zte signaling flow

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The information contained in the file is solely property of ZTE corporation. Any kind of disclosing without permission is prohibited.ZTE University univ.zte.com.cnuniv.zte.com.cnuniv.zte.com.cn

Signaling flow


Introduction

Though basically similar, the call process of mobile subscribers and that of ordinary fixed subscribers are different in the following aspects:

• Before a mobile subscriber originates a call, he should first input the number, ensure that no modification is needed, and then send the call.

• Before the number is sent out and the call is connected, there is some additional information that should be transferred between Mobile stations (MS) and the network. Such operations are automatically performed by the equipment, with no need for user interference, but it results in a certain delay.


Initialization

• Initialization is a random access process. It starts from MS which sends a “channel request” message on RACH.

• After receiving this message, BTS notifies BSC, and attaches BTS’s estimation of the transmission delay (TA) from this MS to BTS and the cause for the current access.

• BSC will select an idle and dedicated channel SDCCH to notify BTS to activate it according to the access cause and the current information.


• Access causes mainly includes: location updating; response to a paging call; and subscriber service application, such as a call, sending one short message.

• After BTS completes the activiation of the designated channel, BSC sends the “immediate allocation” message on AGCH via BTS, including the description of the SDCCH channel assigned by BSC to MS, TA, the maximum initialization transmission power and the accessrandom reference value.


• When MS correctly receives its initialized allocation, it will, according to channel description, adjust itself to this channel, set up a signaling transmission link, and send the first initialized message on the dedicated channel, including subscriber’s identification number (such as IMSI), cause for the current access, registration, and authentication.

• If BSC has no idle channels to allocate, BSC will send to MS the “immediate allocation rejected” message.


Subscriber Status

• Mobile stations are normally in one of the followingstates: idle, switched off, and busy.

So, the network should handle accordingly againstthese 3 states.

1) When the MS powers on, the network labels it with “attached” flag.


Case 1.

• If it is the first time MS is switched on, in which case no original LAI can be found in its SIM card,it will immediately demand access to the network, send to MSC the “location updating request”message, and notify the GSM system that this is a new subscriber in this location area.


• MSC will send the “location updating request” to this subscriber’s HLR according to the H1H2H3 message in IMSI sent by this subscriber.

• HLR will record the MSC number that sends this request (M1M2M3), and send back the “location updating acknowledgment” message to MSC. By now, MSC will take this MS as activated, and make the “attached” mark on the IMSI of this subscriber in VLR, and then will send to MS the “location updating accepted” message.

• The SIM card of MS records this location area identifier (LAI).


Case 2.

• If it is not the first time that MS is switched on but rather switched on after switch-off, in which case the received LAI is different from the LAI on the SIM card, then it will also immediately send the “location update request” to MSC.


• MSC will first determine whether the original LAI is within its own service area.

• If yes, MSC needs only to modify this subscriber’s LAI in VLR, make “attached” mark on its IMSI, and send LAI to MS in the “location updating accepted”message. MS will modify the LAI in the SIM card.

• If not, then MSC should send the “location updating request” to the corresponding HLR according to H1H2H3 in this subscriber’s IMSI.


• HLR will record the MSC number that sends this request, then send back the “location updating acknowledgment”.

• MSC makes the “attached” mark on the subscriber’s IMSI in VLR, records the LAI, and sends back to MS the “location updating accepted” message.

• MS then modifies the LAI in the SIM card.


Case 3.

• In case MS is first switched off and then switched on, and the received LAI is the same as that in the SIM card, then MSC needs only to mark this subscriber with the “attached” flag.


2) MS switches off, and gets “detached” from the network.

• When MS turns off the power supply, it sends the last message to the network, including the detachment processing request. After MSC receives the message, it will notify VLR to make the corresponding “detached” mark on the IMSI of this MS.


• HLR in this case has got no notice that this subscriber is already detached from the network.

• So, when this subscriber is paged, and when HLR requests MSC/VLR for MSRN, MSC/VLR will notify HLR that this subscriber is already detached from the network, so no more paging messages need to be sent to page this subscriber.


3) MS busy

• In this case, the network assigns to MS one traffic channel to send voice or data, and mark this subscriber as “busy”. When MS moves around, it must have the ability to switch to other channel, and this is the so-called handover.


Periodic Registration

• After MS sends the “IMSI detached” message to the network, due to poor radio link quality or severe fading, the GSM system can not correctly decode messages, and might still regard this MS as in the attached status.

• In another case, MS is switched on, but it moves outside the service coverage area, but the GSM system still regards MS as in the attached status.


• In such cases, when this subscriber is paged, the system will continusously send paging messages, thus ineffectively wasting lots of radio resources.

• To solve this problem, the GSM system takes the compulsory registration measure, e.g., requiring MS to register once every 30 minutes (which can be determined by the carrier). This is so-called periodicregistration.


Location Update

BS

BS

MSC-A

MSC-B

VLR

VLR

HLRMS

MS

(1)

(3)

(2)

(4)

(9)

(5)

(6)

(7)(8)

(10)


(1) MS moves from one area (belonging to the coverage of MSC-B) to another area (belonging to the coverage of MSC-A).

(2) By detecting the broadcasting information sent persistently by the base station BS, MS finds out that the newly received location area identification is different from the currently used location area identification.


(3)(4) MS sends the location updating request with the message of “I’m here” via this base station to MSC-A.

(5) MSC-A sends the location updating message that contains the MSC-A identifier and MS identification number to HLR (the authentication or encryption calculation process will start from here, though not shown in the diagram).


(6) HLR sends back the response message, including all the related subscriber data.

(7)(8) Subscriber data registration in the visited VLR.

(9) Sending related location updating response message via the base station to MS (if TMSI is re-assigned, it is sent together to MS).

(10) Notifying the original VLR to delete subscriber data related to this MS.


Outgoing Call Flow from MS to PSTN


Outgoing Call Flow from MS to PSTN

(1) Within the service cell, once the mobile subscriber dials, the mobile station will request the base station for the random access channel.

(2) The setup process to set up signaling connection between the mobile station MS and the mobile service switching center MSC.


(3) Authentication of the mobile station’s identification number; if encryption is needed, then it sets the encryption mode and enter the call setup starting phase.

(4) Service channel allocation.


(5) Adopting the No.7 signaling user part ISUP/TUP to set up a channel from the fixed network (ISDN/PSTN) to the called subscriber, send ringing to the called subscriber, and send back the call connection acknowledgment signal to the mobile station.

(6)The called subscriber offhooks to reply, in which case a response (connection) message is sent to the mobile station, thus entering the ultimate call session phase.


Incoming Call Flow from PSTN to MS



(1) Through the No.7 signaling user part ISUP/TUP to enter MSC (GMSC) and receive a call from the fixed network (ISDN/PSTN).

(2) GMSC requests HLR for the MSC address (i.e., MSRN) visited by the related called mobile subscriber.

(3) HLR requests the visited VLR to assign MSRN which is assigned and notified by VLR to HLR in each call.


(4) After GMSC obtains MSRN from HLR, it can re-search for routes to set up connection to the visited MSC.

(5)(6) The visited MSC obtains related subscriber data from VLR.

(7)(8) MSC sends paging messages to the mobile station through all base stations( BS) in the location area.


(9)(10) The mobile station of the called mobile subscriber sends back the paging response messages, then carries out the same steps of (1), (2), (3), (4) as shown in the above outgoing call flow till the mobile station rings, then sends back the call connection acknowledgment signal (omitted in the diagram) to the calling subscriber.

(11) The mobile subscriber offhooks to answer, thus the response (connection) message is sent back to the fixed network to signal calling and called parties enter final call session.


PSTN GMSC MSC/VLR

HLR

MS1 6

432 5

1.MSISDN 2. MSISDN 3. IMSI 4. MSRN

5. MSRN 6. MSRN



( 6)

( 3)( 4)

( 5)( 2)

( 9)

( 7)( 8)( 10)( 1)

HLR/AUC

MSC1/VLR2 MSC2/VLR2

MS1 MS2

MS - MS Call


MS BTS BSC MSC

Chan Request (RACH)Chan Required

Chan ActChan Act ACK

Imm Ass Cmd (Imm Ass)Imm Ass (AGCH)

SABM (Loc Update Req)Est Ind (Loc Update Req)

CR (Loc Update Req)CC

Location Update Accept

BSSMAP (Clear Cmd)

BSSMAP (Clear Cmp)Data Req (Chan Release)Chan Release

Deact SACCHRelease Ind

RF Chan ReleaseRF Chan Release ACK

DISC

UA(Loc Update Req)

Location update flow


Power off flow

MS BTS BSC MSC

Chan RequestChan Required

Chan Act

Chan Act ACKImm Ass Cmd(Imm Ass)

Imm Ass

SABM(IMSI Detach Ind)

UA(IMSI Detach Ind)Est Ind (IMSI Detach Ind)

CR(IMSI Detach Ind)

CREFDR (Chan Rel)Chan Rel

DISC

UA

Deact SACCH

Release Ind

RF Chan Rel

RF Chan Rel ACK


Calling flowMS BSCBTS MSC

Chan Request (RACH)Chan Required


Imm Ass Cmd (Imm Ass)Imm Ass

SABM (CM Ser Req)Est Ind (CM Ser Req)

CR (CM Ser Req)CC

CM Ser AcceptSet Up

Call Proceeding

Ass RequestPhysical Context ReqPhysical Context Conf


Assignment CommandSABM

UAEst Ind

Assignment CompleteAssignment Cmp

Deact SACCHRF Chan Release

Release IndRF Chan Release ACK

AlertingConnect

Connect ACK

DisconnectRelease

Release CompleteClear Cmd

Clear CompleteDR (Chan Release)

Chan ReleaseDeact SACCH

Release Ind

RF Chan Release

RF Chan Release ACK

RLSDRLC

DISC

UA (CM Ser Req)


Called flowMS BTS BSC MSC

PagingPaging Cmd

Paging ReqChan Request

Chan Required

Chan ActChan Act Ack

Imm Ass Cmd (Imm Ass)Imm AssignmentSABM(Pag Resp)

Est Ind (Pag Resp)CR (Pag Resp)

CCSetup

Call ConfirmAssignment Req

Physical Context ReqPhysical Context Conf

Chan ActChan Act Ack

Assignment CommandSABM Est Ind

UA

UA

Assignment CompleteAssignment Complete

AlertingConnect

Connect Ack

DisconnectRelease

Release CompleteClear CommandClear CompleteDR(Channel Release)

Channel ReleaseDeact SACCH RLSD

RLCRelease IndDISC

RF Chan ReleaseRF Chan Release Ack


Handover flow

MS BTS BSC MSC

Meas RepMeas Res

Phy Context Req

Phy Contest Conf

Chan Act

Chan Act ACK

Assign Command

SABM Est IndUA

Assign CompleteHo Perform

Deact SACCH

RF Chan ReleaseRF Chan Rel ACK


Handover flow

MS BTS1 BTS2 BSC MSC

Meas RepMeas Result


Data Req ( HO CMD)HO CMD

HO AccessHO Detect

Physical Information

SABM

UA

HO Complete

RF Chan Rel

RF Chan Rel ACK

Est Ind

Data Ind(HO Comp)

HO Perform


MS BTS1 BSC1 MSC BSC2 BTS2 MS'

Meas ResMeas Rep

CR(Ho Req)Ho Rqd

CC Chan Act

Chan Act AckHo Req ACKHo Cmd

Ho Cmd

Clear Cmd

Clear CmpDeact SACCH

RF Chan Rel

RF Chan Rel ACK

Ho AccessHo Detect Phy Info

SABMEst Ind

Ho Detect

UA

Ho Complete

Handover flow

zte signaling flow

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