SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003
(Main)Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM); Alphabets and language-specific information (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1)
- Abstract
This ETS defines the language-specific requirements for GSM. These are specific codepoints required by the SMS specifications which in turn are used not only for SMS (GSM 03.40, 03.41) but also for Unstructured Data (GSM 02.90) and may additionally be used for MMI (GSM 02.30). The specifications for the DCE/DTE interface (GSM 07.05, 07.06) will also use the codes specified herein for the transfer of SMS data to an external terminal.
- Status
- Published
- Publication Date
- 30-Nov-2003
- Current Stage
- 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
- Start Date
- 01-Dec-2003
- Due Date
- 01-Dec-2003
- Completion Date
- 01-Dec-2003
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 is the Slovenian adoption of ETS 300 900 Edition 3 from ETSI, titled Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM); Alphabets and language-specific information (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1). It defines the GSM alphabets and language-specific coding used for SMS, Cell Broadcast, Unstructured Data, and related GSM interfaces, so implementers know how text, message classes, and language indications are encoded and handled.
What does SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 specify?
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 specifies the language-specific requirements for GSM. In practice, it tells a mobile system how to encode and interpret message data so that SMS, Cell Broadcast, Unstructured Data, and some MMI uses behave consistently across devices and networks.
The document says these codepoints are required by the SMS specifications and are also used by GSM 02.90 Unstructured Data. It also notes that GSM 07.05 and GSM 07.06 use the same codes for transferring SMS data to an external terminal, which matters whenever text leaves the mobile station and enters another device or interface.
The main structure is straightforward:
- Clause 4 - SMS Data Coding Scheme
- Clause 5 - Cell Broadcast Data Coding Scheme
- Clause 6 - Individual parameters, including general principles, character packing, and alphabet tables
What are the key requirements of SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003?
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 mainly defines how the data coding scheme bits are interpreted, how messages are packed into octets, and which alphabets must be supported. It also defines how the mobile station handles message classes and language indications, which is what determines whether text is displayed, stored, routed, or passed onward.
Clause 4 - SMS Data Coding Scheme
Clause 4 links the TP-Data-Coding-Scheme to the TP-UD field and to message class. A receiving entity is told to treat reserved codings as the GSM default alphabet, which gives a safe fallback instead of undefined behavior.
Clause 4 also separates the coding groups for general data coding, message waiting indications, and data coding/message class. For a reader, that means the encoder and decoder must look at the coding-group bits first, then apply the right alphabet, compression flag, and class handling.
Clause 4 - message class handling
Clause 4 defines Class 0, Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 handling for mobile terminated messages. Class 0 is for immediate display, Class 1 is normally stored in the mobile equipment, Class 2 must be transferred to the SIM before acknowledgement, and Class 3 is TE-specific.
This matters because the acknowledgement to the service centre depends on the class, not just on whether the text arrived. The standard also says unsupported or reserved values are stored as received, while the service centre may reject them.
Clause 5 - Cell Broadcast Data Coding Scheme
Clause 5 uses the same idea of coding groups, but adds language handling for broadcast messages. It defines language-coded groups, a default-alphabet group with a language indication, a UCS2 group with a language indication, general data coding, and a data coding/message handling group.
In practice, Cell Broadcast software must decode both the language and the text coding. That is important for network announcements, emergency-style broadcasts, and other one-to-many messages where the handset must decide how to present the message.
Clause 5 - message handling and routing
Clause 5 also states how the mobile station should treat Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 Cell Broadcast messages. Class 1 and Class 2 messages may be routed by the mobile equipment to user-defined destinations, and the user can override the default meaning.
That means device design is not just about decoding characters. It also affects where the message goes inside the device and whether the user can change that routing.
Clause 6.1 - general display and packing rules
Clause 6.1 gives the general rules for all alphabet tables. Characters marked as unused are displayed as a space, LF moves following text to the next line, CR returns to the start of the current line, and text is displayed left to right and top to bottom.
Clause 6.1.2 then gives the packing rules for 7-bit characters in SMS point-to-point, Cell Broadcast, and USSD. For implementers, this is the core encoding rule: if packing or padding is wrong, the same text will decode incorrectly on another device.
Clause 6.2 - alphabets
Clause 6.2 says the default alphabet is mandatory, while 8-bit data and UCS2 are additional alphabets. It also says a mobile station shall be able to store a short message coded in any alphabet on the SIM.
That is important in testing and product design because a device may not display every alphabet natively, but it still has to preserve the received message correctly in storage.
What terms does SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 define?
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 uses a small set of terms that are central to message coding and routing.
- Short Message Service (SMS) - The GSM message service for point-to-point short messages, including the data coding rules in clause 4.
- Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) - The one-to-many message service covered by clause 5, with its own language and coding groups.
- Man Machine Interface (MMI) - The user interface on the mobile station, which can influence whether messages are displayed immediately or routed differently.
- Mobile Station (MS) - The receiving device that decodes, stores, displays, and acknowledges messages.
- Default alphabet - The mandatory 7-bit GSM alphabet used for SMS, CBS, and related text handling.
- UCS2 - The 16-bit character coding from ISO/IEC 10646 used for text that needs broader character coverage.
Who uses SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003?
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 is used by people who implement or verify text handling in GSM systems. That includes mobile station manufacturers, SMS platform teams, Cell Broadcast implementers, SIM and terminal-interface developers, and test laboratories.
It is especially relevant where a message moves between the network, the mobile station, the SIM, and an external terminal through the DCE/DTE interface. Quality managers and interoperability testers use it to check packing, decoding, message class behavior, language indication, and fallback behavior for reserved values.
What changed in SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 from the previous edition?
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 corresponds to ETS 300 900 Edition 3, identified in the document history as the third edition published in January 1998.
Which standards are used with SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003?
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 depends on several GSM and ISO references that provide the surrounding SMS, broadcast, and character-set context:
- GSM 01.04 - abbreviations and acronyms used in the standard
- GSM 02.30 - Man-Machine Interface of the Mobile Station
- GSM 03.40 - technical realization of SMS Point to Point
- GSM 03.41 - technical realization of SMS Cell Broadcast
- GSM 03.42 - compression algorithm for text messaging services
- GSM 03.90 - unstructured supplementary services operation, stage 2
- GSM 04.11 - PP SMS support on the mobile radio interface
- GSM 04.12 - SMSCB support on the mobile radio interface
- GSM 04.90 - USSD coding values for MS-originated and MS-terminated USSD
- GSM 07.05 - DTE-DCE interface for SMS and Cell Broadcast
- ISO/IEC 10646 - UCS2, the 16-bit coded character set
- ISO 639 - codes for language names used in Cell Broadcast language indication
What does the SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 document contain?
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 contains the coding-group definitions for SMS and Cell Broadcast, including message class handling and language indication. It also contains the packing rules for 7-bit characters in SMS point-to-point, Cell Broadcast, and USSD, with examples of how characters are arranged into octets.
The document includes the default alphabet table, descriptions of 8-bit data and UCS2, and general notes on display behavior such as LF and CR handling. These parts are the practical reference for software coding, interoperability testing, and message-format verification.
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Frequently Asked Questions
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 is a standard published by the Slovenian Institute for Standardization (SIST). Its full title is "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM); Alphabets and language-specific information (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1)". This standard covers: This ETS defines the language-specific requirements for GSM. These are specific codepoints required by the SMS specifications which in turn are used not only for SMS (GSM 03.40, 03.41) but also for Unstructured Data (GSM 02.90) and may additionally be used for MMI (GSM 02.30). The specifications for the DCE/DTE interface (GSM 07.05, 07.06) will also use the codes specified herein for the transfer of SMS data to an external terminal.
This ETS defines the language-specific requirements for GSM. These are specific codepoints required by the SMS specifications which in turn are used not only for SMS (GSM 03.40, 03.41) but also for Unstructured Data (GSM 02.90) and may additionally be used for MMI (GSM 02.30). The specifications for the DCE/DTE interface (GSM 07.05, 07.06) will also use the codes specified herein for the transfer of SMS data to an external terminal.
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 33.070.50 - Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.
SIST ETS 300 900 E3:2003 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2003
'LJLWDOQLFHOLþQLWHOHNRPXQLNDFLMVNLVLVWHP ID]D ±,QIRUPDFLMDRQDERULKþUNLQ
SRVHEQRVWLKMH]LNRY *60UD]OLþLFD
Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM); Alphabets and language-
specific information (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ETS 300 900 Edition 3
ICS:
33.070.50 Globalni sistem za mobilno Global System for Mobile
telekomunikacijo (GSM) Communication (GSM)
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EUROPEAN ETS 300 900
TELECOMMUNICATION January 1998
STANDARD Third Edition
Source: SMG Reference: RE/SMG-040338QR5
ICS: 33.020
Key words: Digital cellular telecommunications system, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)
R
GLOBAL SYSTEM FOR
MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+);
Alphabets and language-specific information
(GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1)
ETSI
European Telecommunications Standards Institute
ETSI Secretariat
Postal address: F-06921 Sophia Antipolis CEDEX - FRANCE
Office address: 650 Route des Lucioles - Sophia Antipolis - Valbonne - FRANCE
X.400: c=fr, a=atlas, p=etsi, s=secretariat - Internet: secretariat@etsi.fr
Tel.: +33 4 92 94 42 00 - Fax: +33 4 93 65 47 16
Copyright Notification: No part may be reproduced except as authorized by written permission. The copyright and the
foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media.
© European Telecommunications Standards Institute 1998. All rights reserved.
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation and publication of this document, errors in content,
typographical or otherwise, may occur. If you have comments concerning its accuracy, please write to
"ETSI Editing and Committee Support Dept." at the address shown on the title page.
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
Contents
Foreword .5
1 Scope .7
2 Normative references.7
3 Abbreviations.7
4 SMS Data Coding Scheme .8
5 Cell Broadcast Data Coding Scheme.11
6 Individual parameters.13
6.1 General principles.13
6.1.1 General notes.13
6.1.2 Character packing .13
6.1.2.1 SMS Point-to-Point Packing .13
6.1.2.1.1 Packing of 7-bit characters .13
6.1.2.2 SMS Cell Broadcast Packing.14
6.1.2.2.1 Packing of 7-bit characters .14
6.1.2.3 USSD packing .15
6.1.2.3.1 Packing of 7 bit characters .15
6.2 Alphabet tables .18
6.2.1 Default alphabet .18
6.2.2 8 bit data.18
6.2.3 UCS2.19
History.20
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
Foreword
This European Telecommunications Standard (ETS) has been produced by the Special Mobile Group
(SMG) of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
This ETS defines the language-specific requirements for GSM within the digital cellular
telecommunications system (Phase 2+).
The contents of this ETS is subject to continuing work within SMG and may change following formal SMG
approval. Should SMG modify the contents of this ETS, it will be resubmitted for OAP by ETSI with an
identifying change of release date and an increase in version number as follows:
Version 5.x.y
where:
y the third digit is incremented when editorial only changes have been incorporated in the
specification;
x the second digit is incremented for all other types of changes, i.e. technical enhancements,
corrections, updates, etc.
Transposition dates
Date of adoption of this ETS: 2 January 1998
Date of latest announcement of this ETS (doa): 30 April 1998
Date of latest publication of new National Standard
or endorsement of this ETS (dop/e): 31 October 1998
Date of withdrawal of any conflicting National Standard (dow): 31 October 1998
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
1 Scope
This European Telecommunications Standard (ETS) defines the language-specific requirements for GSM.
These are specific codepoints required by the Short Message Service (SMS) specifications which in turn
are used not only for SMS (GSM 03.40, 03.41) but also for Unstructured Data (GSM 02.90) and may
additionally be used for Man Machine Interface (MMI) (GSM 02.30).
The specification for the Data Circuit terminating Equipment/Data Terminal Equipment (DCE/DTE)
interface (GSM 07.05 [8]) will also use the codes specified herein for the transfer of SMS data to an
external terminal.
2 Normative references
This ETS incorporates by dated and undated reference, provisions from other publications. These
normative references are cited at the appropriate places in the text and the publications are listed
hereafter. For dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of any of these publications
apply to this ETS only when incorporated in it by amendment or revision. For undated references, the
latest edition of the publication referred to applies.
[1] GSM 01.04 (ETR 350): "Digital cellular telecommunication system (Phase 2+);
Abbreviations and acronyms".
[2] GSM 02.30 (ETS 300 907): "Digital cellular telecommunication system
(Phase 2+); Man-Machine Interface (MMI) of the Mobile Station (MS)".
[3] GSM 03.90: "Digital cellular telecommunication system; Unstructured
supplementary services operation - Stage 2".
[4] GSM 03.40 (ETS 300 901): "Digital cellular telecommunication system
(Phase 2+); Technical realization of the Short Message Service (SMS) Point to
Point (PP)".
[5] GSM 03.41 (ETS 300 902): "Digital cellular telecommunication system
(Phase 2+); Technical realization of Short Message Service Cell Broadcast
(SMSCB)".
[6] GSM 04.11 (ETS 300 942): "Digital cellular telecommunication system
(Phase 2+); Point-to-Point (PP) Short Message Service (SMS) support on
mobile radio interface".
[7] GSM 04.12 (ETS 300 943): "Digital cellular telecommunication system
(Phase 2+); Short Message Service Cell Broadcast (SMSCB) support on the
mobile radio interface".
[8] GSM 07.05: "Digital cellular telecommunication system (Phase 2+); Use of Data
Terminal Equipment - Data Circuit terminating Equipment (DTE - DCE) interface
for Short Message Service (SMS) and Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)".
[10] ISO/IEC10646: "Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set (UCS)”; UCS2,
16 bit coding.
[11] GSM 04.90 (ETS 300 957): "Digital cellular telecommunication system;
Unstructured supplementary services operation - Stage 3".
[12] ISO 639 “Code for the representation of names of languages”
[13] GSM 03.42 (TS 101 032): "Digital cellular telecommunication system
(Phase 2+); Compression algorithm for text messaging services”
3 Abbreviations
Abbreviations used in this ETS are listed in GSM 01.04.
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
4 SMS Data Coding Scheme
The TP-Data-Coding-Scheme field, defined in GSM 03.40, indicates the data coding scheme of the
TP-UD field, and may indicate a message class. Any reserved codings shall be assumed to be the GSM
default alphabet (the same as codepoint 00000000) by a receiving entity. The octet is used according to a
coding group which is indicated in bits 7.4. The octet is then coded as follows:
Coding Group Bits Use of bits 3.0
7.4
00xx General Data Coding indication
Bits 5.0 indicate the following :
Bit 5, if set to 0, indicates the text is uncompressed
Bit 5, if set to 1, indicates the text is compressed using the GSM standard
compression algorithm. ( see GSM TS 03.42)
Bit 4, if set to 0, indicates that bits 1 to 0 are reserved and have no message class
meaning
Bit 4, if set to 1, indicates that bits 1 to 0 have a message class meaning :
Bit 1 Bit 0 Message Class
0 0 Class 0
0 1 Class 1 Default meaning: ME-specific.
1 0 Class 2 SIM specific message
1 1 Class 3 Default meaning: TE specific (see GSM TS 07.05 [8])
Bits 3 and 2 indicate the alphabet being used, as follows :
Bit 3 Bit2 Alphabet:
0 0 Default alphabet
0 1 8 bit data
1 0 UCS2 (16bit) [10]
1 1 Reserved
NOTE: The special case of bits 7.0 being 0000 0000 indicates the Default
Alphabet as in Phase 2
0100.1011 Reserved coding groups
1100 Message Waiting Indication Group: Discard Message
Bits 3.0 are coded exactly the same as Group 1101, however with bits 7.4 set to
1100 the mobile may discard the contents of the message, and only present the
indication to the user.
(continued)
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
(concluded)
1101 Message Waiting Indication Group: Store Message
This Group allows an indication to be provided to the user about the status of
types of message waiting on systems connected to the GSM PLMN. The mobile
may present this indication as an icon on the screen, or other MMI indication. The
mobile may take note of the Origination Address for messages in this group and
group 1100. For each indication supported, the mobile may provide storage for the
Origination Address which is to control the mobile indicator.
Text included in the user data is coded in the Default Alphabet.
Where a message is received with bits 7.4 set to 1101, the mobile shall store the
text of the SMS message in addition to setting the indication.
Bits 3 indicates Indication Sense:
Bit 3
0 Set Indication Inactive
1 Set Indication Active
Bit 2 is reserved, and set to 0
Bit 1 Bit 0 Indication Type:
0 0 Voicemail Message Waiting
0 1 Fax Message Waiting
1 0 Electronic Mail Message Waiting
1 1 Other Message Waiting*
* Mobile manufacturers may implement the “Other Message Waiting” indication as
an additional indication without specifying the meaning. The meaning of this
indication is intended to be standardized in the future, so Operators should not
make use of this indication until the standard for this indication is finalized.
1110 Message Waiting Indication Group: Store Message
The coding of bits 3.0 and functionality of this feature are the same as for the
Message Waiting Indication Group above, (bits 7.4 set to 1101) with the
exception that the text included in the user data is coded in the uncompressed
UCS2 alphabet.
1111 Data coding/message class
Bit 3 is reserved, set to 0.
Bit 2 Message coding:
0 Default alphabet
1 8-bit data
Bit 1 Bit 0 Message Class:
0 0 Class 0
0 1 Class 1 default meaning: ME-specific.
1 0 Class 2 SIM-specific message.
1 1 Class 3 default meaning: TE specific (see GSM TS 07.05 [8])
Default alphabet indicates that the TP-UD is coded from the 7-bit alphabet given in subclause 6.2.1. When
this alphabet is used, the characters of the message are packed in octets as shown in
subclause 6.1.2.1.1, and the message can consist of up to 160 characters. The default alphabet shall be
supported by all MSs and SCs offering the service.
8-bit data indicates that the TP-UD has user-defined coding, and the message can consist of up to
140 octets.
UCS2 alphabet indicates that the TP-UD has a UCS2 [10] coded message, and the message can consist
of up to 140 octets, i.e. up to 70 UCS2 characters. The General notes specified in subclause 6.1.1
override any contrary specification in UCS2, so for example even in UCS2 a character will cause
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ETS 300 900 (GSM 03.38 version 5.6.1): January 1998
the MS to return to the beginning of the current line and overwrite any existing text with the characters
which follow the .
When a message is compressed, the TP-UD consists of the default alphabet or UCS2 alphabet
compressed message, and the compressed message itself can consist of up to 140 octets in total.
When a mobile terminated message is class 0 and the MS has the capability of displaying short
messages, the MS shall display the message immediately and send an acknowledgement to the SC when
the message has successfully reached the MS irrespective of whether there is memory available in the
SIM or ME. The message shall not be automatically stored in the SIM or ME.
The ME may make provision through MMI for the user to selectively prevent the message from being
displayed immediately.
If the ME is incapable of displaying short messages or if the immediate display of the message has been
disabled through MMI then the ME shall treat the short message as though there was no message class,
i.e. it will ignore bits 0 and 1 in the TP-DCS and normal rules for memory capacity exceeded shall apply.
When a mobile terminated message is Class 1, the MS shall send an acknowledgement to the SC when
the message has successfully reached the MS and can be stored. The MS shall normally store the
message in the ME by default, if that is possible, but otherwise the message may be stored elsewhere,
e.g. in the SIM. The user may be able to override the default meaning and select their own routing.
When a mobile terminated message is Class 2 (SIM-sp
...