedcallsfrompacketdata
communication,beforetheBSCforwardsCScallstotheMSC/VLR,andPSdatatotheSGSN.The
protocolstowardstheBSCarestandardGSMprotocols,forthedesiredcompatibility.
MobileServicesSwitchingCenter(MSC)
TheMobileservicesSwitchingCenter(MSC)performsthetelephonyswitchingfunctionsoftheGSM
circuitswitchedsystem,astheSGSNswitchestheGSMpacketswitchedtraffic.Itcontrolscallsto
andfromothertelephonyanddatasystems,suchasthePublicSwitchedTelephoneNetwork(PSTN),
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), Public Data
Networks,and,possibly,someprivatenetworks.
ServingGPRSSupportNode(SGSN)
TheServingGPRSSupportNode(SGSN)isaprimarycomponentintheGSMnetworkusingGPRS
andisanewcomponentinGSM.TheSGSNforwardsincomingandoutgoingIPpacketsaddressed
to/fromamobilestationthatisattachedwithintheSGSNservicearea.TheSGSNprovides
PacketroutingandtransfertoandfromtheSGSNservicearea.ItservesallGPRSsubscribersthat
arephysicallylocatedwithinthegeographicalSGSNservicearea.AGPRSsubscribermaybeserved
byanySGSNinthenetwork,alldependingonlocation.ThetrafficisroutedfromtheSGSNtothe
BSC,viatheBTStothemobilestation.
Cipheringandauthentication,
Sessionmanagement
Mobilitymanagement
LogicallinkmanagementtowardstheMS
ConnectiontoHLR,MSC,BSC,SMSGMSC,SMSIWMSC,GGSN
Outputofchargingdata.TheSGSNcollectscharginginformationforeachMSrelatedtotheradio
networkusage.
BoththeSGSNandtheGGSNcollectcharginginformationonusageoftheGPRSnetworkresources.
GatewayGPRSSupportNode(GGSN)
Like the SGSN, the Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) is a primary component in the GSM
networkusingGPRSanditisanewcomponent.TheGGSNprovides
The interface towards the external IP packet networks. The GGSN, therefore, contains access
functionalitythatinterfacesexternalISPfunctionslikeroutersandRADIUSservers(RemoteAccess
DialInUserService),whichareusedforsecuritypurposes.FromtheexternalIPnetworkskbit/s
pointofview,theGGSNactsasarouterfortheIPaddressesofallsubscribersservedbytheGPRS
network.TheGGSN,thus,exchangesroutinginformationwiththeexternalnetwork
GPRSsessionmanagementcommunicationsetuptowardsexternalnetwork
FunctionalityforassociatingthesubscriberstotherightSGSNsoftraffic.
Output of charging data. The GGSN collects charging information for each MS, related to the
externaldatanetworkusage.BoththeGGSNandtheSGSNcollectcharginginformationontheusage
oftheGPRSnetworkresources.
HomeLocationRegister(HLR)
The Home Location Register (HLR) is the database that holds subscription information for every
personwhohasboughtasubscriptionfromtheGSM/GPRSoperator.TheHLRstoresinformationfor
CS and for PS communication. The HLR contains information about, for example, supplementary
services,authenticationparameters,andwhetherornotpacketcommunicationisallowed.Inaddition,
the HLR includes information about the location of the MS. For GPRS, subscriber information is
exchanged between HLR and SGSN. Note that the authentication triplets for GPRS are fetched
directlyfromtheHLRtotheSGSN,thatis,itdoesnotusetheMSC/VLRlikeforCSGSM.Formore
information,seesectionVisitorLocationRegister(VLR)FunctionalityinSGSNandinMSC,above.
TheinformationgoingfromtheHLRtotheSGSNiswhattheoperatorsetsupforthesubscriber.This
informationtransferoccurswhentheoperatorchangessubscriberinformation,orwhenanewSGSN
needstohavedataforasubscriberafterattachorroaming.TheoldSGSNalsoreceivesinformation
abouttheroaming.TheinformationgoingfromtheSGSNtotheHLRistheroutinginformationthat
istransferreduponMSaction,forexample,attachorroaming.Foraroamingmobile,theHLRmay
beinadifferentPLMNthantheSGSNservingthemobile.
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GatewayMobileServicesSwitchingCenter(GMSC)
TheGatewayMobileservicesSwitchingCenter(GMSC)switchesthecircuitswitchedcallsbetween
theGSMcircuitswitched network and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), that is, the
fixedtelephonynetwork.TheGMSCisnotchangedforusebytheGPRSsystem.
NonGPRSSpecificSystemComponents
ThosecomponentsthatarenotspecifictotheGPRSsystemwillonlybediscussedintermsoftheir
involvement in the packet data services. Such components include, for example, the Authentication
Center(AUC).SincethemobilestationsuseIPaddresses,youcanconnectfromtheGPRSsystemto
InternetProtocolservices,obtainedfromanInternetServiceProviderorfromaCorporateLAN.The
servicescanbe,forexample,WorldWideWeb,email,ortelemetry.
BSC/TRCHARDWAREANDBASICCONCEPTS
TheBSC/TRCnodecomprisesallhardwarethatconstitutethestandalonenodesTRCandBSC,so
thiswillbeexplainedfirst.Thedifferencesarebrieflydescribedlateroninthechapter.

GROUPSWITCH(GS)
TheGSisthecentralpartoftheBSC/TRC.TheGSconnectsanincomingchannelwithanoutgoing
channel. For example, it can connect any incoming PCM timeslot and send it out on any outgoing
PCM link on any timeslot. The GS comprises Time Switch Modules (TSM) and Space switch
Modules(SPM)andcanswitchdownto64kbit/s.Ifswitchingshouldbedonetolowerbitrates,for
example,16kbit/s,theSubRateSwitch(SRS)mustbeused.
SwitchingNetworkTerminal(SNT)
All equipment connected to the group switch uses the same standardized interface, which is called
Switching Network Terminal (SNT). The SNT is a software concept and represents the software
connection of the physical hardware to the Group Switch. The hardware is normally referred to as
devicehardware.EachSNTisconnectedtotheGSataSwitchingNetworkTerminalPoint(SNTP).
InFigure23,thefollowingdevicehardwareisshown,whichwillbefurtherexplainedinthechapter:
ExchangeTerminalCircuit(ETC)
Signalingno.7terminal(ST7,C7ST)
TranscoderandRateAdaptor(TRA)
TransceiverHandler(TRH)
SubrateSwitch(SRS)
Device(DEV)
As previously mentioned, the hardware connected to the GS is referred to as device hardware. A
deviceistheresourcethateachSNThasconnectedtotheGS.Dependingonwhatdevicehardware
andwhatsoftwareisloadedthedevicecanhavedifferentcapabilities.Thedevicesandtheirnames
willbeexplainedundereachdevicehardware.
EXCHANGETERMINALCIRCUIT(ETC)
TheETCboardisthecommonhardwareintheAXEtohandlethePCMtransmissionlinks,inthis
casebetweentheMSCBSCandBSCRBS.Thelinkscaneitherbe1.5Mbit/s(T1)or2Mbit/s(E1)
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PCM links. The two link types use different hardware, that is, for BYB 501, which is the latest
building practice, the 1.5 Mbit/s uses ETCT1 boards and the 2 Mbit/s uses ETC5 boards. What
differs,though,betweentheETCboardstowardstheMSCandthosetowardstheRBSs,isthatthey
havedifferentsoftwareloaded.Thismeansthattheresourcesarenameddifferently.Figure24shows
thedifferentnamesandconceptsconnectedtothePCMlinksinanE1system.

ETRALTandETRBLT
Figure 24 illustrates two types of SNTs: The ETRALT and the ETRBLT use the same type of
hardware (ETC), but they are loaded with different types of software. This means that they have
slightly different functions. The SNT concept supervises everything from the connection to the GS,
theSNTP,totheoutputfromtheETCboard.TheDigitalPath(DIP)thentakesoverthesupervision
ofthePCMlink.
DigitalPath(DIP)
DigitalPath(DIP)isthenameofthefunctionusedforsupervisionoftheconnectedPCMlines.ITU
T has issued recommendations which state how the PCM links should be supervised. All these
recommendationsareimplementedintheDIPfunctionandtheETC.DependingonwhetherthePCM
linkgoestowardtheMSCortheRBStheDIPwillhavedifferentnames.RALTtowardstheMSCand
RBLTtowardstheRBSs.RBLTstandsforRTSABisinterfaceLineTerminalwhereasRTSstands
forRadioTransmission&TransportSubsystem.RALTstandsforRTSAinterfaceLineTerminal.
RBLTDevices
EachTimeSlot(TS),whichis64kbit/s,onthePCMlinktowardstheRBSiscalledanRBLTdevice.
The device is a resource that the BSC can store information on. In this case it is either LAPD
signalingorspeechtowardstheRBS.ThenumberofRBLTdevicesis32onanE1PCMlinkand24
on aT1PCM link. Figure24illustratesanE1 PCMsystem.Thenumbering of theRBLTdevices
starts from 1 to 31 for the first DIP RBLT0. This is written as 1&&ampampamp31,wherethe
"&&"standforhowtospecifyarangeofnumbersinanAXEcommand.Itshouldalsobenotedthat
the RBLT devices 0, 32, 64, and 96 are not used. It is TS 0 on the PCM link that is used for
synchronizationandwhich,therefore,cannotbeusedforotherpurposes.ThisisnotthecaseinaT1
PCM link, where synchronization is performed differently. In the T1 system, the devices are also
calledRBLT24devices.ThereisamoredetailedexplanationofwhattheRBLTdevicescanbeused
forintheAbischapter.
RALTDevices
EachTimeSlot(TS),whichis64kbit/s,onthePCMlinktowardstheMSCiscalledanRALTdevice.
ThedeviceisaresourcethattheBSCcanstoreinformationon.Inthiscase,itiseitherC7signalingor
speech towards the MSC. The numbering principle of the RALT devices are the same as for the
RBLTdevices.
ETC155MBIT/S
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ETC155hardwarecanbeusedforconnectingdifferentswitchestotheSDHtransportnetwork.The
interfacemaybeopticalfibersorelectricalcables.

DESCRIPTION
The SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) standard was originally introduced into transmission
networks (now called transport networks). Now, the BSC can be connected via SDH to the MSC.
ETC 155 is an SDH interface, supporting both electrical (155.52 MHz) and optical (1310 nm)
communication. The ET155 terminates an STM1 (Synchronous Transfer Mode) and contains 63
E1/T1.TheETC155isnotapartoftheSDHnetworkbutisconnectedtotheSDHnetwork.
TRANSCODERANDRATEADAPTOR(TRA)
TheTRAisthefunctionresponsibleforthespeechcodingandrateadaptionofincomingspeechand
data from the MSC and the RBS. The hardware where the function is implemented is called
TranscoderandRateAdaptionBoard(TRAB).Ithasthefollowingbasicfunctions:
Transcodingofspeechinformation.Speechat64kbit/sto/fromtheMSCistranscodedto13kbit/s
to/from the RBS enabling four compressed channels to be multiplexed onto one 64 kbit/s channel.
ThisisifFullRate(FR)orEnhancedFullRate(EFR)isused,whichhaveabitrateof13/15.1kbit/s.
ForHalfRate(HR)speechistranscodedto6.5kbit/s
Additionalcontrolinformation,3kbit/sforFR,0.9forEFR,and1,5kbit/sforHR,isaddedtothe
transcodedratetowardstheRBSgivingafinaloutputof16kbit/sor8kbit/s.Thecontrolinformation
whichiscalledinbandsignaling, basically tells what type of information the information contains,
forexample,speech,data.
Rate adaptation of data information. The maximum data rate supported at present in GSM is
14.4kbit/sperTS.WithHighSpeedCircuitSwitchedData(HSCSD)itispossibletohavehigherbit
rates,sincethentheMSwillbeassignedmorethanoneTS.
Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) functions on both uplink and downlink. This reduces the
interferenceinthenetworkandsavesmobilebatteries.
Figure26illustrateshowtheTRAworks.

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Theincoming64kbit/sissentthroughtheGStotheTRA.Four64kbit/schannelsaretranscodedto
16kbit/s(FRandEFR)andmultiplexedontoone64kbit/s.TheyarethensentoutviatheGStothe
RBSontheAbisinterfaceonanRBLTdevice.
MultiplexingandDemultiplexingofChannels
Thetranscodermultiplexesanumberoftranscodedchannelsintoone64kbpschannel,usedbetween
theBSCandBTS.Thenumberofmultiplexedchannelsdependsonthetypeofspeechcodec:
FourtrafficchannelsforFRorEFR.
EighttrafficchannelsforHR.
In terms of hardware, a TRAEM consists of 32 devices, requires 32 GS inlets, and can handle 24
TCHs.
InanFRorEFRTRAEM:
SixMUXshandle24multiplexedchannelstowardstheBTS.
24DEMUXshandlethedemultiplexedchannelstowardstheMSC.
FourDEMUXsarestaticallyconnectedtoeachMUXdevice.

InanHRTRAEM:
ThreeMUXshandle24multiplexedchannelstowardstheBTS.
24DEMUXshandlethedemultiplexedchannelstowardstheMSC.
EightDEMUXsarestaticallyconnectedtoeachMUXdevice.

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Inbothconfigurations,twoTRABsareused(forTRAUtypeTRAR4).TherelationbetweenaTRA
EMandanSNTisonetoone.Theconnectionanddisconnectionofatranscoderdevicetoandfrom
anSNTisperformedbycommand.Furthermore,aprintoutoftranscoderdevicestatesandtranscoder
SNTconnectionscanbeobtainedbycommand.Beforethetranscoderequipmentcanbeseizedfora
connectiontowardstheBTS,itmustbephysicallyandlogicallyconnected,andmanuallydeblocked.
The transcoder equipment requested can be either semipermanently connected or seized in a
transcoderpool:
Transcoder devices can be semipermanently connected through the GS for FR only. Once the
connectionisestablished,itispossibletouseitfortrafficassoonassynchronizationisestablished
betweenthetranscoderandtheBTS.
Pooled transcoder devices are seized according to TRA capability and availability. The
connectionsthroughtheGS,foratranscoderdeviceseizedinatranscoderpool,aresetuponaper
callbasis.
TRADevicesandSNT
Each SNT in Figure26has 30 devices, for example, SNT > RTTF1S10 has devices RTTF1D1
2&&31.Fromthisyoucandeduce,usingFigure29below,thatthisisTRAR5hardware,withan
FRspeechversion.Thenumberof64kbit/sthatcanbetranscodedonthistypeofTRAis24.Theyare
called demultiplexed (DEMUX) devices. The other six devices are called multiplexed (MUX)
devices.OneMUXdeviceis16kbit/s(FRandEFR)andaDEMUXdeviceis64kbit/s.

TranscodersinPooland
SemipermanentlyConnectedTranscoders
Thetranscoder devices can either be in a pool or be semipermanently connected. If they are semi
permanentlyconnected,thetranscoderdeviceisalwaysconnectedtothesameTSintheRBS.This
means that the resource is not accessible for others, even if there is no ongoing traffic. One TRA
deviceisrequiredforeachairTS,whichwillrequirealotofTRAboards.Toputthetranscodersina
pool,transcodersareseizedonapercallbasisleadingtobetterutilizationoftheinstalledtranscoder
hardware. Figure 210 illustrates how the TRA in pool generally works and the hardware that is
involved.
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In this configuration of the transcoder, the TRA resources can be set to be pools. In one
BSC/TRCtherecanbedifferentpools,forexample,onepoolwithEFRdevices,onewithFRdevices,
and one with HR devices. Depending on what MS equipment should be connected, the BSC/TRC
seizesadevicethatisdependentoneachMS'scapabilities,forexample,notallMSscanhandleEFR,
andreleasesthedevicewhenthecallisterminated.Thisresultsinlesshardwarebeingrequired,since
all people in the BSC area will not call simultaneously. There is seldom congestion, due to no
available TRA devices in the pool. To be able to handle semipermanently connected transcoders,
there is no need for extra hardware. However, if "transcoders in pool" are going to be used, the
BSC/TRCmusthaveaSubrateSwitch(SRS).ThereasonforthisisthatdifferentTRAresources,for
example, FR and EFR, are mixed onto the same 64 kbit/s, and the GS (as previously mentioned)
cannotswitchlowerthan64kbit/s.TheSRScanswitchdownto8kbit/sandcanthenputdifferent16
kbit/sdevicesonthesame64kbit/s.TheSRSfunctionisexplainedbelow.
TRANSCEIVERHANDLER(TRH)
The TRH performs the activities that are required to control the RBS and the transceivers, and is
responsibleforamultitudeoffunctionsincluding:
HandlingofsignalingontheLinkAccessProtocolontheDchannel(LAPD)linkbetweenBSC
BTS.
Handling of logical channel addressing part of signaling to/from the BTS and mobile stations
(MS).
ProcessingofmeasurementdatafromtheBTSandMSs
OperationandmaintenanceoftheBTS.
Figure211illustratestheprincipleoftheTRH.

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TRHDevicesandSNT
EachSNTinFigure211has32devices.TheSNT,inthiscase,iscalledRHSNTandithandlesthe
TRHdevices,namedRHDEV.EachtransceiverintheRBSmusthaveasignalingconnectiontowards
theBSC.ThedevicehandlingthesignalingconnectiontowardstheRBSistheRHDEV.OneRHDEV
issemipermanentlyconnectedtoonetransceiverintheRBS.
As previously mentioned, the RHSNT has 32 devices, but in reality only 24 of them are usable
(RPG2).ThisisduetothefactthatoneTSisusedfortestpurposesandtheothersareexcludedsoas
not to load the TRH with tasks. That is why the numbering in the picture states RHDEV
1&&ampampamp24andRHDEV33&&56.
The TRH that is explained above, is the latest TRH which uses Regional Processor Group (RPG)
hardware. The older hardware that uses Regional Processor Device (RPD) hardware has only eight
RHDEVsperboard,sevenofwhichcanbeused.TheLAPDprotocolisexplainedfurtherintheAbis
chapter.
SUBRATESWITCH(SRS)
Subrateswitchingallowsfortheconnectionofrateslowerthan64kbit/s.Theratesallowedaren*8
kbit/s (where n=1>7). An example of how the SRS can be used to switch calls to different
destinationsusingonlyoneTRAresourceisillustratedinFigure212.Four64kbit/stimeslotsthat
contain speech arrive at the BSC from the MSC. The TRH controls the call setup and determines
whethertheSRSshouldbeused,whichTRAshouldbeused,thecalltype,destinationBTS,etc.The
GSsetsupconnectionstotheTRAwhichtranscodesthefour64kbit/schannelsintofour16kbit/s.
The4x16kbit/schannelsarethenmultiplexedintoone64kbit/schannelwhichisreturnedtotheGS.
In this example, the destination of two of the calls is BTS1, and of the other two calls, BTS2. The
TRHhasthisinformationanddeterminesthatitisnecessarytosetupaconnectiontowardstheSRS.
TheSRSswitchesthe16kbit/ssubratechannelstotwo64kbit/schannelsthatarereturnedtotheGS.
Hereafter,theGScansetupconnectionstowardsBTS1andBTS2,whichcontainthecorrectsubrate
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The SRS is required when TRA in pool is used. In addition, it is needed when utilizing LAPD
multiplexing,whichoccurswhenthespeechandsignalingtowardstheRBSismultiplexedontothe
same64kbit/s.ThiswillbeexplainedfurtherintheAbischapter.
SIGNALTERMINALNO.7(ST7)
TheMSCmusthavetheabilitytosignalwiththeBSC.ThisisdoneusingSignalingTerminals(ST).
Thesignalingdevicesarecalled,forexample,C7ST2CforE1PCMlinks.Thesignalingbetweenthe
MSCandBSCisslightlydifferentinaT1network,sinceT1hasaseparatesignalingnetwork.This
meansthatthereisnoconnectionbetweentheGSandtheST.Generally,therearetwosignalingTSs
between the BSC and MSC. Whereas one is sufficient for all signaling, the second is installed for
redundancypurposes.
PROCESSORS(RPANDCP)
TheRPsaredesignedtoexecutesimplehighrepetitionfunctionsandaremainlyusedforthedirect
controlofthehardwareunitsoftheapplicationsystems.Thesehardwareunitsofferthetrafficdevices
oftheexchange,forexample,ETC,TRA.TheCPsexecutecomplexanddatademandingtasks.The
standardRPsarecalledeitherRPM6AorRP4,butthereareafewothertypes.
RegionalProcessorDevice(RPD)
TheRPDdevicehardwarecansupplyTRHorC7signalingandisintegratedwiththeRP.
RegionalProcessorGroup(RPG)
TheRPGhasthesamefunctionalityastheRPD,butithashighercapacitythantheRPD.TheRPG,
withdifferentsoftwareloaded,can,intheBSC,serveasTRH,C7,orSTCterminal.
STANDALONETRCANDBSC
TRC
The Transcoder Controller (TRC) node contains the pooled transcoder resources and is a stand
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TheTRCisconnectedtotheMSCviatheAinterfaceandtotheBSCviatheATerInterface.The
TRCnodehastheabilitytosupportupto16BSCsovertheAter interface. The transcoders in the
various TRAnscoder (TRA) pools in a TRC can be shared between all BSCs, associated with the
TRC.OneoftheconnectedBSCsmayberesidingonthesamephysicalplatformastheTRC,thatis,
in a combined BSC/TRC network element. One TRC can be connected to up to four MSCs. This
makesitpossibletobuildratherlargeTRCssupportingseveralMSCs.OneBSCisstillcontrolledby
one specific MSC. The TRC can contain several transcoder resource pools, one pool per type of
transcoder resource, for example, Full Rate, Enhanced Full Rate, and Half Rate. The Ainterface
signalingremainsunchangedinthenewsystemstructure.ForthecommunicationbetweentheTRC
and a remote BSC, a C7 based Ericsson proprietary communication protocol is used. Concerning a
combinedBSC/TRC,internalsignalingbetweentheTRCandBSCpartisused.
The TRC node handles the Ater transmission interface resources. The operation and maintenance
signalingandthehandlingoftheAterinterfacearesimilartothecurrentimplementationontheA
interface. At call setup and after signaling connection setup, an assignment request is sent via the
MSCtotheBSC.TherequestissentdirectlytotheBSCandcanpasstransparentlythroughtheTRC.
The BSC receives the assignment request and requests a transcoder device from the TRC, also
indicating the Ainterface Circuit Identification (CIC) to be used for this specific call. The TRC
allocatesatranscoder device and the time slot on the Ater interface, which is connected to the A
interfaceCIC,specifiedbytheMSC.TheTRCrepliestotheBSC,whichestablishestheconnection
tothemobile.
BSC
ThestandaloneBSChasbeendevelopedandoptimizedespeciallyforruralandsuburbanareasandis
a complement to the BSC/TRC node in the BSC product portfolio. The BSC contains the SRS and
TRH, as previously explained. The BSC, however, does not contain any transcoders. It utilizes
transcoder resources from a central BSC/TRC, or from a TRC node. The BSC is connected to the
BSC/TRC,ortheTRCviatheAterinterface.

PCMLINKDEVICETYPES
Figure 215 illustrates the different names of the PCM link devices in the three types of BSS
implementation.

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BSCCONFIGURATION

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