Chapter One

Introduction to Cellular Communication

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 1/38

 Outline
◊ Introduction

◊ Network Cell Info

Introduction to Cellular Communication

◊ Cellular Systems Evolution

◊ Network Densification

◊ Basic Cellular Systems

 Analog cellular system

 Digital cellular system

◊ Example: GSM
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 2/38
 Introduction
 The Evolution of the Cell Phone
 Calling, texting, taking, pictures,
email, social media, etc.
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 Our cell phones are a vital

component of our daily lives.
 But not too long ago owning a
cell phone meant you were
special, ahead of the curve, on
the cutting edge of technology.
 Now, having a cell phone is not
only normal, it’s essential in our
21st Century world.
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 3/38
 Introduction
 International Mobile
Telecommunications (IMT)
standards
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 IMT-2000 ⇾ 2.5-3G,
 Enhanced IMT-2000 ⇾ 3.5G
 IMT-Advanced ⇾ 4G

 IMT-Advanced targets peak data

rates of 100 Mb/s for high
mobile access (at speeds of up to
250 km/h), & 1 Gb/s for low
mobility access.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 4/38

 Introduction
 Nokia 3220
General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS) is a packet oriented
Introduction to Cellular Communication

mobile data standard on the 2G

& 3G cellular communication
network's global system for
mobile communications (GSM).

Enhanced Data rates for GSM

Evolution (EDGE) is a digital
mobile phone technology that
allows improved data
transmission rates as a
backward-compatible
extension of GSM.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 5/38

 Introduction
 Samsung Galaxy Note 8
 The microSD removable
miniaturized Secure Digital
Introduction to Cellular Communication

flash memory cards.

 HSDPA (High-Speed
Downlink Packet Access) is a
packet-based mobile
telephony protocol used in
3G radio networks to
increase data capacity and
speed up transfer rates.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 6/38

 Introduction
 Samsung Gear S3

Long-Term Evolution (LTE)

Introduction to Cellular Communication

is a standard for wireless

broadband communication
for mobile devices and data
terminals, based on the
GSM/EDGE technologies

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 7/38

 Network Cell Info
 Network Cell Info is a cell network monitor
and measurements log tool (4G, LTE, CDMA,
WCDMA, GSM). It provides also WiFi info.
Introduction to Cellular Communication

It contains many tabs:

 RAW

 Gauge

 PLOT

 STATS

 MAP

 Device + SIM Tab

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 8/38
 Network Cell Info
 Raw tab, provides detailed info on the
wireless connection.
 LTE: Long Term Evolution
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 MCC: Mobile Country Code

 MNC: Mobile Network Code
 CID: Cell ID
 TAC: Tracking Area Code
 RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power
 With this parameter, different cells
using the same carrier frequency can
be compared & HANDOVER or CELL
RESELECTION decisions can be taken.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 9/38

 Network Cell Info
 Raw tab, provides detailed info on the
wireless connection.
 RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 Total power received, including the

INTERFERENCE from neighboring cells
and other sources

 RSRQ: Reference Signal Received Quality.

 It equals the RSRP divided by the RSSI.
The better this value the better can the
signal of the cell be received compared to
the interference generated by other cells.
The RSRQ is expressed on a logarithmic
scale in decibel (dB) & is negative
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 10/38
 Network Cell Info
 Gauge Tab: This is the starting tab showing essential
network signal strength and information for the serving
cell, as well as the neighbor cells.
Introduction to Cellular Communication

(1) SIM1 cells’ information

(2) SIM2 cells’ information (for dual SIM phones with

Android > 5)

(3) WiFi network information

(4) Band information (only for Android 7)

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 11/38

 Network Cell Info
 Plot tab

It shows the evolution of the signal strengths of serving

Introduction to Cellular Communication

and neighbor cells over time, allowing for better network

quality exploration, especially when moving.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 12/38

 Network Cell Info
 Plot2 tab

This tab is plotting signal strength/quality over time, and it

Introduction to Cellular Communication

is more tailored for the LTE wireless system.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 13/38

 Network Cell Info
 Stats Tab

This tab gives essential information on the robustness and

Introduction to Cellular Communication

coverage of your network.

For example you might have a

4G plan, but the network most of the time connects you to

a 2G or 3G wireless network.
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 14/38
 Network Cell Info
 MAP Tab

Tab where measurements are done, and visual location and

Introduction to Cellular Communication

cell info is provided.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 15/38

 Network Cell Info
 Device + SIM Tab
This Tab provides information about the SIM(s) and the
Device.
Introduction to Cellular Communication

1) Hide sensitive data from displaying (in case you want to

take a screenshot

2) Refresh the data of the Tab

3) SIM1 information

4) SIM2 information (for dual SIM phones with Android)

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 16/38

 Back Then: 0 G Wireless Communications
 Mobile radio telephones were used for military communications in early 20th century

 Car-based telephones first introduced in mid 1940s

Introduction to Cellular Communication

 Single large transmitter on top of a tall building

 Single channel used for sending and receiving
 To talk, user pushed a button, enabled transmission and disabled reception
 Became known as “push-to-talk” in 1950s
 CB-radio, taxis, police cars use this technology

 IMTS (Improved Mobile Telephone System) introduced in 1960s

 Used two channels (one for sending, one for receiving)
 No need for push-to-talk
 Used 23 channels from 150 MHz to 450 MHz
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 17/38
 Cellular Systems Generation
 1G (first generation): Voice-oriented systems based on analog technology; ex.:
Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS).
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 2G (second generation): Voice-oriented systems based on digital technology; more

efficient and used less spectrum than 1G; ex.: Global System for Mobile (GSM) and
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)

 3G (third generation): High-speed voice-oriented systems integrated with data

services; ex.: General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA)

 4G (fourth generation): Mobile ultra-broadband Internet access, for example to

laptops with USB wireless modems to smart phones, and to other mobile devices
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 18/38
 Cellular Systems Evolution
Introduction to Cellular Communication

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 19/38

 Now: Network Densification
Introduction to Cellular Communication

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 20/38

 Now: Network Densification
 Why?
 Low power transmitter system: Smaller antennas, less radiations
 Increase network capacity
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 Frequency reuse
 Build robust scalable system
 Account for different user distributions: Rural areas, high density hotspots,
restricted areas
 Flexible network design

 Why not?
 Cost of cells
 User tracking required
 Handovers

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 21/38

 Basic Cellular Systems
 Analog cellular system
 A basic analog cellular system
consists of three subsystems:
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 Mobile unit,
 Cell site,
 Mobile telephone switching
office (MTSO),

with connections to link the three

subsystems.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 22/38

 Basic Cellular Systems
 Analog cellular system
1) Mobile units:
A mobile telephone unit contains a
Introduction to Cellular Communication

control unit, a transceiver, and an

antenna system.

2) Cell site:
The cell site provides interface
between the MTSO and the mobile
units. It has a control unit, radio
cabinets, antennas, a power plant,
and data terminals.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 23/38

 Basic Cellular Systems
 Analog cellular system
3) MTSO:
The switching office, the central
Introduction to Cellular Communication

coordinating element for all cell sites,

contains the cellular processor and
cellular switch.
It interfaces with telephone company
zone offices, controls call processing,
provides operation & maintenance, &
handles billing activities.

4) Connections:
The radio and high-speed data links
connect the three subsystems.
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 24/38
 Basic Cellular Systems
 Analog cellular system

 The MTSO is the heart of the

Introduction to Cellular Communication

analog cellular mobile system. Its

processor provides central
coordination & cellular
administration.

 The cellular switch, which can be

either analog or digital, switches
calls to connect mobile subscribers
to other mobile subscribers and to
the nationwide telephone network.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 25/38

 Basic Cellular Systems
 Digital cellular system
 A basic digital system
Introduction to Cellular Communication

consists of four elements:

 Mobile station (MS),

 Base transceiver
station (BTS),

 Base station controller

(BSC), and

 Switching subsystems
(SS)
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 Basic Cellular Systems
 Digital cellular system
 MS: It consists of two parts,
mobile equipment (ME) &
Introduction to Cellular Communication

subscriber identify module

(SIM).
SIM contains all subscriber-
specific data stored on the MS.

 BTS: It has the Transcoder/Rate

Adapter Unit (TRAU), which
carries out coding and
decoding as well as rate
adaptation in case data rate
varies.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 27/38

 Basic Cellular Systems
 Digital cellular system
 BSC: A new element in digital
systems that performs the
Introduction to Cellular Communication

Radio Resource (RR)

management for the cells
under its control.

BSC also handles handovers,

power management time and
frequency synchronization,
and frequency reallocation
among BTSs.

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 28/38

 Basic Cellular Systems
 Digital cellular system
 Switching subsystems:
Introduction to Cellular Communication

a) MSC (Mobile
Switching Center): The
main function of MSC
is to coordinate the
setup of calls between
MS & PSTN.
b) VLR (Visitor Location
Register): A database of
all mobiles roaming in
the MSC’s area of
control.
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 29/38
 Basic Cellular Systems
 Digital cellular system
 Switching subsystems:
Introduction to Cellular Communication

c) HLR (Home Location

Register): A centralized
database of all
subscribers registered
in a PLMN.

d) AUC (Authentication
Center): Provides HLR
with authentication
parameters & ciphering
keys that are used for
security purposes.
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 30/38
 Basic Cellular Systems
 Digital cellular system
 Switching subsystems:
Introduction to Cellular Communication

e) EIR (Equipment Identity

Register): A database for
storing all registered
mobile equipment
numbers.

f) OMC (Operational and

Maintenance Center):
This function resided in
analog MSC but
became a separated
entity in digital systems.
Hassan TERMOS, PhD 31/38
 Basic Cellular Systems
 Digital cellular system
 Different Services:
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 CSPDN: Circuit Switched

Public Data Network
 ISDN: Integrated Services
Digital Network
 PLMN: Public Land Mobile
Network
 PSPDN: Packet Switched
Public Data Network
 PSTN: Public Switched
telephone network

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 32/38

 Analog Vs. Digital
 HOW?

 Mobile Station: User’s phone

Introduction to Cellular Communication

 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)

 Base Station

 Network Components:
 Switching modules
 Registers: Equipment identity, authentication, location

Hassan TERMOS, PhD 33/38

 Example: GSM
GSM: Global
System For Mobile
Introduction to Cellular Communication

GSM Architecture
GSM consists of many
subsystems:
 MS,
 BSS,
 NSS: (Network and
Switching Sub-
System), and
 OSS: Operation Sub-
System

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 Example: GSM
 GSM offers

 Several types of connections

Introduction to Cellular Communication

 voice connections, data connections, short message service

 Multi-service options (combination of basic services)

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 Example: GSM
 Three service domains

 Bearer Services – interface to the physical medium (transparent for example in

Introduction to Cellular Communication

the case of voice or non transparent for data services).

 Telematic Services – services provided by the system to the end user (e.g., voice,
SMS, fax, etc.)

 Supplementary Services – associated with the tele services: call forwarding,

redirection, etc.

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 Example: GSM
 Performance characteristics of GSM
 Communication
 mobile, wireless digital communication; support for voice and data services
Introduction to Cellular Communication

 Total mobility
 International access, chip-card enables use of access points of different providers.
 Worldwide connectivity
 One number, the network handles localization
 High capacity
 Better frequency efficiency, smaller cells, more customers per cell
 High transmission quality
 High audio quality
 Uninterrupted phone calls at higher speeds (from cars, trains) – better handoffs
 Security functions
 Access control, authentication via chip-card and PIN
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 Example: GSM
 Disadvantages of GSM

 There is no perfect system!!

Introduction to Cellular Communication

 No end-to-end encryption of user data

 No full ISDN bandwidth of 64 kbit/s to the user, no transparent B-channel

 Abuse of private data possible

 Roaming profiles accessible

 High complexity of the system

 Several incompatibilities within the GSM standards

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