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Introduction

Historical Background

GSM

  Introduction

Mobile Services

Bearer Services

Tele Services

Supplementary Services

System Architecture

Radio Subsystem (RSS)

Network and switching subsystem

Operation Subsystem

Radio Air Interface

Logical Channels and Frame Hierarchy

Protocols

Localisation and Calling

Handover

Security

Authentication

Encryption

GSM Summary and key Points

EDGE

WCDMA

UMTS

The Future

Final Thoughts

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System Architecture

As with all telecommunications systems, GSM has a hierarchical and complex system architecture comprising of many entities, interfaces and acronyms figure 4 shows a simplified overview of the GSM system as specified in the ETSI (TS 101.622). GSM systems consist of three subsystems, the radio subsystem (RSS), the network and switching subsystem (NSS), and the operation subsystem (OSS). Generally a GSM user will only notice a very small portion of the whole network, commonly the mobile stations (MS) and some antenna masts of the base transceiver stations (BTS).

Figure 4 Functional Architecture of a GSM system

 

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