An Overview of GPRS

Navjot Kaur Lecturer in ECE, LPU

What is GPRS?

A new bearer service for GSM that greatly improves and simplifies wireless access to packet data networks,e.g to the internet.

Motivation

Speed Immediacy New and better applications User friendly billing

GSM Architecture
PSTN
ISDN MS BTS BSC GMSC PDN

MSC BTS MS BTS MS BSC EIR AUC HLR VLR

GPRS Architecture
Other GPRS PLMN Gp SGSN Gn Gr Gc GGSN D MSC/VLR HLR GGSN

BSC
BTS BTS

Gb

Gf
Gs EIR

Gi

PDN

MS

Protocol Architechture

Transmission Plane
GPRS specifies a tunnel mechanism to transfer user data packets .

Signalling Plane
GTP specifies a tunnel control management protocol.The signalling is used to create modify and delete tunnels.

Registration of a Mobile Node

A mobile station must register itself with GPRS network. GPRS attach GPRS detach GPRS detach can be initiated by the MS or the network.

Session Management
After Successful attach a MS gets one or more Packet Data Protocol(PDP) address.This address is unique only for a particular session. It consists of, PDP type PDP address assigned to MS Requested QoS Address of the corresponding GGSN

Session Management(Contd.)
PDP-Address allocation: Static:Assigned by network operator of Users home PLMN. Dynamic:Assigned by Corresponding GGSN.

PDP Context Activation

MS
Activate PDP Context Request PDP type,PDP Address QoS Requested,Access Point, Security Functions Create PDP Context Request PDP type,PDP Address QoS Negotiated,Access Point, Activate PDP Context Accept PDP type,PDP Address QoS Negotiated,

SGSN

GGSN

Create PDP Context Response PDP type,QoS Negotiated,

Routing
BSC BSC
BTS MS PLMN1
Intra-PLMN GPRS Backbone

BTS SGSN

SGSN

Gn
Border Gateway

Inter-PLMN GPRS Backbone

Gp
Border Gateway

Intra-PLMN GPRS Backbone

PLMN2

Gn Gn

GGSN
Gi
Packet Data Network(PDN) Eg.Internet,Intranet Router LAN Host

SGSN
GGSN

Location Management

MS frequently sends location update messages to inform the SGSN where it is. Determining frequency of update messages is non-trivial. The location update frequency is dependent on the state of the MS.

Location Management(Contd.)
A MS can be in 3 states: IDLE READY STANDBY

Protocol Architechture

Transmission Plane The protocols provide transmission of user data and its associated signalling Signalling Plane Comprises protocols for the control and support of functions of the transmission plane

Transmission Plane

GPRS Backbone:SGSN GGSN

GTP tunnels the user packets and related signalling information between the GPRS support nodes.

Subnetwork dependent convergence protocol

It is used to transfer packets between SGSN and MS

Data link layer

LLC(MS-SGSN) RLC/MAC(MS-BSS)

Physical layer
PLL:channel coding,detection of errors, forward error correction, interleaving, detection of physical link congestion RFL:modulation and demodulation

Network Layer (IP or X.25) Relay SNDCP LLC GTP TCP/UDP IP Data Link Service Phy Layer GTP TCP/UDP IP Data Link Layer Phy layer

Relay
RLC MAC BSSP Network Service BSSGP Network Service Phy Layer

PLL RFL

Phy Layer

Gm BSS RLC :Radio link control PLL :Physical link layer RFL :Physical RF layer MAC:Medium access control

Gb SGSN GGSN BSSGP:BSS GPRS Application protocol GTP :GPRS tunneling protocol TCP :Transmission control protocol UDP :user datagram protocol IP :Internet Protocol

Gi

Transmission Plane

MS Application Network Layer SNDCP LLC RLC

BSS

Relay RLC MAC BSSGP Network Service

PHY Layer

MAC
PLL RFL

PLL RFL

Um

SNDCP:Subnetwork dependent convergence protocol LLC :Logical link control RLC :Radio link control

MS GMM/SM Application LLC Application RLC RLC

BSS

SGSN GMM/SM LLC

Relay BSSGP

BSSGP

MAC
GSM/RF

MAC
GSM RF
Um

Network service
Physical layer
Gb

Network layer
Phy Layer

GMM/SM:GPRS Mobilty Management and session Management Protocol GSM/RF:GSM physical layer(radio interface) I.e.PLL and RFL

Signalling Plane:MSSGSN

SGSN BSSAP SCCP MTP3 MTP2

MSC/VLR BSSAP SCCP MTP3 MTP2

Phy Layer
Gs Signalling Plane SGSN MSC/VLR

Phy Layer

SGSN
MAP TCAP

HLR(and EIR) MAP TCAP

SCCP
MTP3 MTP2 Phy Layer

SCCP
MTP3 MTP2 Phy Layer

Gr MAP TCAP SCCP MTP :Mobile Application Part :Transaction capabilities and application part :Signalling connection control part :Message transfer part

Signalling Plane SGSNHLR/SGSNEIR

GSM TDMA Frame Slots and Bursts

960 MHz 959.8 MHz
124 123 ... 200 KHz ... Downlink 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 TDMA Frame Time Slot

2
935.2 MHz 935 MHz 1

915 MHz 914.8 MHz

124

Data Burst = 156.25 bit periods

123
... 200 KHz ... 2 890.2 MHz 1 TDMA Frame Uplink 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1

890 MHz

GPRS Air Inteface

Time Slot Number
3 4 5 6 7 0 0 F1 F2 F3 1 2 1 2 3 4

Uplink

Carrier Frequency

F4 0 F1 F2 F3 F4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4

Downlink

Voice User1 Voice User2

GPRS User1 GPRS User2

GPRS User3

GPRS Air Interface

Master slave concept

One PDCH acts as Master Master holds all PCCCH channels The rest of channels act as Slaves PDCH(s) are increased or decreased according to demand Load supervision is done in MAC Layer

Capacity on demand

GPRS Logical Channels

Group
Packet data Traffic channel Packet broadcast control channel

Channel
PDTCH PBCCH PRACH

Function
Data Traffic Broadcast Control Random Access Access Grant Paging Notification Associated Control Timing Advance Control

Direction
MS MS MS MS MS MS MS MS BSS BSS BSS BSS BSS BSS BSS BSS

Packet common Control Channel (PCCCH)

PAGCH PPCH PNCH PACCH PTCCH

Packet Dedicated Control Channels

Uplink Data Transfer

MS
PRACH or RACH PAGCH or AGCH PACCH PACCH

BSS Packet channel Request Packet Immediate assignment Packet resource Request Packet resource assignment
Random Access

PDTCH PACCH PDTCH PACCH

Frame Transmission

Transmission

Negative Acknowledgement
Retransmission of blocks in error Acknowledgement

Downlink Data Transfer MS BSS

Packet paging request
PPCH or PCH PRACH or RACH PAGCH or AGCH PACCH PACCH or PAGCH

Packet channel Request Packet Immediate assignment Packet paging response Packet resource assignment
Paging

PDTCH
PACCH PDTCH PACCH

Frame Transmission Negative Acknowledgement Retransmission of blocks in error Acknowledgement

Transmission

Multi Slot Operation

GPRS allows a mobile to transmit data in up to 8 PDCHs (eight-slot operation) 3-bit USF at beginning of each radio block in downlink points to next uplink radio block Comparison with single-slot GSM

Higher delay at higher load Low blocking rate Improved Throughput

Conclusion

GPRS provides efficient access to Packet Data Networks. Multislot operation in GPRS leads to efficient channel utilization. GPRS is more effective for long data packet transmission than short ones.

References

General Packet Radio Service in GSM, Jian Cai and David J. Goodman, Rutgers University, IEEE Communications Magazine, Oct 1997 http://www.comsoc.org/pubs/surveys/3q99issue/bett stetter.html http://www.wsdmag.com/2000/aug2200/38-45.html Wireless Internet Access based on GPRS, IEEE Personal Comm. April 2000.