Layer 3 Signaling Procedures
By: Hamid Khurshid
Signaling on Um interface
Layer structure for Signaling on Um
interface
• Three layers implemented for signaling
between MS-BTS.
• Entities belonging to same layer in different
nodes are called “Peer Entities”
• “Primitive” carries information over the
common boundary of adjacent layers at a
“Service Access Point (SAP)”
• Primitives also describe information exchange
between different layers and user application.
Signaling Layer 3
Procedures included in layer 3 signaling
provide following main functions
• Establish, maintain and terminate circuit
switched connections across GSM PLMN and
other networks.
• Supporting functions for supplementary
services and short message service control.
• Functions for mobility and radio resource
management.
Sublayers of Signaling Layer 3
Three separate protocol control entities, in
three sublayers, are implemented in layer 3 to
realize these functions:
• Connection Management (CM)
• Mobility Management (MM)
• Radio Resource Management (RR)
Distribution of Sublayer entities in
network
• Entities from all three sublayers are present in
MS.
• MM and CM functions on network side are
located in MSC.
• On the network side RR functions mainly
reside in BSC but some of them may reside
and be interpreted by BTS and MSC.
Connection Management Sublayer
(CM)
• Call control and call related supplementary
services management (CC).
• Short Message Service (SMS).
• Non call related supplementary services
management. (SS)
Call Control Procedures (CC)
• Provide functions and procedures for ISDN call control, modified for
adaptation to radio environment.
• Include call re-establishment and in-call modification of bearer services.
• Call specific supplementary services.
• Parallel CC transactions are possible through existence of more than one
CC entities.
• CC signaling procedures are further divided into four types in GSM
Specifications:
– Call establishment procedures
– Active state procedures
– Call clearing procedures
– Miscellaneous procedures
Call Establishment Procedures
• Procedures from upper layer are mapped on CC procedures
via exchange of primitives over MNCCSAP (MS side) or in MSC
(Network side).
• Upper layers request establishment of connection, “null” CC
entity is selected.
• Establishment is initiated by asking MM sublayer to establish
MM connection.
• CC entity sends “Setup message” to its peer entity.
• Peers enter “active” state after exchange of “Connect” and
“Connect Acknowledgement” messages to complete cal
establishment phase.
Active State Procedures
• CC entity may inform its peer entity of a call
related event or call rearrangement by
“Notify” message.
• “Modify” message maybe exchanged to
change the call mode in support of dual
services like alternate data/speech.
Call Clearing Procedures
• “Disconnect” message is sent to its peer by
the CC entity that initiates call clearing.
• “Release” and “Release Complete” messages
are exchanged afterwards.
• MM connection is released by the MM
sublayer and CC entities return to “null” state.
Miscellaneous Procedures
• “DTMF protocol control” procedure is a
common example of this procedure class.
• “Status” procedure is also an example of this
procedure class which is initiated by any CC
entity that needs to know the call state of its
peer.
Call Control Messages
• Call establishment messages:
– Alerting
– Progress
– Call Confirmed
– Call Proceeding
– Connect
– Connect Acknowledge
– Emergency Setup
– Setup
Call Control Messages
• Call information messages:
– Modify
– Modify Complete
– Modify Reject
– User Information
• Call clearing messages:
– Disconnect
– Release
– Release Complete
Call Control Messages
• Supplementary service control messages:
– Facility
– Hold
– Hold Acknowledge
– Hold Reject
– Retrieve
– Retrieve Acknowledge
– Retrieve Reject
Call Control Messages
• Miscellaneous messages:
– Congestion Control
– Notify
– Start DTMF
– Start DTMF Acknowledge
– Start DTMF Reject
– Stop DTMF
– Stop DTMF Acknowledge
– Status
– Status Enquiry
Short Message Service Support
Procedures (SMS)
• Entities called Short Message Control (SMC)
provide services to SMS Application layer
through exchange of primitives via MNSMS-
SAP.
• SMC entities use the peer protocol Short
Message Control Protocol (SM-CP) to transfer
short messages between MS and MSC.
Short Message Service Support
Messages
• Short message service support messages are:
– CP-Ack
– CP-Data
– CP-Error
– RP-Ack
– RP-Data
– RP-Error
Supplementary Services Support
(SS)
• Supplementary Services support procedures
handles services not related to a specific call.
• SS messages are following:
– Facility
– Register
Mobility Management Sublayer
(MM)
• MM specific procedures
• MM common procedures
• MM connection management procedures
MM Specific Procedures
• These procedures realize the functions to
support the mobility of MS.
• Provide the network with information of MS’s
current location.
• Location updating type normal.
• Location updating type periodic registration.
• Location updating type IMSI Attach and
Detach.
MM Common Procedures
• MM common procedures provide user
services for user identification and
confidentiality.
• Authentication is handled by these
procedures.
• TMSI reallocation.
• Identification of MS by requesting IMSI or
IMEI.
MM Connection Management
Procedures
• MM connection management procedures provide services to
entities in upper CM sublayer.
• Provide CM entities with ability to communicate with peer
entities using MM connection.
• When CM entity sends request for an MM connection, MM
sublayer sends request for RR connection establishment to RR
sublayer.
• MM common procedures like Authentication and TMSI
reallocation are completed after establishment of RR connection.
• MM connection establishment is completed and CM entity
requesting MM connection is informed.
Mobility Management Sublayer
Messages
• MM sublayer messages are divided into four groups.
• Registration messages are:
– IMSI detach indication
– Location updating request
– Location updating accept
– Location updating reject
• Connection management messages:
– CM service request
– CM service accept
– CM service reject
– CM service abort
– CM reestablishment request
– Abort
Mobility Management Sublayer
Messages
• Security messages:
– Authentication request
– Authentication response
– Authentication reject
– Identity request
– Identity response
– TMSI reallocation command
– TMSI reallocation complete
• Miscellaneous messages:
– MM status
Radio Resource Management
Procedures (RR)
• RR procedures are meant to establish, maintain and release a
dedicated connection between MS and network.
• RR sublayer receives services from layer 2 and provides services to
the MM sublayer.
• RR sublayer also communicates directly with layer 1 for exchange
of information related to measurement control and channel
management.
• Only one RR connection can be established for an MS at a time.
• On MS side the establishment of RR connection is initiated by
request from the MM sublayer.
• RR connection can also be initiated by RR entity on network side.
Radio Resource Management
Procedures (RR)
• To establish an RR connection, the RR entity on MS side sends
“Channel Request” message and as a response dedicated
channel is allocated to the MS by “Immediate Assignment”
message.
• Layer 2 frames SABM and UA are exchanged and RR
connection is established and MM sublayer in MS and network
is informed that RR connection exists.
• RR connection can be released by normal release procedure or
radio link time-out procedure.
• RR sublayer sends system information to the MS in downlink.
• Paging request is sent by RR entity in network to the MS.
Radio Resource Management
Procedures (RR)
• RR entity in MS sends the measurement reports to the
network in RR connection established mode.
• Upper layer entities send messages to their peer entities
using RR connection.
• Handover procedure is also handled by RR sublayer.
• Classmark change procedure is also an example of RR
sublayer procedures.
• Classmark interrogation procedure can be initiated by
RR entity in network to request information about MS
classmark.
Radio Resource Management
Messages
• Channel establishment messages:
– Channel Request
– Immediate Assignment
– Immediate Assignment Extended
– Immediate Assignment Reject
– Assignment Command
– Assignment Complete
– Assignment Failure
– Additional Assignment
• Ciphering messages:
– Ciphering Mode Command
– Ciphering Mode Complete
Radio Resource Management
Messages
• Handover messages:
– Handover Command
– Handover Access
– Handover Complete
– Handover Failure
– Physical Information
• Channel release messages:
– Channel release
– Partial release
– Partial release complete
Radio Resource Management
Messages
• System information messages:
– System information type 1
– System information type 2
– System information type 2bis
– System information type 2ter
– System information type 3
– System information type 4
– System information type 5
– System information type 5bis
– System information type 5ter
– System information type 6
– System information type 7
– System information type 8
Radio Resource Management
Messages
• Miscellaneous messages:
– Channel mode modify
– Channel mode modify acknowledge
– Classmark change
– Classmark enquiry
– Frequency redefinition
– Measurement report
– Synchronization channel information
– RR status
Radio Resource Management
Messages
• Paging messages:
– Paging request type 1
– Paging request type 2
– Paging request type 3
– Paging response
System Information Messages
• System information messages contain the data that MS
needs to communicate with the network.
• System information messages are sent continuously by
the network (Downlink) on BCCH (idle) and SACCH
(dedicated) to all the MS.
• System information messages of type 1 to 4 are sent on
BCCH and type 5 and 6 are sent on SACCH.
• System information type 7 and 8 are sent on BCCH-
extended if type 4 does not contain all information
needed for cell re-selection.
System Information Messages
• Specific system information messages are sent
in specific multiframe on BCCH.
System Information Messages
• System information type 1:
– Cell channel description
– RACCH control parameters
• System information type 2:
– Neighbor cells description
– NCC permitted
– RACH control parameters
• System information type 2bis:
– Neighbor cells description (extension)
– RACH control parameters
System Information Messages
• System information type 2ter:
– Additional multiband information
– Neighbor cells description (other bands)
• System information type 3:
– Location area identification
– Cell identity
– Control channel description
– Cell options
– Cell selection parameters
– RACH control parameters
– SI 3 rest octets
System Information Messages
• System information type 4:
– Location area identification
– Cell selection parameters
– RACH control parameters
– CBCH channel description
– CBCH mobile allocation
– SI 4 rest octets
• System information type 5:
– Neighbor cells description
• System information type 5bis:
– Neighbor cells description (extension)
System Information Messages
• System information type 5ter:
– Additional multiband information
– Neighbor cells description (other bands)
• System information type 6:
– Location area identification
– Cell identity
– Cell options
– NCC permitted
System Information Messages
System Information Messages
System Information Messages
L3 Message Format
• Within the layer 3 protocols, with some
exceptions, the messages follow standard L3
format.
• L3 message consists of octets, main parts of
which are:
– Protocol discriminator
– Transaction identifier or Skip indicator
– Message type
– Other information elements, as required
Protocol Discriminator
• Bits 1 to4 of first octet are protocol
discriminator (PD) bits.
• Protocol discriminator identifies the layer 3
protocol to which the message belongs.
Transaction Identifier and Skip
Indicator
• Bits 5 to 8 of first octet in L3 message are reserved
for transaction identifier.
• TI makes it possible to decide that to which out of
same parallel CM transactions the message belongs.
• For RR and MM messages the field is called skip
indicator and its value is fixed as 0000.
• TI is further divided into two parts as bit 8 is used to
identify the direction of message and remaining
three bits make the value of TI.
Message Type
• The message type information element
determines the function of a message within a
protocol.
• Each value represents a separate type of
message for the particular sublayer.
Message Type
L3 Protocol Architecture
MOC Signaling Diagram
MTC Signaling Diagram
Location Updating Signaling
Diagram
HO Signaling Diagram
