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In the GSM and UMTS networks, Mobile Application Part (MAP) is a protocol which provides an application layer for the various nodes in the core mobile network and GPRS core network to communicate with each other in order to provide services to mobile phone users. In other words, the Mobile Application Part is the application-layer protocol used to access the Home Location Register, Visitor Location Register, Mobile Switching Center, Equipment Identity Register, Authentication Centre, Short message service center and Serving GPRS Support Node.

The primary facilities provided by MAP are: pler

• Mobility Services: location management (when subscribers move within or between networks), authentication, managing service subscription information, fault recovery,
• Operation and Maintenance: subscriber tracing, retrieving a subscriber's IMSI
• Call Handling: routing, managing calls whilst roaming, checking that a subscriber is available to receive calls
• Supplementary Services
• Short Message Service
• Packet Data Protocol (PDP) services for GPRS: providing routing information for GPRS connections
• Location Service Management Services: obtaining the location of subscribers

The Mobile Application Part specifications were originally defined by the GSM Association, but are now controlled by ETSI/3GPP. MAP is defined by two different standards, depending upon the mobile network type:

• MAP for GSM (prior to Release 4) is specified by 3GPP TS 09.02
• MAP for UMTS ("3G") and GSM (Release 99 and later) is specified by 3GPP TS 29.002

The Mobile Application Part is designed to be an application utilising the SCCP protocol of the SS7 network, and is typically implemented as such. As an SSCP application, MAP could also be implemented above the SUA protocol from the SIGTRAN family, permitting transport over IP.

• 3GPP specification downloads
• 3GPP TS 09.02: MAP specification for GSM (prior to Release 4)
• 3GPP TS 29.02: MAP specification for UMTS and GSM (Release 99 and later)