GSM Mobility Management

GSM architecture overview

Network layout
Protocols
Addresses & identifiers
Location management
Call delivery + location update
Security
Handover management
Originals by: Rashmi Nigalye, Mouloud Rahmani, Aruna Vegesana, Garima Mittal, Fall 2001
Prof. M. Veeraraghavan, Polytechnic University, New York
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 GSM network layout

PLMN: Public Land Mobile Network

GSM Network MSC: Mobile Switching Center

(PLMN) BTS: Base Transceiver Station

BSC: Base Station Controller

MSC region MSC region

Location area Location

BSC area
BSC
BTS BTS MSC region

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GSM network layout

PSTN
ISDN
OMC

BSC
MSC GMSC
E
Abis
BTS BSC A B,C

HLR
EIR
BTS VLR
AUC
BTS Um
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 GSM MAP protocol

GSM MAP similar to IS41 MAP

MAP uses Transactions Capabilities
Part (TCAP) of the SS7 stack
MAP functions:
Updating of location information in VLRs
Storing routing information in HLRs
Updating and supplementing user profiles
in HLRs
Handoff of connections between MSCs

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 What is a location area (LA)?

A powered-on mobile is informed of an incoming

call by a paging message sent over the PAGCH
channel of a cell
One extreme is to page every cell in the network
for each call - a waste of radio bandwidth
Other extreme is to have a mobile send location
updates at the cell level. Paging cut to 1 cell, but
large number of location updating messages.
Hence, in GSM, cells are grouped into Location
Areas updates sent only when LA is changed;
paging message sent to all cells in last known LA

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 Addresses and Identifiers
International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI)
It is similar to a serial number. It is allocated by equipment
manufacturer, registered by network, and stored in EIR
International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)

MCC MNC MSIN

MCC: Country Code
MNC: Mobile Network Code
MSIN: Mobile Subscriber Identification Number

When subscribing for service with a network, subscriber receives (IMSI)

and stores it in the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card.
The HLR can be identified by a VLR/MSC from the IMSI.
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 Addresses and Identifiers

Mobile Subscriber ISDN (MSISDN)

The real telephone number: assigned to
the SIM
The SIM can have several MSISDN
numbers for selection of different
services like voice, data, fax
CC NDC SN

NDC: National Destination Code (NDC identifies operator);

SN: Subscriber Number; CC: Country Code;
Digits following NDC identifies the HLR
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 Addresses and Identifiers

Mobile Station Roaming Number

(MSRN)
It is temporary location dependent
ISDN number
It is assigned by local VLR to each MS in
its area.

CC NDC SN

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 Addresses and identifiers

Temporary Mobile Subscriber

Identity (TMSI)
It is an alias of the IMSI and is used in its place for
privacy.
It is used to avoid sending IMSI on the radio path.
It is an temporary identity that is allocated to an MS by
the VLR at inter-VLR registration, and can be changed by
the VLR
TMSI is stored in MS SIM card and in VLR.

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 TMSI, IMSI, MSRN and MSISDN

Unlike MSISDN, IMSI is not known to the GSM user. The

CC of MSISDN translates to an MCC of IMSI as follows,
e.g, Denmark CC: 45 MCC: 238
TMSI is used instead of IMSI during location update to
protect privacy. As user moves, TMSI is used to send
location update. Thus a third party snooping on the wireless
link cannot track a user as he/she moves.
MSRN is the routing number that identifies the current
location of the called MS.
MSRN is temporary network identity assigned to a mobile
subscriber.
MSRN identifies the serving MSC/VLR.
MSRN is used for call delivery (calls incoming to an MS).
MSISDN is the dialed number to reach a GSM user

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 Addresses and Identifiers

Location Area ID (LAI)

CC: Country Code, MNC:Mobile Network
Code, LAC: Location Area Code
LAI is broadcast regularly by Base
Station on BCCH
Each cell is identified uniquely as
belonging to an LA by its LAI

CC MNC LAC

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 Location management

Set of procedures to:

track a mobile user
find the mobile user to deliver it calls
Current location of MS maintained by
2-level hierarchical strategy with
HLRs and VLRs.

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 Ways to obtain MSRN
1. Obtaining at location update MSRN for the MS
is assigned at the time of each location update,
and is stored in the HLR. This way the HLR is in
a position to immediately supply the routing info
(MSRN) needed to switch a call through to the
local MSC.
2. Obtaining on a per call basis This case requires
that the HLR has at least an identification for
the currently responsible VLR. When routing
info is requested from the HLR, it first has to
obtain the MSRN from the VLR. This MSRN is
assigned on a per call basis, i.e. each call involves
a new MSRN assignment

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 Routing information: case when MSRN
is selected per call by VLR/MSC

MSISDNIMSI, VLR number

HLR

MSISDN
MSRN
GMSC MSC/VLR

If MSRN is allocated to each subscriber visiting at an MSC, then

the number of MSRNs required is large. If instead, an MSRN is
allocated only when a call is to be established, then the number of
MSRNs is roughly equal to number of circuits at MSC a much
smaller number hence MSRNs typically allocated per call by
VLR/MSC 14
 Call routing to a mobile station:
case when HLR returns MSRN
1
MSISDN

GMSC ISDN
LA 1 4 1
MSRN

2
3
MSISDN
BSC MSRN MSC
BTS MSC HLR
7
TMSI

5
7
MSRN
TMSI
LA 2
BSC
EIR
BTS
8 7
TMSI TMSI
VLR
AUC
6
MS BTS
TMSI 15
 Messages exchanged: call delivery

1 GMSC 5 4
PSTN
2 HLR 3 VLR

6
Target
MSC

Target
VLR MSC
GMSC HLR
Originating
1. ISUP IAM
Switch 2. MAP_SEND_ROUTING_INFO
3. MAP_PROVIDE_ROAMING_NUMBER

4. MAP_PROVIDE_ROAMING_NUMBER_ack

5. MAP_SEND_ROUTING_INFO_ack
6. ISUP IAM
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 Find operation in GSM
ISDN switch recognizes from the MSISDN that
the call subscriber is a mobile subscriber.
Therefore, forward the call to the GMSC of the
home PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network)
GMSC requests the current routing address
(MSRN) from the HLR using MAP
By way of MSRN the call is forwarded to the local
MSC
Local MSC determines the TMSI of the MS (by
querying VLR) and initiates the paging procedure in
the relevant LA
After MS responds to the page the connection can
be switched through.
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 GSM security
Authentication
What signed response (SRES) are you able to
derive from the input challenge RAND by
applying the A3 algorithm with your personal
key Ki (Ki is per subscriber)?

Ki RAND (128bit) Ki RAND

A3 algorithm A3 algorithm

MS SRES network
SRES
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equal?
 GSM security
Encryption
Digital technology easy to encrypt voice data
A5 derives a ciphering sequence of 114 bits for each
burst independently
XOR 114 bits of a radio burst with 114 bits of a ciphering
sequence generated by A5
BTS
MS Kc (64 bits) frame number Kc frame number
(22 bits)

A5 algorithm A5 algorithm
S1(114) S2(114) ciphering S1 S2 deciphering
deciphering ciphering 19
 Key management
Ciphering key Kc is generated using algorithm A8 in the same
manner as SRES (from RAND and Ki)
Each time a mobile station is authenticated the MS and
network compute the ciphering key Kc by running algorithm
A8 with the same inputs RAND and Ki as for SRES
Ciphering with Kc applies only when the network knows the
identity of the subscriber it is talking to.
Bootstrap period during which network does not know
who the subscriber is
Up to and including the first message carrying the non-
ambiguous subscriber identity is carried in the clear
(unencrypted)
Protection: use TMSI instead of IMSI when possible
TMSI should be exchanged during protected signaling
(ciphered) procedures

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 Location registration
MS has to register with the PLMN to get communication
services
Registration is required for a change of PLMN
MS has to report to current PLMN with its IMSI and
receive new TMSI by executing Location Registration
process.
The TMSI is stored in SIM, so that even after power on or
off, there is only normal Location Update.
If the MS recognizes by reading the LAI broadcast on
BCCH that it is in new LA, it performs Location Update to
update the HLR records.
Location update procedure could also be performed
periodically, independent of the MS movement.
The difference in Location Registration and Location Update
is that in location update the MS has already been assigned
a TMSI.
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 MS BSS/MSC VLR HLR AUC
Location registration
IMSI Ki
Loc.Upd.Req
Upd Loc.Area Auth.Info.Req
(IMSI,LAI) Aut.Par.Req
(IMSI,LAI) (IMSI)
(IMSI)
Authenticate Aut. Info.
Auth.Info
Authentic. Req (IMSI,Kc, (IMSI,Kc,
(RAND) RAND,SRES)
(RAND) RAND,SRES)

Ki RAND

SRES
A3 & A8
Kc SRES
Auth.Resp. Auth.Resp
(SRES)
(SRES) Update
Location
(IMSI,MSRN)
Generate Contd...
TMSI 22
 (contd) Location registration.

MS BSS/MSC VLR HLR AUC

Generate
TMSI

Start Ciph. Ins.Subsc.Data

(Kc) (IMSI)
Forw. New TMSI
Subs.Dat.Ins.Ack
(TMSI)
Ciph.Mod.Com. Loc.Upd.Accept
Kc Message M Loc.Upd.Accept (IMSI)
A5
Kc(M) Ciph.Mod.

Kc(M) Kc Kc(M)
New TMSI is received by MS
A5 (TMSI Reallocation) in ciphering mode.
M
TMSI Realloc.Cmd.

Loc.Upd.Accept can be combined

TMSI Realloc.Ack
TMSI.Ack
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MS BSS/MSC VLR HLR AUC
Location update
IMSI, TMSI
Ki, Kc, LAI
Loc.Upd.Req
Update Loc.Area
(TMSI,LAI)
(TMSI,LAI)

Authentication
Update Location
(IMSI,MSRN)

Generate
TMSI

Start ciphering Insert Subscriber. data

(Kc) IMSI
Subs. Data Insert Ack
Start ciphering. (contd..)

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 (..contd) Location update.

MS BSS/MSC VLR HLR AUC

Start ciphering.

Forward new TMSI

(TMSI)
Loc. Upd. Acept
(IMSI)
Loc. Upd. Acept

TMSI Realloc. Cmd.

Auth. Para. Req
(IMSI)
Loc. Upd. Acept
Auth. Info.
Auth.Info.Req
(IMSI,Kc, RAND,SRES)
TMSI Reallocation TMSI Ack (IMSI)
Complete Auth.Info
(IMSI,Kc, RAND,SRES)
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 Types of handover
(same as handoff)

There are four different types of

handover in the GSM system. Handover
involves transferring a call between:
Channels (time slots) in the same cell
Cells (Base Transceiver Stations) under the
control of the same Base Station Controller
(BSC),
Cells under the control of different BSCs, but
belonging to the same Mobile services
Switching Center (MSC), and
Cells under the control of different MSCs.

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 Attributes of radio-link handover

Hard handover
MAHO
Backward
COS selection scheme: static
Cross-over switch: anchor switch

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 Handover (MAHO)

Handovers are initiated by the BSS/MSC

(as a means of traffic load balancing).
During its idle time slots, the mobile scans
the Broadcast Control Channel of up to 16
neighboring cells, and forms a list of the
six best candidates for possible handover,
based on the received signal strength.
This information is passed to the BSC and
MSC, at least once per second, and is used
by the handover algorithm.

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 Handover procedures in GSM
8
Connection route

MSC-A MSC-B
MSC-C
1
6 8
BSC
4 3

BTS 1 BSC
BSC
BTS 2

2
BTS 3
BTS 3
5 7 29
 Inter MSC basic handover
MS/BSS 1 MSC-A MSC-B VLR-B
Handover required Perform Handover Allocate Handover number

Handover report
Radio chan. Ack
IAM MS/BSS 2
ACM
HA Indication HB Indication

HB Confirm
Send End Signal

ANS

End of Call REL

RLC
End Signal Handover report
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 Subsequent handover from MSC-B to MSC-A
MS/BSS 1 MSC-A MSC-B MS/BSS 2

HA Required
Perform subsequent
Handover

Subseq. Handover
HB Indication
Acknowledge

HB Confirm
HA Indication
End Signal VLR-B
Handover report
End of Call REL

RLC

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Subsequent handover from MSC-B to MSC-C
MSC-A MSC-B MS

Perform subsequent HA Request

Handover

MSC-C VLR-C

Perform Handover
Allocate Handover
Number

Send Handover report

Radio chan. Ack.

IAM

ACM
HB Indication
(Contd)
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 (contd) Subsequent handover from MSC-B to MSC-C

MSC-A MSC-B MS

Perform subsequent
HA Indication
Acknowledge

MSC-C
HB Confirm
Send End Signal
ANS

MSC-B VLR-B
End Signal

Handoff Report
REL

RLC

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 Abbreviations
ISC: International switching center
OMC: Operations and maintenance center
GMSC: Gateway switching center
MSC: Mobile switching center
VLR: Visitor location register
HLR: Home Location register
EIR: Equipment Identification register
AUC: Authentication center
BSC: Base station controller
BTS: Base transceiver station
MS: Mobile subscriber
TMSI: Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity
IMSI: International Mobile Subscriber Identity

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 References

The GSM Sytem for Mobile

communications by Mouly & Pautet
Wireless and Mobile Network
Architectures by Yi-Bing Lin & Imrich
Chlamtac
Wireless Personal Communications Systems
by Dr. Goodman
GSM Switching, Services and Protocols by
Jorg Eberspacher and Hans-Jorg Vogel

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