VOCAL Technologies, Ltd.

Home page

GPRS Protocol Stack White Paper

Table of Contents Page

1. Glossary of GPRS Protocol Stack and GSM terms............................................................................................... 2

2. Introduction to GPRS Protocol Stack.................................................................................................................... 4
3. GPRS Protocol Stack Features.............................................................................................................................. 5
4. GPRS Protocol Stack Milestones.......................................................................................................................... 8
5. GPRS Protocol Stack Applications ....................................................................................................................... 9
6. Future Improvements .......................................................................................................................................... 11
7. GPRS Protocol Stack Block Diagram................................................................................................................. 12
8. GPRS Protocol Stack Testing ............................................................................................................................. 13
9. GPRS Protocol Stack modem ............................................................................................................................. 14
10. Enhanced GPRS Protocol Stack...................................................................................................................... 15
11. GPRS Protocol Stack Demo............................................................................................................................ 16
12. GPRS Protocol Stack control .......................................................................................................................... 17
13. Summary ......................................................................................................................................................... 18
1. Glossary of GPRS Protocol Stack and GSM terms

3G: Third Generation

8PSK: 8 Phase Shift Keying
AFC: Automatic Frequency Control
AFE: Analog Front End
AGC: Automatic Gain Control
AGCH: Access Grant CHannel
ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit
BCCH: Broadcast Control CHannel
Bm: User channel carrying 13 kbps data
BSS: Base Station
CCCH: Common Control Channel
CIR: Complex Impulse Response
DCH: Dedicated CHannel
DSP: Digital Signal Processing
DTE: Data Terminal Equipment
EDGE: Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution, also called EGPSR
EGPSR: Enhanced GPSR also called EDGE
ETSI: European Telecommunication Standard Institute
FACCH: Fast Associated Control CHannel
FCCH: Frequency Correction burst Channel
GGSN: Gateway GPRS Protocol Stack Support Node
GPRS: General Packet Radio Service
GSM: Global systems for Mobile Communications
GSMK: Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying
GSN: GPRS Support Node
IP: Internet Protocol
Lm: User channel carrying less than 13 kbps data
MAC: Medium Access Control
MLSE: Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimator
MPH: Designation for primitives for communication between Layers 1 and 3
MS: Mobile Station
NCH: Notification CHannel
PACCH/F: Packet Associated Control Channel/Full rate
PAGCH: Packet Access Grant CHannel
PBCCH: Packet Broadcast CHannel
PCH: Paging CHannel
PDTCH: Packet Data Traffic CHannel
PH: Physical Layer
PPCH: Packet Paging CHannel
PRACH: Packet Random Access Channel
PSPDN: Packet Switched Public Data Network
PTCH: Packet Traffic CHannel
RACCH: Random Access burst Channel

2
RACH: Random Access CHannel
RISC: Reduced Instruction Set Processor
RR: Radio Resource
SACCH: Slow Associated Control CHannel
SB: Synchronization Burst
SDCCH: Standalone Dedicated Control Channel
SGSN: Serving GSN
SMS: Short Message Service
TCH: Traffic CHannel
TDMA: Time Division Multiple Access

3
2. Introduction to GPRS Protocol Stack

General Packet Radio Service or GPRS Protocol Stack is a packet switched technology, based on
GSM. The radio and network resources are only accessed when data actually needs to be
transmitted between the mobile user and the network. This data is divided into packets and is
then transferred via the radio and core network. Between alternating transmissions, no network
resources need to be allocated. GPRS Protocol Stack facilitates instant connections whereby
information can be sent or received immediately as the need arises, subject to radio coverage, in
the way that the GPRS Protocol Stack users are always connected. GPRS Protocol Stack
facilitates several new applications. GPRS Protocol Stack will enable Internet applications, from
web browsing to chat over the mobile network. Other new applications for GPRS Protocol Stack,
include file transfer and the ability to remotely access and control house appliances and
machines.

The increased functionality of GPRS Protocol Stack will decrease the incremental cost to provide
data services, an occurrence that will, in turn, increase the penetration of data services among
consumer and business users. In addition, GPRS Protocol Stack will allow improved quality of
data services as measured in terms of reliability, response time, and features supported. GPRS
Protocol Stack offers up to 150 kbps, depending on the network availability, channel coding
scheme and terminal capability. This increase in speed with respect to GSM is achieved by using
more than one timeslot of the TDMA frame. Due to the packet switched characteristics the
allocation of the available timeslots may vary from one instant to the next (e.g. it may have 8
timeslots at one time and 4 later on).

To use GPRS Protocol Stack, users specifically need a mobile phone or terminal that supports
GPRS Protocol Stack, a subscription to a mobile telephone network that supports GPRS Protocol
Stack and the use of GPRS Protocol Stack must be enabled for that user. GPRS Protocol Stack is
important as a migration step toward third-generation (3G) networks. GPRS Protocol Stack will
allow network operators to implement an IP-based core architecture for data applications, which
will continue to be used and expanded upon for 3G services for integrated voice and data
applications. In addition, GPRS Protocol Stack will prove a testing and development area for
new services and applications, which will also be used in the development of 3G services. It is
possible that some mobile Network operators provide Automatic access to the GPRS Protocol
Stack, others will require a specific knowledge of how to use their specific model of mobile
phone to send or receive information through GPRS Protocol Stack

4
3. GPRS Protocol Stack Features

Some cooperation still exists between elements of the current GSM services and GPRS Protocol
Stack. On the physical layer, resources can be reused and some common signaling issues exist. In
the same radio carrier, there can be time slots reserved simultaneously for circuit-switched and
GPRS Protocol Stack use. The most optimum resource utilization is obtained through dynamic
sharing between circuit-switched and GPRS Protocol Stack channels. During the establishment
of a circuit-switched call, there is enough time to preempt the GPRS Protocol Stack resources for
circuit-switched calls. The GPRS Protocol Stack provides a bearer service from the data network
to a GPRS Protocol Stack terminal. The physical radio interface consists of a flexible number of
TDMA time slots (from 1 to 8) and thus provides a theoretical raw data rate of 150 kbps. A
Media Access Control (MAC) utilizes the resources of the physical radio interface and provides a
service to the GPRS Protocol Stack Logical Link Control protocol between the MS and the
serving GSN (SGSN). Logical Link Control protocol is a modification of a High-Level Data Link
Control based Radio Link Protocol with variable frame size. The two most important features
offered by Logical Link Control protocol are the support of point-to-multipoint addressing and
the control of data frame retransmission. From the standpoint of the application, GPRS Protocol
Stack provides a standard interface for the network layer.

One of the main issues in the GPRS Protocol Stack network is the routing of data packets to/from
a mobile user. The main functions of the GGSN involve interaction with the external data
network. The GGSN updates the location directory using routing information supplied by the
SGSNs about the location of a MS and routes the external data network protocol packet
encapsulated over the GPRS Protocol Stack backbone to the SGSN currently serving the MS. It
also de capsulate and forwards external data network packets to the appropriate data network and
collects charging data that is forwarded to a charging gateway.

Three different routing schemes are possible: mobile-originated message, network-initiated

message when the MS is in its home network, and network-initiated message when the MS has
roamed to another GPRS Protocol Stack operator's network. In these examples, the operator's
GPRS Protocol Stack network consists of multiple GSNs (with a gateway and serving
functionality) and an intra-operator backbone network. GPRS Protocol Stack operators will allow
roaming through an inter-operator backbone network. The GPRS Protocol Stack operators
connect to the inter operator network. It is also foreseeable that GPRS Protocol Stack operators
will implement QoS mechanisms over the inter-operator network to ensure service level
agreements. The main benefits of the architecture are its flexibility, scalabilility, interoperability,
and roaming.

The GPRS Protocol Stack network encapsulates all data network protocols into its own
encapsulation protocol, called the GPRS Protocol Stack Tunneling Protocol (GTP). This is done
to ensure security in the backbone network and to simplify the routing mechanism and the
delivery of data over the GPRS Protocol Stack network. The operation of the GPRS Protocol
Stack is partly independent of the GSM network. However, some procedures share the network
elements with current GSM functions to increase efficiency and to make optimum use of free
GSM resources (such as unallocated time slots). An MS has three states in the GPRS Protocol

5
Stack system: idle, standby, and active. The three-state model represents the nature of packet
radio relative to the GSM two-state model (idle or active). Data is transmitted between a MS and
the GPRS Protocol Stack network only when the MS is in the active state. In the active state, the
SGSN knows the cell location of the MS. However, in the standby state, the location of the MS is
known only as to which routing area it is in.

When the SGSN sends a packet to a MS that is in the standby state, the MS must be paged.
Because the SGSN knows the routing area in which the MS is located, a packet paging message
is sent to that routing area. After receiving the packet paging message, the MS gives its cell
location to the SGSN to establish the active state. Packet transmission to an active MS is initiated
by packet paging to notify the MS of an incoming data packet. The data transmission proceeds
immediately after packet paging through the channel indicated by the paging message. The
purpose of the packet paging message is to simplify the process of receiving packets. The MS has
to listen to only the packet paging messages, instead of all the data packets in the downlink
channels, reducing battery use significantly.

When an MS has a packet to be transmitted, access to the uplink channel is needed. The uplink
channel is shared by a number of MSs, and its use is allocated by a BSS. The MS requests use of
the channel in a packet random access message. The transmission of the packet random access
message follows Slotted Aloha procedures. The BSS allocates an unused channel to the MS and
sends a packet access grant message in reply to the packet random access message. The
description of the channel (one or multiple time slots) is included in the packet access grant
message. The data is transmitted on the reserved channels.

The main reasons for the standby state are to reduce the load in the GPRS Protocol Stack
network caused by cell based routing update messages and to conserve the MS battery. When a
MS is in the standby state, there is no need to inform the SGSN of every cell change only of
every routing area change. The operator can define the size of the routing area and, in this way,
adjust the number of routing update messages.

In the idle state, the MS does not have a logical GPRS Protocol Stack context activated or any
Packet Switched Public Data Network (PSPDN) addresses allocated. In this state, the MS can
receive only those multicast messages that can be received by any GPRS Protocol Stack MS.
Because the GPRS Protocol Stack network infrastructure does not know the location of the MS,
it is not possible to send messages to the MS from external data networks.

A cell-based routing update procedure is invoked when an active MS enters a new cell. In this
case, the MS sends a short message containing information about its move through GPRS
Protocol Stack channels to its current SGSN. This procedure is used only when the MS is in the
active state. When an MS in an active or a standby state moves from one routing area to another
in the service area of one SGSN, it must again perform a routing update. The routing area
information in the SGSN is updated and the success of the procedure is indicated in the response
message. The inter-SGSN routing update is the most complicated of the three routing updates. In
this case, the MS changes from one SGSN area to another, and it must establish a new
connection to a new SGSN. This means creating a new logical link context between the MS and
the new SGSN, as well as informing the GGSN about the new location of the MS.

6
GPRS Protocol Stack does impact a network's existing cell capacity. There are only limited radio
resources that can be deployed for different uses. Use for one purpose precludes simultaneous
use for another. For example, voice and GPRS Protocol Stack calls both use the same network
resources. The extent of the impact depends upon the number of timeslots, if any, that are
reserved for exclusive use of GPRS Protocol Stack. However, GPRS Protocol Stack does
dynamically manage channel allocation and allow a reduction in peak time signaling channel
loading by sending short messages over GPRS Protocol Stack channels instead.

Achieving the theoretical maximum GPRS Protocol Stack data transmission speed of 170 kbps
would require a single user taking over all eight timeslots without any error protection. Clearly, it
is unlikely that a network operator will allow all timeslots to be used by a single GPRS Protocol
Stack user. Additionally, the initial GPRS Protocol Stack terminals are expected be severely
limited supporting only one, two or three timeslots. The bandwidth available to a GPRS Protocol
Stack user will therefore be severely limited. As such, the theoretical maximum GPRS Protocol
Stack speeds should be checked against the reality of constraints in the networks and terminals.
The reality is that mobile networks are always likely to have lower data transmission speeds than
fixed networks, around 120 kbps.

Relatively high mobile data speeds may not be available to individual mobile users until
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) or Universal Mobile Telephone System
(3GSM) are introduced.

GPRS Protocol Stack is based on a modulation technique known as Gaussian Minimum Shift
Keying (GMSK). EDGE is based on a modulation scheme that allows a much higher bit rate
across the air interface this is called 8 Phase Shift Keying (8 PSK) modulation. Since 8 PSK will
also be used for 3G, network operators will need to incorporate it at some stage to make the
transition to third generation mobile phone systems.

7
4. GPRS Protocol Stack Milestones

In 1999 and 2000 Network operators place different trials and commercial contracts for GPRS
Protocol Stack infrastructure with the incorporation of GPRS Protocol Stack infrastructure into
GSM networks In the summer of 2000 the first trial GPRS Protocol Stack services become
available and the typical single user throughput is likely to be 28 kbps. In 2001 the basic GPRS
Protocol Stack capable terminals begin to be available in commercial quantities. Also in 2001
Network operators launch GPRS Protocol Stack services commercially and roll out GPRS
Protocol Stack, In 2001 and 2002 typical single user throughput is around 56 kbps. New GPRS
Protocol Stack specific applications, provides higher bit rates and greater network capacity
solutions with more capable terminals become available, fuelling GPRS Protocol Stack usage. In
2002 typical single user throughput are around 112 kbps, GPRS Protocol Stack Phase 2 (also
called EGPRS and EDGE) begins to emerge in practice. Also in 2002 GPRS Protocol Stack is
routinely incorporated into GSM mobile phones. It is expected that in 2002 and 2003 the 3G
arrives commercially

8
5. GPRS Protocol Stack Applications

GPRS Protocol Stack will enable new services to the mobile wireless subscriber. These mobile
applications contain several characteristics that enhance the value to the customers. First among
them is mobility (the ability to maintain constant voice and data communications while on the
move). Second is immediacy, which allows subscribers to obtain connectivity when needed,
regardless of location and without a lengthy login session. Third, localization allows subscribers
to obtain information relevant to their current location. The combination of these characteristics
provides a wide spectrum of possible applications that can be offered to mobile subscribers.

General applications are: Communications, Value-added services, E-commerce, Location,

Vertical applications and advertising. Communications applications include all those in which it
appears to the users that they are using the mobile communications network purely as a pipe to
access messages or information, (i.e. Intranet Access: enabling users to maintain contact with
their office is through access to e-mail, fax, and voice mail using unified messaging systems.
Increasingly, files and data on corporate networks are becoming accessible through corporate
intranets that can be protected through firewalls, by enabling secure tunnels virtual private
networks). Value-added services refer strictly to content provided by network operators to
increase the value of their service to their subscribers. Location Based Services provide the
ability to link information services with a user's location. Examples include hotel and restaurant
finders, roadside assistance, and city-specific news and information. This technology also has
vertical applications such as workforce management and vehicle tracking. Vertical applications
apply to systems utilizing mobile architectures to support the carrying out of specific tasks within
the value chain of a company, as opposed to applications that are then being offered for sale to a
consumer. Advertising services will be offered to customers to subsidize the cost of voice or
other information services. Finally, advertising may be location sensitive.

Chat can be distinguished from general information services because the source of the
information is a person with chat whereas it tends to be from an Internet site for information
services. The "information intensity"- the amount of information transferred per message tends to
be lower with chat, where people are more likely to state opinions than factual data. In the same
way as Internet chat groups have proven a very popular application of the Internet, groups of
likeminded people- so called communities of interest- have begun to use nonvoice mobile
services as a means to chat and communicate and discuss. Because of its synergy with the
Internet, GPRS Protocol Stack would allow mobile users to participate fully in existing Internet
chat groups rather than needing to set up their own groups that are dedicated to mobile users.
Since the number of participants is an important factor determining the value of participation in
the newsgroup, the use of GPRS Protocol Stack here would be advantageous. GPRS Protocol
Stack will not however support point to multipoint services in its first phase, hindering the
distribution of a single message to a group of people. As such, given the installed base of SMS
capable devices, we would expect SMS to remain the primary bearer for chat applications in the
foreseeable future, although experimentation with using GPRS Protocol Stack is likely to
commence sooner rather than later.

9
A wide range of content can be delivered to mobile phone users including maps or graphs or
other types of visual information. GPRS Protocol Stack will likely be used for qualitative
information services when end users have GPRS Protocol Stack capable devices, but SMS will
continue to be used for delivering most quantitative information services. Photographs, pictures,
postcards, greeting cards and presentations, static web pages can be sent and received over the
mobile network as they are across fixed telephone networks. It will be possible with GPRS
Protocol Stack to post images from a digital camera connected to a GPRS Protocol Stack radio
device directly to an Internet site. The nature and form of mobile communication is getting less
textual and more visual. The wireless industry is moving from text messages to icons and picture
messages to photographs and blueprints to video messages. Videoconferencing applications, in
which teams of distributed sales people can have a regular sales meeting without having to go to
a particular physical location, is another application for moving images. Mobile Internet
browsing is better suited to GPRS Protocol Stack.

Multimedia applications combining voice, text, pictures and images can even be envisaged.
These applications are useful in any problem solving exercise. GPRS Protocol Stack facilitates
multimedia applications such as document sharing. For voice mobile services GPRS Protocol
Stack is also more suitable, because of the higher speed available. For nonvoice mobile services
GPRS Protocol Stack is clearly more useful than GSM services. GPRS Protocol Stack will come
in to allow more information to be sent and received more easily. With GPRS Protocol Stack, a
photograph of the customer and their premises could, for example, be sent to the field
representative to assist in finding and identifying the customer. As such, we expect job dispatch
applications will be an early adopter of GPRS Protocol Stack-based communications. Since
GPRS Protocol Stack capable devices will be more widespread in corporations than amongst the
general mobile phone user community, there are likely to be more corporate email applications
using GPRS Protocol Stack than Internet email ones whose target market is more general.
Linking Internet email with an alert mechanism such as GPRS Protocol Stack, users can be
notified when a new email is received. The speed and latency of GPRS Protocol Stack make it
ideal for Remote LAN Access. FTP, telnet, http etc... require a high speed mobile data service
such as GPRS Protocol Stack or EDGE to run satisfactorily across a mobile network. GPRS
Protocol Stack capable mobile phone really does become like the remote control devices we use
today for our television, video, hi-fi and so on. GPRS Protocol Stack will allow household
appliances and in every machine be addressed and instructed.

10
6. Future Improvements

Future improvements to GPRS Protocol Stack are already specified in the 3G standards. One of
the more challenging improvements for the GPRS Protocol Stack systems will be the new
advance coding techniques specified in the 3G. This is the case of Turbo codes that are already
includes in the 3G standard.

Other advanced coding techniques are arising. This is the case of Low Density parity Check
Codes (LDPC) codes already discovered in the 1960s by Prof. Gallager and re-discover again in
1996. These codes were already consider in the 3G standard, next step of GPRS Protocol Stack,
and at that time a good technique was not known for theses codes and consequently they were
rejected. More recently improved techniques of these codes have been proposed and are more
suitable for cellular applications New advance in LDPC codes make them more appropriate for
wireless applications, such as GPRS Protocol Stack, using relatively small Parity Check matrices.

11
7. GPRS Protocol Stack Block Diagram

A GPRS Protocol Stack and Edge block diagram in pdf format can be found here

A GPRS Protocol Stack and Edge block diagram in doc format can be found here

A general structure of the architecture of GPRS Protocol Stack and EDGE in pdf format can be
found here

A general structure of the architecture of GPRS Protocol Stack and EDGE in doc format can be
found here

12
8. GPRS Testing

Enabling GPRS Protocol Stack on a GSM network requires the addition of two core modules, the
Gateway GPRS Protocol Stack Service Node (GGSN) and the Serving GPRS Protocol Stack
Service Node (SGSN). As the word Gateway in its name suggests, the GGSN acts as a gateway
between the GPRS Protocol Stack network and Public Data Networks such as IP and X.25.
GGSNs also connect to other GPRS Protocol Stack networks to facilitate GPRS Protocol Stack
roaming. The Serving GPRS Protocol Stack Support Node (SGSN) provides packet routing to
and from the SGSN service area for all users in that service area.

In addition to adding multiple GPRS Protocol Stack nodes and a GPRS Protocol Stack backbone,
some other technical changes that need to be added to a GSM network to implement a GPRS
Protocol Stack service. These include the addition of Packet Control Units; often hosted in the
Base Station Subsystems, mobility management to locate the GPRS Protocol Stack Mobile
Station, a new air interface for packet traffic, new security features such as ciphering and new
GPRS Protocol Stack specific signaling.

Information about the GPRS Protocol Stack testing procedures used by VOCAL Technologies,
Ltd. can be found here

13
9. GPRS modem

Information about the GPRS Protocol Stack modems procedures used by VOCAL Technologies,
Ltd. can be found here.

14
10. Enhanced GPRS

Enhanced GPRS Protocol Stack is already specified. The more important difference is the
modulation scheme used, 8 PSK that provides Spectral Efficiency of 3 bit/s/Hz. The modulation
used in GPRS Protocol Stack is the same used in GSM, the GSMK that provides Spectral
Efficiency of 1 bit/s/Hz.

15
11. GPRS Protocol Stack Demo

Information about the GPRS Protocol Stack demo provided by VOCAL Technologies, Ltd. can
be found here

16
12. GPRS Protocol Stack control

Information about the GPRS Protocol Stack control procedures used by VOCAL Technologies,
Ltd. can be found here

17
13. Summary

GPRS Protocol Stack will provide a massive boost to mobile data usage and usefulness. That
much seems assured from its flexible feature set, its latency and efficiency and speed. The only
question is how soon it takes off in earnest and how to ensure that the technical and commercial
features do not hinder its widespread use.

18