3 Definitions and abbreviations

3GPP43.068Release 17Stage 2TSVoice Group Call Service (VGCS)

3.1 Definitions

For the purposes of the present document, the terms and definitions given in 3GPP TS 42.068 and the following apply:

group call anchor MSC: the MSC responsible for managing and maintaining a particular voice group call. The group call anchor MSC is determined as the one controlling the cells of the group call area (see also group call relay MSC). For a voice group call where the group call area exceeds one MSC area, the group call anchor MSC is predefined in the network. In a RANflex configuration with group call redundancy, the group call anchor MSC redundancy pool (instead of a group call anchor MSC) is predefined in a network for a given voice group call.

Group Call Attributes (GCA): group call area, dispatcher identities, and the non-activity time which results in the release of the voice group call by the network

group call relay MSC: the MSC controlling cells of a group call area which are not under control of the group call anchor MSC for those voice group call services where the group call area exceeds one MSC area. For a voice group call where the group area exceeds one MSC area, the address of the group call relay MSC is pre-configured in the anchor MSC’s GCR. In a RANflex configuration with group call redundancy this preconfigured address identifies a group call relay MSC redundancy pool (instead of a group call relay MSC).

Group Call Register (GCR): functionality in the network containing the group call attributes

group call serving MSC: In a RANflex configuration the group call serving MSC of a location area is a group call anchor MSC or a group call relay MSC that controls the group call signalling for this location area. A location area within the pool area has a unique group call serving MSC, or – in a RANflex configuration with group call redundancy – a unique group call serving MSC redundancy pool. For a given group call at any location, the group call serving MSC is either the anchor MSC or one of the relay MSCs controlling the group call. For a service subscriber located in this location area the visited MSC may be different from the location area’s group call serving MSC.

In a RANflex configuration all location areas within a BSC service area are assigned to the same group call serving MSC.

In a RANflex configuration with group call redundancy all location areas within a BSC service area are assigned to the same group call serving MSC redundancy pool.

group call serving MSC redundancy pool: A pool of group call serving MSCs each of which can take the same role for a given group call (anchor /relay) and serve the same location areas within a RANflex pool area with group call services. For a given voice group call a location area’s group call serving MSC redundancy pool is either the group call anchor MSC redundancy pool or one of the group call relay MSC redundancy pools.

group call anchor MSC redundancy pool: A group call serving MSC redundancy pool. Each MSC within the group call anchor MSC redundancy pool can take the role of the group call anchor MSC for a given group call. For a given instance of a voice group call one group call anchor MSC is selected from the group call anchor MSC redundancy pool.

group call relay MSC redundancy pool: A group call serving MSC redundancy pool. Each MSC within the group call relay MSC redundancy pool can take the role of the group call relay MSC for a given group call. For a given instance of a voice group call one group call relay MSC is selected from every relevant group call relay MSC redundancy pool.

group members: service subscribers entitled to belong to a particular group classified by a certain group identification (group ID)

group mode dedicated channel: In this mode, a mobile station participating in an ongoing voice group call is allocated at least two dedicated channels, only one of them being a SACCH

notification: notifications are given on common control channels or dedicated channels in order to inform group members which are either in idle mode or in dedicated mode or participating in a voice group call or voice broadcast call on the existence of voice group calls

Notification CHannel (NCH): common control channel on which the notifications are sent by the network (equivalent to a paging channel)

originator-to-dispatcher information: information sent by the service subscriber originating a voice group call to the network during call setup for distribution to the dispatchers to be attached to the group call during call setup

RANflex configuration: A network configuration that allows a location area to be served by multiple MSCs in parallel. For details see 3GPP TS 23.236 [17]. In a RANflex configuration a given location area is associated with a single group call serving MSC. There is no support of group call redundancy.

RANflex configuration with group call redundancy: A RANflex configuration where a given location area is associated with a group call serving MSC redundancy pool (instead of with a single group call serving MSC). For a given voice group call a location area’s group call serving MSC redundancy pool may be a group call anchor MSC redundancy pool or a group call relay MSC redundancy pool.

voice group call channel: combined uplink/downlink to be allocated in a cell of the group call area for a particular voice group call
The uplink can be used by the presently talking service subscriber only. All mobile stations of the listening service subscribers in one cell shall listen to the common downlink.

voice group call member: any group member or dispatcher participating in an on going voice group call

point-to-point short message: information that may be transferred between a mobile station and a Service Center

time-critical application-specific data: application-specific data which shall be transferred within the time limitation specified in 3GPP TS 42.068.

For the purposes of the present document, the following terms and definitions given in 3GPP TS 24.008 [7] apply.

dedicated mode

group receive mode

group transmit mode

3.2 Abbreviations

For the purpose of the present document, the abbreviations given in 3GPP TR 21.905 [1a] and the following apply:

AMR Adaptive Multi-Rate

AoIP A over IP, using IP as the bearer of the user plane of A interface.

CC Country Code

D-ATT Downlink Attach

DA Downlink Attach

DRX Discontinuous reception

DTMF Dual Tone Multi Frequency

EFR Enhanced Full Rate

eMLPP enhanced Multi-Level Precedence and Pre-emption

GCA Group Call Attributes

GCR Group Call Register

NCH Notification Channel

NDC National Destination Code

SN Subscriber Number

UA Uplink Attach

VBS Voice Broadcast Service

VGCS Voice Group Call Service