Editing Public land mobile network

{{Short description|Combination of wireless communication services}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2020}} 
In telecommunication, a '''public land mobile network''' ('''PLMN''') is a combination of wireless communication services offered by a specific operator in a specific country.<ref>3GPP TS 22.101 https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/122100_122199/122101/15.06.00_60/ts_122101v150600p.pdf</ref><ref>3GPP TS 21.905 https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_tr/121900_121999/121905/15.00.00_60/tr_121905v150000p.pdf</ref> A PLMN typically consists of several cellular technologies like [[GSM]]/[[2G]], [[UMTS]]/[[3G]], [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]]/[[LTE (telecommunication)|4G]], NR/5G, offered by a single operator within a given country, often referred to as a [[cellular network]].

==PLMN code==

A PLMN is identified by a globally unique PLMN code, which consists of a [[Mobile Country Code|MCC (Mobile Country Code) and MNC (Mobile Network Code)]]. Hence, it is a five- to six-digit number identifying a country, and a mobile network operator in that country, usually represented in the form 001-01 or 001–001.

A PLMN is part of a:
* [[Location Area Identity|Location Area Identity (LAI)]] (PLMN and Location Area Code)
* [[Cell Global Identity|Cell Global Identity (CGI)]] (LAI and Cell Identifier)
* [[International Mobile Subscriber Identity|IMSI]] (see [[#PLMN code and IMSI|PLMN code and IMSI]])

==Leading zeros in PLMN codes==
Note that an MNC can be of two-digit form and three-digit form with leading zeros. It is administered by the respective national numbering plan administrator.<ref>ITU-T Rec. [[E.212]] (09/2016), section 3.4 mobile network code (MNC)</ref> From PLMN assignments, it is apparent that such dualities of two-digit and three-digit MNCs with the same number value are avoided (see the [[mobile country code|list of mobile country codes and mobile network codes]]). An example for an actual three-digit/two-digit MNC with leading zeros is in [[Mobile Network Codes in ITU region 3xx (North America)#Bermuda – BM|Bermuda MCC]], 350-007 and 350-00, 350-01.

==PLMN code and IMSI==
The [[International mobile subscriber identity|IMSI]], which identifies a SIM or USIM for one subscriber, typically starts with the PLMN code. For example, an IMSI belonging to the PLMN 262-33 would look like 262330000000001. Mobile phones use this to detect [[roaming]], so that a mobile phone subscribed on a network with a PLMN code that mismatches the start of the USIM's IMSI will typically display an "R" on the icon that indicates connection strength.

==PLMN services==

A PLMN typically offers the following services to a mobile subscriber:

* Emergency calls to local Fire/Ambulance/Police stations.
* Voice calls to/from any PLMN ("cellular network") or [[PSTN]] ("[[landline]]"/[[Voice over IP|VoIP]]).
* [[Short message service]] (SMS) services to/from any PLMN or [[Session Initiation Protocol|SIP]] service (the original form of [[texting]] on a mobile phone, now often replaced by [[Messaging apps]]).
* [[Multimedia Messaging Service]] (MMS) services to/from any PLMN or SIP service.
* [[Unstructured Supplementary Service Data]] (USSD) for operator specific interactions (e.g. dialing "*#100#" to indicate the current balance).
* Internet data connectivity for arbitrary services, e.g. via [[General Packet Radio Service|GPRS]] in [[GSM]], [[IuPS]] in [[UMTS]], or [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]].

The availability, quality and bandwidth of these services strongly depends on the particular technology used to implement a PLMN.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Mobile telecommunications standards}}

[[Category:Mobile technology]]