GSM Network Example

This example shows a few cells in a GSM network. The following scenarios reference this diagram:

  • Location Update (PDF): The car is driven on the I-270 highway and it encounters Rockville-Bethesda and Bethesda-Virginia cell boundaries. (No call is made during the entire drive).
  • Intra -MSC Handover (PDF): The car is leaving the Rockville cell and entering the Bethesda cell and the driver is on the phone.
  • Inter-MSC Handover : The car is leaving Bethesda and entering the Vienna cell and the driver is on the phone.

Learn more

The 3g4g blog is a good reference for articles on GSM, GPRS and EDGE.

An example of a GSM network showing two location areas that consist of several cells.