User Manual
Table Of Contents
- Cisco Connected Grid 3G Module Installation and Configuration Guide
- Kit Contents
- Features
- Hardware Overview
- Front Panel
- Ports and LEDs
- Supported Cisco Antennas
- Supported Cisco Cables
- 3G Module Models
- Interfaces
- Radio Frequency Interface
- Environmental Specifications
- Power Specifications
- Modem
- GSM Module SIM Interface
- Voltage Monitoring State Machine
- Temperature Monitoring State Machine
- Data Rates
- USB Interface
- Memory Specifications
- Module Power States
- Installing and Removing the SIM Card (GSM Module)
- Installing and Removing the 3G Module
- Regulatory and Compliance Information
- Software Overview
- Configuring the Module
- Configuration Example
- Additional References
- Technical Assistance
- Troubleshooting and Diagnostics
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Cisco Connected Grid 3G Module Installation and Configuration Guide
OL-25991-01
Software Overview
UMTS/GSM Data Network Overview
Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) is the most widely used digital mobile phone system
and the de facto wireless telephone standard in Europe. It is based on the specification from European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Originally defined as a pan-European open standard for
a digital cellular telephone network to support voice, data, text messaging and cross-border roaming.
GSM is now one of the world's main 2G digital wireless standards.
GSM was primarily designed for voice and was circuit switched, but due to the popularity of cellular
networks and the great demand for data services, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) was introduced
as a packet-switched data overlay over the GSM radio network. The radio and network resources of
GPRS are accessed only when data needs to be transmitted between the GPRS mobile user and the GPRS
network.
GSM models are based on 3GPP, and they support HSPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)
and High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)), UMTS (Universal Mobile Radio Service), EDGE
(Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution), and GPRS.
GPRS introduced several new network nodes into the GSM architecture for packet switching, they form
the Mobile Packet Core. The Mobile Packet Core includes the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and
the GPRS Gateway Support Node (GGSN). The SGSN is the node which, in some ways, carries out the
same function as the Foreign Agent in Mobile IP—it tunnels IP packets towards the GGSN and detunnels
packets back from the GGSN. It also carries out mobility managed and billing. GGSN is the node that
carries out the role in the GPRS equivalent to the Home Agent in Mobile IP. The GGSN provides the
connectivity to the IP network and the SGSN, is responsible for IP address assignment, and is the default
router for the connected User Equipment (UE).
Figure 6 shows a GSM network and the network elements it contains.
Figure 6 GSM Network Overview
The Base Tranceiver Station (BTS) and Base Station Controller (BSC) are located at the Cell site and
are the common nodes for both voice and data services. They provide the radio or the physical layer
connectivity between the mobile user and the mobile network. As the BSC voice and data traffic get
MSC
GGSN/
PDSN
PSTN
Internet
BTS/BSC
Branch Office
with Cellular EHWIC
HQ
Voice
Data
Carrier Network
Leased Line
(MPLS, FR, Fiber)
BTS: Base Transceiver Stations
BSC: Base Station Controller
MSC: Mobile Switching Center
SGSN: Service GPRS Support Node
GGSN: Gateway SPRS Support Node
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