General Packet Radio Service

(GPRS)
 Constraints with existing network

• Data Rates too slow – about 9.6 kbps

• Connection setup time too long
• Inefficient resource utilization for bursty traffic
• Proves expensive for bursty traffic utilization
• No efficient method for packet transfers
 Comparison of GSM & GPRS
GSM GPRS
Data Rates 9.6 Kbps 14.4 to 115.2
Kbps
Modulation GMSK GMSK
Technique
Billing Duration of connection Amount of data
transferred

Type of Circuit – Switched Packet -

Connection Technology Switched
Technology
 What is GPRS ?
• General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a
new bearer service for GSM that greatly
improves and simplifies wireless access to
packet data networks

• GPRS applies packet radio principal to

transfer user data packets in an efficient
way b/w MS & external packet data
network
• The GPRS core network has been developed for
IS-136 TDMA systems, and is anticipated to
evolve as the core network of the third Generation
mobile system.
• To accommodate GPRS, new radio channels are
defined. The allocation of these channels is
flexible.
 One to eight time slots can be allocated to a user
 Several active users can share a single time slot
 Benefits of GPRS
• New Data Services
• High Speed (Data Rate 14.4 – 115 kbps)
• Efficient use of radio bandwith (Statistical Multiplexing)
• Circuit switching & Packet Switching can be used in
parallel
• Constant connectivity
 Salient Features of GPRS
• Important step on the path to 3G
• Standardized by ETSI
• GPRS is an overlay network over the GSM
• Provides Data Packet delivery service
• Support for leading internet
communication protocols
• Billing based on volume of data transferred
• Utilizes existing GSM authentication and
privacy procedures.
 High Data Rate
• GPRS uses radio channel i.e. 200 kHz wide
• Radio channel carries digital data stream of
271 kbps
• This rate is divided into 8 time slots each
carrying 34 kbps per time slot
• Data rate 14 kbps per time slot achieved after
corrections
• GPRS can combine upto 8 time slots giving
data rate of 114 kbps
 GPRS Services
• Offers end-to-end packet switched data
transfer
• Bearer Services
• PTP - Point-To-Point service (CLNS mode)
• PTM - Point-To-Multipoint service(CONS Mode)
• PTM-M Multicast service
• PTM-G Group call service

• Supplementary Services
• SMSShort Message Service
• CFU Call Forwarding Unconditional
 GPRS Functional Group

• Network access
• Packet routing and transfer
• Mobility management
– Keeps track of the current location of an MS
– Cell update, routing area update, combined routing area, and location
area update
• Logical link management
• Radio resource management
• Network management
– provides mechanism to support OA&M functions
 Network Access

•Registration
•Authentication and authorization
•Admission control
•Message screening
• Charging information collection for packet
transmission in GPRS and external
networks
 Packet Routing and Transfer

•Packet routing and transfer function route the

data between an MS and the destination
through the serving and gateway GPRS support
Nodes (GSNs)
 Relay function
 Routing
 Address translation and mapping
 Encapsulation and tunneling
 Compression and ciphering
 Domain name service functions
• Logical Link Management
 Logical link establishment
 Logical link maintenance
 Logical link release

• Radio Resource Management

 Um management
 Cell selection
 Um-tranx, which provides packet data transfer capability
Medium access control, etc.
 Path management
 GPRS Architecture
GPRS Architecture is same as GSM except few
hardware modifications :
 GPRS includes GSNs
 SGSN : Serving GPRS Support Node
 GGSN : Gateway GPRS Support Node
 GPRS Register
 GPRS Architecture
Other GPRS
PLMN

Gp GGSN
Gn
SGSN
BSC Gb Gf
Gr
BTS Gs Gc GGSN Gi
PDN
EIR D
BTS HLR
MS
MSC/VLR
• MS, BSS (Base Station System), mobile
switching center/visitor location register MSC/VLR),
and home location register (HLR) in the existing
GSM network are modified

• Two new network nodes are introduced in

GPRS network
 The serving GPRS support node (SGSN) is the GPRS equivalent
to the MSC
 The gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) provides
interworking with external packet switched network
SGSN – Serving GPRS Support
Node
• Delivers data packets to mobile stations &
vice-versa

• Detect and Register new GPRS MS in its

serving area

• Packet Routing, Transfer & Mobility

Management

• Authentication, Maintaining user profiles

• Its location register stores location info. &

 GGSN – Gateway GPRS Support Node
•Interfaces GPRS backbone network & external
packet data networks
•Converts the GPRS packets from SGSN to the PDP
format
•Converts PDP addresses change to GSM
addresses of the destination user

•Stores the current SGSN address and profile of the

user in its location register

•Performs authentication

•Many-to- many relations among SGSNs & GGSNs

 GPRS Network Nodes
• Mobile Station
 GPRS MS consists of a mobile terminal (MT)and terminal
equipment (TE).
 An MT communicates with the BSS over the air.
 The MT is equipped with software for GRPS functionality in
order to establish links to the SGSN
 TE can be computer attached to the MT
• The existing GSM For example, GSM MS does not
support GPRS. For example, GPRS MS utilizes automatic
retransmission (ARQ) at the data link layer to retransmit
the error frames
 Base Station System

• To accommodate GPRS, the base transceiver station (BTS)

and the base station controller (BSC) on the BSS are
modified.
• A new component, the packet control unit (PCU), is
introduced.
• The BTS is modified to support new GPRS channel coding
schemes.
• The BSC forwards circuit-switched calls to the MSC, and
packet-switched data (through the PCU) to the SGSN.
 GPRS Support Node
• A serving GSN (SGSN)
 The role of an SGSN is equivalent to that of the MSC/VLR in the current
GSM network

• A gateway GSN (GGSN)

 The GGSN is primarily provisioned by a router,which supports
traditional gateway functionality
 Publishing subscriber addresses
 􀂄 Mapping addresses
 􀂄 Routing and tunneling packets
 􀂄 Screening messages
 􀂄 Counting packets
 HLR and VLR

• New fields in the MS record are introduced

in HLR
 They are accessed by SGSN and GGSN using IMSI as the index key
 These fields are used to map an MS to one or more GGSNs
• In MSC/VLR, new field, SGSN number, is added to
indicate the SGSN currently servingthe MS.
 GPRS Interfaces

• Um (BSS ↔ MS)
• Gb (BSS ↔ SGSN)
• Gn (SGSN ↔ GGSN)
• Gp (SGSN ↔ GGSN in Other GPRS Network)
• Gs (SGSN ↔ MSC/VLR)
• Gi (GGSN ↔ PDN)
 Protocol Stack

Application

IP / X.25 IP / X.25

SNDCP SNDCP GTP GTP

LLC UDP/ UDP/
LLC LLC TCP
TCP
RLC RLC BSSGP BSSGP IP IP
Frame Frame
MAC MAC L2 L2
Relay Relay

GSM RF GSM RF L1bis L1bis L1 L1

MS BSS (PCU) SGSN GGSN Gi

Um Gb Gn
 Physical Layer
• Divided into two sub layers :
• Physical Link Layer (PLL)
• Physical RF Layer (RFL)

• PLL – Provides a physical channel between

MS and BSS
• Channel coding, interleaving, detection of
physical link congestion

• RFL - Operates below PLL

 Data Link layer
• Divided into two sub layers :

• LLC layer (between MS-SGSN)

• RLC/MAC (between MS-BSS)

 LLC-Logical Link Control

• Establishes highly reliable logical link between

MS & its assigned SGSN

• Works either in acknowledged or

unacknowledged modes

• Data confidentiality is ensured by ciphering

functions
 RLC/MAC Layer
 Radio Link Control(RLC)
 Establish a reliable link between MS & BSS
 Segmentation and reassembly of LLC frames
into RLC data blocks

 Medium Access Control(MAC)

 Controls access attempts of an MS on radio
channels shared by several MSs
 Employs algos. for contention resolution,
multiuser multiplexing on PDTCH

 Both ack and unack. Modes of operation are

supported in RLC/MAC layer
BSSGP-(BSS GPRS Application Protocol)

• Delivers routing & Quality of Service

related information between BSS and
SGSN
 GTP – GPRS Tunneling
Protocol
• GTP tunnels user data packets and related
signaling information between GSNs
• Signaling is used tso create, modify and delete
tunnels
• Defined both at Gn and Gp interface
• Below GTP, TCP or UDP are employed to
transport the GTP Packets within backbone
network
 Billing
MSC
MSC
PSTN
SGSN
GPRS GGSN
Network
BSC

Charging Gateway

Mediation

Billing
 Applications of GPRS

• Web browsing
• Corporate & Internet Email
• Vehicle Positioning
• Remote LAN Access
• Home Automation
• Document Sharing/Collaborative working