MOBILE COMPUTING

Introduction
 Mobile Computing is a technology that provides an environment
that enables users to transmit data from one device to another
device without the use of any physical link or cables.

 It allows transmission of data, voice and video via a computer or

any other wireless-enabled device without being connected to a
fixed physical link. In this technology, data transmission is done
wirelessly with the help of wireless devices such as mobiles,
laptops etc.

 This is only because of Mobile Computing technology that you

can access and transmit data from any remote locations without
being present there physically. Mobile computing technology
provides a vast coverage diameter for communication. It is one
of the fastest and most reliable sectors of the computing
technology field.
 The concept of Mobile Computing can be
divided into three parts:

1. Mobile Communication
2. Mobile Hardware
3. Mobile Software
 Mobile Communication
 It specifies a framework that is responsible for
the working of mobile computing technology.

 It refers to an infrastructure that ensures

seamless and reliable communication among
wireless devices. This framework ensures the
consistency and reliability of communication
between wireless devices.

 Its framework consists of communication

devices such as protocols, services, bandwidth
Types of Mobile communication

 Fixed and Wired

 Fixed and Wireless
 Mobile and Wired
 Mobile and Wireless
 Fixed and Wired: In Fixed and Wired
configuration, the devices are fixed at a
position, and they are connected through a
physical link to communicate with other
devices.
For Example, Desktop Computer.

 Fixed and Wireless: In Fixed and Wireless

configuration, the devices are fixed at a
position, and they are connected through a
wireless link to make communication with other
devices.

For Example, Communication Towers, WiFi router

 Mobile and Wired: In Mobile and Wired
configuration, some devices are wired, and
some are mobile. They altogether make
communication with other devices.
For Example, Laptops.

 Mobile and Wireless: In Mobile and

Wireless configuration, the devices can
communicate with each other irrespective
of their position. They can also connect to
any network without the use of any wired
device.
For Example, WiFi Dongle.
 Mobile Hardware

 Mobile hardware consists of mobile

devices or device components that can
be used to receive or access the service
of mobility. Examples of mobile hardware
can be smartphones, laptops, portable
PCs, tablet PCs, Personal Digital
Assistants, etc.
 Mobile Software

 Mobile software is a program that runs on

mobile hardware.

 This is the operating system for the

appliance of mobile devices.
Fixed vs. Wireless Networks in Mobile
Computing

Wireless Networks Fixed Networks

There is no requirement of any In Fixed Networks, a physical

physical configuration in the configuration is required in any
wireless network. condition.
The data loss rate is high in In Fixed Networks, a perfect link is
Wireless Networks. established between the devices,
so; the data loss rate is very low.
In Wireless Networks, the data In Fixed Networks, the rate of data
transmission rate is comparatively transmission is high, so it provides
low, so it provides less speed. high speed.
Latency is high in Wireless There is no issue of latency in
Networks, which finally results in Fixed Networks because there is a
more delay. perfect connection established
between the devices that provide
less delay.
The Wireless Networks may be Fixed Networks connections are
hacked; that's why the security is highly secured.
always low in this type of network.
 Advantages
1. Increase in Productivity- Mobile devices can be used out in the
field of various companies, therefore reducing the time and cost for
clients and themselves.

2- Entertainment- Mobile devices can be used for entertainment

purposes, for personal and even for presentations to people and clients.

3- Portability- this would be one of the main advantages of mobile

computing, you are not restricted to one location in order for you to get
jobs done or even access email on the go

4- Cloud Computing- This service is available for saving documents on

a online server and being able to access them anytime and anywhere
when you have a connection to the internet and can access these files
on several mobile devices or even PCs at home.
Issues occurred in Mobile Computing.

 Costly due to Wireless Medium

 Issue due to Device Mobility
 Security Issues in Mobile Computing
 Restrictive regulation of frequency
 Higher delay
 Higher loss rates
 Low –high bandwidth variability.
 Mobile Computing
Functions
 We can define a computing environment as
mobile if it supports one or more of the following
characteristics:

1. User Mobility: – User should be able to move

from one physical location to another location and
use the same service. – The service could be in the
home network or a remote network. – Example
could be a user moves from London to New York
and uses Internet to access the corporate
application the same way the user uses in the
home office
2. Network Mobility: – User should be able to
move from one network to another network
and use the same service.

Example could be a user moves from Hong

Kong to New Delhi and uses the same GSM
phone to access the corporate application
through WAP (Wireless Application Protocol).
In home network he uses this service over
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
whereas in Delhi he accesses it over the GSM
network.
3. Bearer Mobility: – User should be able to
move from one bearer to another and use
the same service.

Example could be a user was using a

service through WAP bearer in his home
network in Bangalore. He moves to
Coimbatore, where WAP is not supported,
he switch over to voice or SMS(Short
Message Service) bearer to access the
same application.
4. Device Mobility: –User should be able to
move from one device to another and use
the same service.

Example could be sales representatives

using their desktop computer in home
office. During the day while they are on the
street they would like to use their Palmtop
to access the application.
5. Session Mobility: – A user session should be
able to move from one user-agent environment
to another.

Example could be a user was using his service

through a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
IX network. The user entered into the basement
to park the car and got disconnected from his
CDMA network. User goes to home office and
starts using the desktop. The unfinished session
in the CDMA device moves from the mobile
device to the desktop computer.
6. Service Mobility: – User should be able to
move from one service to another.

Example could be a user is writing a mail.

To complete the mail user needs to refer to
some other information. In a desktop PC,
user simply opens another service
(browser) and moves between them using
the task bar. User should be able to switch
amongst services in small footprint wireless
devices like in the desktop.
 Wireless telephony
 1G: Analog Cellular Networks
 1G Technology

 It basically was a network with only voice call capabilities

 In 1979, 1G was launched commercially in Tokyo city

of Japan by NTT DoCoMo firm.

 1G is an analog technology and the phones generally had

poor battery life and voice quality was large without much
security, and would most often experience dropped calls.

 The maximum speed of 1G was 2.4 Kbps.

 1G technology wasn't fully digital. This led to insecurity of

phone calls.
 Due to less frequency bandwidth for 1G, data
transmission speed was too low and was only feasible for
phone calls as they take low data to carry the intended
signals.

 There was only one medium for communication, phone

call to convey your message to the other person.

 Mobile phones were big and thick in size due to bigger

antennas that needed to catch requisite data traversing
in space.

 Also mobile phones had lower battery life because data

transmission used to take lots of energy. The other big
drawback was roaming that was not supported in 1G
technology meaning you could not use other countries'
networks. After 10 long years of 1G technology, 2G was
launched
 Drawbacks of 1G:

 Poor voice quality

 Poor battery life
 Large phone size
 No security
 Limited capacity
 Poor reliability
 2G: Digital Networks

 Use of digital transmission instead of analog transmission

 a new variant to communication, as SMS text messaging

became possible, initially on GSM networks and eventually on
all digital networks.

 consume less battery power

 Digital coding improves the voice clarity and reduces noise in

the line.

 Digital signals are considered environment friendly. Digital

encryption has provided secrecy and safety to the data and
voice calls.
 Better voice quality, more than one medium to
communicate brought a new change in wireless
communication technology.

 With data encryption method, transmission became more

efficient and fast with better quality and data security. Only
a particular recipient could receive the intended message
via encryption technique.

 The mobile phone size also reduced to some extent.

 Battery life improved due to digitization of data transmission

which usually took less energy to transmit.

 GSM (Global Systems for Mobile) based on TDMA (Time

Division Multiplexing Access) and CDMA (Code Division
Multiplexing Access).

 Data transmission speed was also increased to 14.4 kbps

compared to 3-4 kbps in 1G.
 3G

 4 times quicker than the old 2G standards.

 With initial speeds of around 200kbps and steady

transformation of the technological innovations saw
maximum speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.

 faster data-transmission speeds so you could use for

video calling and mobile internet.

 It enabled smartphones to provide

Faster communication
Send/receive large emails and texts
Provide fast web browsing
Video streaming and more security
 3G utilizes packet switching data
transmission rather than circuit
switching.

 Data is broken down into small pieces or

packets and then sent to the destination.
Using this method of transmission greatly
increases the speed, allowing one to send
data through multiple channels in parallel
rather than one channel in series.
 4G
 It supports mobile web access like 3G but also
gaming services, HD mobile TV, Video
Conferencing, 3D TV and other services that
demand higher speeds.

 All IP packet switch network domains are used for

4G compliance which means all transmission is
based on Internet Protocol. Here, data is given the
highest priority.

 The maximum speed of a 4G network when the

device is moving is 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps for low
mobility communication like when stationary or
walking.
 CELLULAR SYSTEM
 Cells
 Cell clustering
 Cell splitting
 Frequency reuse
 Handoff
 CELL
 In all cellular systems, land area is divided into a
number of cells each with its radio service.

 cells are hexagonal in shape.

 Each cell uses a frequency range that is not used

by its adjacent cells. However frequencies may be
reused in non-adjacent cells.

 At the center of each cell is a base station through

which mobile phones and other mobile devices
transmit data and voice.
 Cellular architecture
 A cell is a pictorial representation of the area
covered by Base Station (BS).

 A base station is that point where all our

wireless phones are connected to on a carrier
network .
 Cell clustering
 A cluster is a group of cells.

 Generally, clustering is done in such a way that no two

adjacent cells operate on the same frequency.

 This is done to ensure minimal interference between two

adjacent cells, as well as to address the frequency spectrum
availability problem.

 If we consider the cells to be hexagonal, the minimum

number of cells to be present in a cluster is seven.
 Cell splitting
 To cater to a large number of users in densely populous
areas, such as cities, the cells are further divided into
sub-cells, and this process is known as cell splitting.

 The sub-cells have antennas that have been reduced in

height to sufficiently cover the whole sub-cell region.

 This, in turn, increases the capacity of the cell.

 But splitting the cell into smaller parts can lead to

interference, as the band of frequencies in use within a
cell is the same.
 Why??
 The main aim of the cell is to maximize
the available frequency channel and
hence accommodate more users.
 To achieve this, two main techniques are
applied and these are:

Frequency reuse and handover

 Frequency reuse
 Frequencies used in a given cell area will be
simultaneously reused at a different cell which is
geographically separated.

 Frequency reuse is a technique for making use

of the same set of frequencies and or channels
in the same communication environment with
the sole aim of increasing bandwidth and
capacity of the system.

 The frequency set used in one cell can be found

in another cell but the spacing between the cells
must be in such a way that interference would
 For example, a typical seven-cell pattern can be
considered.

 Total available frequency resources are divided

into seven parts, each part consisting of a
number of radio channels and allocated to a cell
site. In a group of 7 cells, available frequency
spectrum is consumed totally. The same seven
sets of frequency can be used after certain
distance.
 Handoff
 The process of handoff is used when users
moves from cell to cell.

 Handoff is a process in cellular communication

for automatically transferring the call from one
radio frequency to the other, without
interrupting the user’s conversation.

 Maintaining cellular connectivity even while the

subscriber moves from one location to another,
across the cells, poses a problem as each cell
operates at a different frequency.
 Hard Handoff
 Hard Handoff is a technique that requires the
user’s connection to be broken before connecting
to another while switching between two BTS

 “break before make”.

 Advantages

 Hard Handovers are cheaper as they

require only one channel to be active at a
time.

 Used in applications that can afford slight

delays, such as VoIP, Internet, and WiMAX
 Soft handoff
 Soft Handoff is a feature where a cellular device gets
connected to two or more cell BTS (or cell sectors) at the
same time.

 “make before break”.

 Advantages

 It provides better Quality Assurance as a

channel is always on stand by in case of
power loss in any other channel.

 More than one repeater can send and

receive signals to transmit signals to and
from mobiles, increasing transfer speed.

 Delay is very low

 GSM
 Global System for Mobile (GSM) is a
second generation cellular standard
developed to cater voice services and
data delivery using digital modulation .

 Why ?
 Higher digital voice quality.
 Low cost alternatives for making calls and
sms.
 GSM SERVICES
 Tele-services
 Bearer or Data Services
 Supplementary services
 TELE SERVICES•
 Telecommunication services that enable
voice communication via mobile phones
 BEARER SERVICES
 Include various data services for
information transfer between GSM and
other networks like PSTN, ISDN etc.
 Short Message Service (SMS) - up to 160
character alphanumeric data
transmission to/from the mobile terminal
 Voice
 mail
 SUPPLEMENTARY
SERVICES
 Call related services :
 Call Waiting- Notification of an incoming call
while on the handset
 Call Hold- Put a caller on hold to take another
call
 Call Barring- All calls, outgoing calls, or
incoming calls
 Call Forwarding- Calls can be sent to various
numbers defined by the user
 Multi Party Call Conferencing - Link multiple
calls together
GSM Architecture
 1. Mobile Station (MS)

MS grant access to the GSM network. It

contains the following two components.

 Mobile Equipment (ME)

 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
 Mobile Equipment:
 Hardware used by the subscriber to access
the network.
 Uniquely identified by IMEI number.

 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM):

 Smartcard containing the International Mobile
Subscriber Identity (IMSI).
 Allows user to send & receive calls and
received other subscribed services.
 BSS
Consists of 2 parts: -
 Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

 Base Station Controller (BSC)

 BASE TRANSCEIVER STATION (BTS)
 The BTS houses the radio transceivers that define a cell
and handles the radio link protocols with the MS.

 The BTS corresponds to the transceivers and antennas

used in each cell of the network.

 A BTS is usually placed in the center of a cell.

 Its transmitting power defines the size of a cell. Each BTS

has between 1 and 16 transceivers, depending on the
density of users in the cell. Each BTS serves as a single
cell.

 Handles Speech Encoding, Encryption, Multiplexing and

Modulation/ Demodulation of radio signals
BASE STATION CONTROLLER (BSC)
 Allocation of Channels.
 Frequency Administration.
 Controls the power transmission.
 Handovers from one BTS to another.
 It assigns and releases frequencies and
time slots for the MS.
 NETWORK & SWITCHING SUB-
SYSTEM (NSS)
 The main part of which is the Mobile
Switching Center (MSC), performs the
switching of calls between the mobile and
other fixed or mobile network users, as
well as the management of mobile
services such as authentication.


Consists of different components as: -

Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) - Gateway
Mobile Switching Centre (GMSC) - HLR &
VLR - AuC & EIR
MOBILE SWITCHING CENTRE (MSC)
 Performs Call Routing, Call set-up and
basic switching functions.
 The MSC performs the switching of calls
between the mobile and other fixed or
mobile network users
 Registration, authentication, location
updating, handovers, and call routing to a
roaming subscriber.
 Communicates with HLR, VLR & other
MSCs.
 HLR
 HLR contains a database for subscriber
specific information such as IMSI, current
location of the MS, roaming restrictions
etc.

 When an individual buys a subscription in

the form of SIM, then all the information
about this subscription is registered in
the HLR of that operator.
 VLR
 The VLR is a database that contains temporary
information about subscribers that is needed by the
MSC in order to service visiting subscribers.

 The VLR is always integrated with the MSC.

 When a mobile station roams into a new MSC area, the

VLR connected to that MSC will request data about the
mobile station from the HLR.

 Later, if the mobile station makes a call, the VLR will

have the information needed for call setup without
having to interrogate the HLR each time.
 EIR &AUC
 The Authentication Center is a protected database
that stores a copy of the secret key stored in each
subscriber's SIM card, which is used for
authentication and ciphering of the radio channel.

 The Equipment Identity Register (EIR) is a

database that contains a list of all valid mobile
equipment on the network, where its International
Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) identifies each
MS. An IMEI is marked as invalid if it has been
reported stolen or is not type approved.
Mobile computing architecture
 Presentation Layer (UI):
 This layer presents data to the user and optionally permits
data manipulation and data entry, also this layer requests the
data form Business layer.

 This layer accomplished through use of Dynamic HTML and

client-side data sources and data cursors.
 This is user facing System in the first tier. This is the layer of
agent application and system.

 These applications run on the client device and offer all the
user interface.

 This tier is responsible for presenting the information to the

end user.

 Presentation Tier include web browsers (like Mozilla, Internet

Explorer etc…)WAP browsers and customized client programs.
 Business Logic Layer:
 The business logic acts as the server for client requests from
workstations. It acts according Business rules fetch or insert data
through the Data Layer.

 In turn, it determines what data is needed (and where it is located) and

acts as a client in relation to a third tier of programming that might be
located on a local or mainframe computer.

 Because these middle-tier components are not tied to a specific client,

they can be used by all applications and can be moved to different
locations, as response time and other rules require.

 It performs the business logic of processing user input , obtaining data,

and making decision.

 In certain case, this layer will do the transcoding of data for appropriate
rendering in the presentation Tier.

 In mobile computing environment in addition to the business logic there

are quite a few additional management function that need to be
performed
 These function relate to decision on renderinal ,
network management , security, data store access,
etc.

 Most of these function are implemented using

different middleware software.

 Middleware frame work is defined as a layer of

software, which sits in middle between the operating
system and the user facing software.

 Using this middle ware , the application will be able

to access data from any source.  Data source ca be
text files, spreadsheets or a network, relational ,
indexed, hierarchical, XML database, object
database, etc
3. Data Access Layer:
 The third tier of the 3-tier system is made up of the
DBMS that provides all the data for the above two layers.

 This is the actual DBMS access layer.

 Avoiding dependencies on the storage mechanisms

allows for updates or changes without the application
tier clients being affected by or even aware of the
change.

 he Data Tier is used to store data needed by the

application and acts as a repository for both temporary
and permanent data.
 These can range from sophisticate relational database,
legacy hierarchical database , to even simple text files.
 Design constraints
1. Decide if you will a rich client, a thin client or rich
internet application.
2. Determine the device types you will support
3. Design considering occasionally connected, limited
bandwidth scenario when required.
4. Design a UI appropriate for mobile device, taking
into account platform constraints.
5. Don’t worry about device platform
6. Storage
7. Battery
8. Graphics
9. Cloud
WCDMA architecture
Why wcdma
spreading
Spreading principle
Example 2