Specifications

Organization
Introduction
1-4 68P81095E55-E August 08, 2000
Location Area
A Location Area is logical geographical area that is based on the present (most
recent) location of a Mobile Station (MS). Each MS on the iDEN system has
Location Area Identifiers (LAIs). As the MS moves, different cell sites may service
the MS. The equipment that may service the MS defines the Location Area.
Interconnect service locations are not the same as Dispatch locations. Interconnect
Location Areas are most often larger than Dispatch Location Areas. In both cases,
the Location Area defines the general area where the MS is currently located for
paging and call setup.
Cell
A cell is the area serviced by the RF propagation pattern of the antennas and a radio
of a remote tower (cell site). The area is the effective size of a cell. An EBTS cell
site may be either omni-directional or sectored. An omni site will have 1 cell.
Sectored sites have 2, to 12 sectors (cells). Sectored sites most commonly have three
cells. An MS is located by radio link integrity between 1 or more cells. One cell acts
as host serving cell until a better radio link is detected from another cell.
Logical Environments
Most communications can be logically organized and grouped. When a sufficient
number of users is reached, call patterns and communication relationships can be
organized into a 4-tier functional model. The units of the model are:
• Global — all the potential users of voice and data communications
• Fleet — the broad logical group of users based on a common bond usually
consisting of between 15 and 65,000 users (95,000 for Software Release 8.0)
• Group — a subset of a fleet based on the inter-relationship of users in the
fleet (managers, sales, transportation, drivers, etc.)
• User — an individual or a compatible device that has access to the network
Global
As an increasing marketplace, the global, telecommunications market requires the
ability to access and communicate within and across service provider networks. To
provide access to these services, the iDEN system utilizes Global System for Mobile
Communication (GSM) based technology that is compatible with Public Switched
Telephone Network (PSTN) equipment and standards. This method provides direct
dial to other network subscribers and networking through internally-direct and dial-
up facilities. By linking directly to iDEN system and other-provider equipment, any
PSTN equipment in the world is a potential resource for users. Any connection
equipment outside the iDEN network is full-duplex and is discussed in greater detail
in Interconnect Call Processing.
iDEN also provides dial-up data communications (Chapter 7, Circuit Switched Data
Networking).
A single service provider may have markets in more than one geographical area. In
these cases, connections within the same provider in different markets or urban
centers are referred to as domains. Software Release 8.0 and above supports
designated domains (Dispatch Call Processing).