RADIO ACCESS NETWORK

ARCHITECTURE

5.1 System Architecture

5.2 UTRAN Architecture
5.3 General Protocol Model for UTRAN Terrestrial
Interfaces
5.4 Iu, The UTRANCN Interface
5.5 UTRAN Internal Interfaces
5.6 UTRAN Enhancements and Evolution
5.7 UTRAN CN Architecture and Evolution

5.1 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Functional network elements

User Equipment (UE)

Radio Access Network (RAN, UMTS Terrestrial RAN =

UTRAN)

interfaces with user and radio interface

handles all radio-related functionality

Core Network

switches and routes calls and data connections

to external networks

PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network)

operated by a single operator
distinguished from each other with unique identities
operational either on their own or together with other
sub-networks
connected to other PLMNs as well as to other types of
network, such as ISDN, PSTN, the Internet, etc.

UE consists of two parts

Mobile Equipment (ME)

the radio terminal used for radio communication over

Uu interface

UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)

a smartcard that holds the subscriber identity

performs authentication algorithms
stores authentication and encryption keys
some subscription information that is needed at the
terminal

UTRAN consists of two elements

Node B

converts data flow between Iub and Uu interfaces

participates in radio resource management

Radio Network Controller (RNC)

owns and controls radio resources in its domain

the service access point (SAP) for all services that
UTRAN provides the CN
e.g., management of connections to UE

Main elements of CN
a)
b)

c)
d)
e)

HLR (Home Location Register)

MSC/VLR (Mobile Services Switching Centre/Visitor
Location Register)
GMSC (Gateway MSC)
SGSN (Serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
Support Node)
GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node)

(a) HLR (Home Location Register)

a database located in users home system that stores

the master copy of users service profile
service profile consists of, e.g.,

information on allowed services, forbidden

roaming areas
supplementary service information such as
status of call forwarding and the call forwarding
number

it is created when a new user subscribes to the system,

and remains stored as long as the subscription is active
for the purpose of routing incoming transactions to UE
(e.g. calls or short messages)

HLR also stores the UE location on the level of

MSC/VLR and/or SGSN

(b) MSC/VLR (Mobile Services Switching

Centre/Visitor Location Register)

the switch (MSC) and database (VLR) that serve the UE

in its current location for Circuit Switched (CS) services
the part of the network that is accessed via MSC/VLR is
often referred to as CS domain
MSC

used to switch CS transactions

VLR

holds a copy of the visiting users service profile,

as well as more precise information on the UEs
location within the serving system

(c) GMSC (Gateway MSC)

the switch at the point where UMTS PLMN is connected

to external CS networks
all incoming and outgoing CS connections go through
GMSC

(d) SGSN (Serving GPRS (General Packet Radio

Service) Support Node)
functionality is similar to that of MSC/VLR but is typically
used for Packet Switched (PS) services
the part of the network that is accessed via SGSN is
often referred to as PS domain

(e) GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node)

functionality is close to that of GMSC but is in relation to

PS services

External networks can be divided into two groups

CS networks
provide circuit-switched connections, like the existing telephony
service
ISDN and PSTN are examples of CS networks

PS networks
provide connections for packet data services
Internet is one example of a PS network

Main open interfaces

Cu interface

the electrical interface between USIM smartcard and

ME

Uu interface

the WCDMA radio interface

the interface through which UE accesses the fixed part
of the system
the most important open interface in UMTS

Iu interface

Iur interface

connects UTRAN to CN
allows soft handover between RNCs

Iub interface

connects a Node B and an RNC

5.2 UTRAN ARCHITECTURE

5.2.1 Radio Network Controller
5.2.2 Node B (Base Station)

UTRAN

consists of one or more Radio Network Sub-systems (RNS)

RNS
a subnetwork within UTRAN
consists of one Radio Network Controller (RNC) and one or
more Node Bs

RNCs
may be connected to each other via Iur interface
RNCs and Node Bs are connected with Iub interface
Main characteristics of UTRAN
support of UTRA and all related functionality
support soft handover and WCDMA-specific Radio Resource
Management algorithms
use of ATM transport as the main transport mechanism in UTRAN
use of IP-based transport as the alternative transport mechanism
in UTRAN from Release 5 onwards

5.2.1 RADIO NETWORK

CONTROLLER

RNC (Radio Network Controller)

the network element responsible for radio resources control of
UTRAN
it interfaces CN (normally to one MSC and one SGSN)
terminates RRC (Radio Resource Control) protocol that
defines the messages and procedures between mobile and
UTRAN
it logically corresponds to the GSM BSC

RADIO
RESOURCE
CONTROL

Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages

the major part of the control signaling between UE and
UTRAN
carry all parameters required to set up, modify and release
Layer 2 and Layer 1 protocol entities

The mobility of user equipment in the connected mode is

controlled by RRC signaling

measurements, handovers, cell updates, etc.

3GPP BEARERS FOR SUPPORTING

PACKET-SWITCHED SERVICES

UTRAN

CN

TRAFFIC BEARERS STRUCTURE SUPPORTING

PACKET-SWITCHED SERVICES

3GPP Bearer

a dedicated path between mobile and its serving GGSN

for a mobile to send or receive packets over a 3GPP PS CN
a 3GPP Bearer in a UMTS network would be a UMTS Bearer

Constructed by concatenating

Radio Access Bearer (RAB)

connects a mobile over a RAN to the edge of CN
(i.e., a SGSN)
CN Bearer
carries user traffic between the edge of CN and a
GGSN

SIGNALING AND TRAFFIC

CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MOBILE AND
SGSN

The signaling connection between mobile and SGSN is constructed

by concatenating
Signaling Radio Bearer
between mobile and RAN (e.g., the RNC in UTRAN)
Iu Signaling Bearer
between RAN and SGSN
Signaling and traffic connections between mobile and SGSN
Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection
Radio Access Network Application Part (RANAP) connection

Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection

includes Signaling Radio Bearers and Traffic Radio Bearers

for the same mobile
used to establish, maintain, and release Radio Bearers
a mobile will use a common RRC connection to carry
signaling and user traffic for both PS and CS services

Radio Access Network Application Part (RANAP)

connection
includes Iu Signaling Bearers and Iu Traffic Bearers for the
same mobile
used to establish, maintain, modify, change, and release all
these Iu Bearers

5.2.1.1 LOGICAL ROLE OF THE RNC

The RNC controlling one Node B is indicated as the
Controlling RNC (CRNC) of Node B
Controlling RNC

responsible for load and congestion control of its own cells

executes admission control for new radio links

In case one mobileUTRAN connection uses resources

from more than one RNS (due to handover), the RNCs
involved have two separate logical roles
Serving RNC (SRNC)
Drift RNC (DRNC)

Serving RNC

SRNC for one mobile is the RNC that terminates both the Iu
link for the transport of user data and the corresponding
RANAP (RAN Application Part) signaling to/from the core
network
SRNC also terminates the Radio Resource Control Signaling,
that is the signaling protocol between the UE and UTRAN
it performs L2 processing of the data to/from the radio
interface

basic Radio Resource Management operations are executed in

SRNC
map Radio Access Bearer (RAB) parameters into air
interface transport channel parameters
handover decision
outer loop power control
one UE connected to UTRAN has one and only one SRNC

Drift RNC

DRNC is any RNC, other than the SRNC, that controls cells
used by the mobile
DRNC does not perform L2 processing of the user plane data,
but routes the data transparently between Iub and Iur
interfaces
one UE may have zero, one or more DRNCs

5.2.2 NODE B (BASE STATION)

Main function of Node B

perform the air interface L1 processing, e.g.,

channel coding and interleaving
rate adaptation
spreading
also performs some basic Radio Resource Management
operations, e.g.
inner loop power control

It logically corresponds to the GSM Base Station

INTERLEAVING

The transmission of pulses from two or more digital

sources in time-division sequence over a single path

5.3 GENERAL PROTOCOL MODEL FOR

UTRAN TERRESTRIAL INTERFACES
5.3.1 General
5.3.2 Horizontal Layers
5.3.3 Vertical Planes

5.3.1 GENERAL

The general protocol model for UTRAN terrestrial

interfaces
the layers and planes are logically independent of each other
parts of the protocol structure may be changed in the future
while other parts remain intact

5.3.2 HORIZONTAL LAYERS

The protocol structure consists of two main layers

Radio network layer

Transport network layer

5.3.3 VERTICAL PLANES

5.3.3.1 Control Plane
5.3.3.2 User Plane
5.3.3.3 Transport Network Control Plane
5.3.3.4 Transport Network User Plane

5.3.3.1 CONTROL PLANE

Control Plane
used for all UMTS-specific control signaling
includes two parts
application protocol
RANAP (RAN application part) in Iu
RNSAP (RNS application part) in Iur
NBAP (Node B application part) in Iub
signaling bearer
transport the application protocol messages

Application protocol is used for

setting up bearers to UE, i.e.

radio access bearer in Iu
radio link in Iur and Iub

5.3.3.2 USER PLANE

User Plane
transport all information sent and received by the user,
such as
coded voice in a voice call
packets in an Internet connection
includes two parts
data stream(s)
data bearer(s) for data stream(s)

5.3.3.3 TRANSPORT NETWORK CONTROL

PLANE
Used for all control signaling within transport layer
Does not include any radio network layer information
Includes ALCAP (Access Link Control Application Part)
protocol used to set up the transport bearers (data bearer) for
user plane

Includes signaling bearer needed for ALCAP

Transport network control plane

acts between control plane and user plane

makes it possible for application protocol in radio network
control plane to be completely independent of the technology
selected for data bearer in user plane

5.3.3.4 TRANSPORT NETWORK USER

PLANE

Transport Network User Plane

data bearer(s) in user plane

signaling bearer(s) for application protocol

5.4 IU, THE UTRANCN INTERFACE

5.4.1 Protocol Structure for Iu CS
5.4.2 Protocol Structure for Iu PS
5.4.3 RANAP Protocol
5.4.4 Iu User Plane Protocol
5.4.5 Protocol Structure of Iu BC, and the SABP Protocol

Iu interface

an open interface that divides the system into radio-specific

UTRAN and CN
handles switching, routing and service control

Iu can have two main different instances and one

additional instance
Iu CS
connect UTRAN to Circuit Switched (CS) CN
Iu PS
connect UTRAN to Packet Switched (PS) CN
Iu BC (Broadcast)
support Cell Broadcast Services
connect UTRAN to the Broadcast domain of CN

5.4.1 PROTOCOL STRUCTURE FOR IU CS

5.4.1.1 Iu CS Control Plane Protocol Stack
5.4.1.2 Iu CS Transport Network Control Plane Protocol
Stack
5.4.1.3 Iu CS User Plane Protocol Stack

The following figure

depicts the Iu CS overall protocol structure

the three planes in the Iu interface share a common ATM
(Asynchronous Transfer Mode) transport
physical layer is the interface to physical medium
optical fiber
radio link
copper cable

5.4.1.1 Iu CS CONTROL PLANE

PROTOCOL STACK
Control Plane protocol stack consists of RANAP, on top
of Broadband (BB) SS7 (Signaling System #7) protocols
The applicable layers are
Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP)
Message Transfer Part (MTP3-b)
SAAL-NNI (Signaling ATM Adaptation Layer for
Network to Network Interfaces)

SS7

MTP (Message Transfer Part)

SS7(Signaling Data Link

Level)(Physical Level)

SS7(Signaling Link Level)

SS7

SS7(Signaling Network Level)

SS7

MTP3-b

SCCPISUP
ISDN-UP (ISUP)(Signaling
Connection)
(SP)

(User)()(SP)

(User Part)

TCAP

(Transaction CapabilitiesTC)
(Transaction Capabilities Application PartTCAP)
SS7(Application Layer)
(Application Service ElementASE)

SS7

(080
)TCAP

SAAL-NNI is further divided into

Service Specific Coordination Function
(SSCF)
Service Specific Connection Oriented
Protocol (SSCOP)
ATM Adaptation Layer 5 (AAL) layers
SSCF and SSCOP layers
designed for signaling transport in ATM
networks
take care of signaling connection
management
AAL5 is used for segmenting the data to ATM
cells

SSCF (Service Specific Coordination Function)

UNI (User-to-Network Interface)NNI
(Network-to-Network Interface)
(connection management)
(link status)
SSCOP (Service Specific Connection Oriented
Protocol)

SSCOP

ATM IN BRIEF

AAL2 AND AAL5

Above the ATM layer we usually find an ATM

adaptation layer (AAL)
AAL

process the data from higher layers for ATM

transmission
segment the data into 48-byte chunks and reassemble
the original data frames on the receiving side

Five different AALs (0, 1, 2, 3/4, and 5)

AAL0

no adaptation is needed

the other adaptation layers have different properties

based on three parameters

real-time requirements
constant or variable bit rate
connection-oriented or connectionless data
transfer

Iu interface uses two AALs

AAL2
(connection-oriented
services)(real-time data streams)
(variable bit rateVBR)

AAL2
AAL5

5.4.1.2 IU CS TRANSPORT NETWORK

CONTROL PLANE PROTOCOL STACK

Transport Network Control Plane protocol

stack consists of
Signaling Protocol on top of BB SS7
protocols for setting up
AAL2 connections (Q.2630.1 [Q.aal2
CS1])
adaptation layer (Q.2150.1 [AAL2
Signaling Transport Converter for
MTP3b])
BB SS7 are those described above without
SCCP layer

5.4.1.3 IU CS USER PLANE PROTOCOL

STACK
A dedicated AAL2 connection is reserved for each individual
CS service
Iu User Plane Protocol residing directly on top of AAL2

5.4.2 PROTOCOL STRUCTURE FOR IU PS

5.4.2.1 Iu PS Control Plane Protocol Stack
5.4.2.2 Iu PS Transport Network Control Plane Protocol Stack
5.4.2.3 Iu PS User Plane Protocol Stack

The following figure

depicts Iu PS protocol structure
a common ATM transport is
applied for both User Plane and
Control Plane
the physical layer is as specified
for Iu CS

5.4.2.1 IU PS CONTROL PLANE

PROTOCOL STACK

Control Plane protocol stack consists of

RANAP
signaling bearers
BB SS7-based signaling bearer
an alternative IP-based signaling
bearer
SCCP layer is used for both bearer

IP-based signaling bearer consists of

M3UA (SS7 MTP3 User Adaptation
Layer)
SCTP (Stream Control Transmission
Protocol)
designed for signaling transport in
the Internet
ensure reliable, in-sequence
transport of messages with
congestion control
IP (Internet Protocol)
AAL5 (common to both alternatives)

SCTP (RFC 2960)

IuPS
IP
IPv4IPv6

M3UA
M3UA
SCTPSCCP

SCCP
MTP3
IPATM
MTP3

RANAP


(Transport
Network Layer)
SSCOPSCTP

5.4.2.2 IU PS TRANSPORT NETWORK

CONTROL PLANE PROTOCOL STACK
Transport Network Control Plane is not applied to Iu PS
Setting up of GTP tunnel

requires an identifier for the tunnel and IP addresses for both

directions
these are already included in RANAP RAB Assignment
messages

5.4.2.3 IU PS USER PLANE PROTOCOL

STACK

Iu PS User Plane
multiple packet data flows are multiplexed
on one or several AAL5 PVCs (Permanent
Virtual Circuit)
GTP-U (User Plane part of GPRS
Tunneling Protocol) is the multiplexing
layer that provides identities for individual
packet data flow
each flow uses UDP connectionless
transport and IP addressing

5.4.3 RANAP PROTOCOL

RANAP
defines interactions between RNS and CN
the signaling protocol in Iu that contains all the control
information specified for Radio Network Layer
implemented by various RANAP Elementary Procedures (EP)
each RANAP function may require execution of one or more
EPs

three classes of EP

class 1 EP
request and response (failure or success)
class 2 EP
request without response
class 3 EP
request and possibility for one or more responses

RANAP functions
relocation
RAB (Radio Access Bearer) management
Iu release
report unsuccessfully transmitted data
common ID management
paging

management of tracing
UECN signaling transfer
security mode control
management of overload
reset
location reporting

RANAP FUNCTION-

Relocationhandles both SRNS relocation and hard

handover (including inter-system case to/from GSM)

SRNS relocation

the serving RNS functionality is relocated from one

RNS to another without changing the radio resources
and without interrupting the user data flow
prerequisiteall Radio Links are already in the same
DRNC that is the target for the relocation

Inter-RNS hard handover

relocate the serving RNS functionality from one RNS

to another and to change the radio resources
correspondingly by a hard handover in Uu interface
prerequisiteUE is at the border of the source and
target cells

RANAP FUNCTION-

RAB (Radio Access Bearer) managementcombines all RAB

handling
RAB set-up
modification of the characteristics of an existing RAB
clearing an existing RAB
Iu release
releases all resources (Signaling link and U-Plane) from a
given instance of Iu related to the specified UE

RANAP FUNCTION-

Reporting unsuccessfully transmitted data

allows CN to update its charging records with information

from UTRAN if part of the data sent was not successfully
sent to UE

Common ID management

the permanent identification of the UE is sent from CN to

UTRAN to allow paging coordination from possibly two
different CN domains

RANAP FUNCTION-

Paging
used by CN to page an idle UE for a UE terminating service
request, such as a voice call
a paging message is sent from CN to UTRAN with the UE
common identification (permanent Id) and the paging area
UTRAN will either use an existing signaling connection, if
one exists, to send the page to UE or broadcast the paging in
the requested area

RANAP FUNCTION-

Management of tracing

CN may, for operation and maintenance purposes, request

UTRAN to start recording all activity related to a specific
UEUTRAN connection

RANAP FUNCTION-

UECN signaling transfer

transfer of the first UE message from UE to UTRAN

example
a response to paging
a request of a UE-originated call
a registration to a new area
it also initiates the signaling connection for Iu
direct transfer
used for carrying all consecutive signaling messages over
the Iu signaling connection in both uplink and downlink
directions

RANAP FUNCTION-

Security mode control

used to set the ciphering or integrity checking on or off

when ciphering is on
the signaling and user data connections in the radio
interface are encrypted with a secret key algorithm

when integrity checking is on

an integrity checksum, further secured with a secret key, is
added to some or all of the Radio Interface signaling
messages
this ensures that the communication partner has not changed,
and the content of the information has not been altered

RANAP FUNCTION-

Management of overload

control the load over Iu interface against overload due

example, to process overload at the CN or UTRAN

a simple mechanism is applied that allows stepwise

reduction of the load and its stepwise resumption [(
)], triggered by a timer

RANAP FUNCTION-

Reset

reset the CN or the UTRAN side of Iu interface in error

situations
one end of the Iu may indicate to the other end that it is
recovering from a restart, and the other end can remove all
previously established connections

RANAP FUNCTION-

Location reporting

allows CN to receive information on the location of a given

UE
includes two elementary procedures
control the location reporting in RNC
send the actual report to CN

5.4.4 IU USER PLANE PROTOCOL

Iu User Plane protocol

in the Radio Network Layer of Iu User
Plane
defined to be independent of CN domain
purpose
carry user data related to RABs over Iu
interface
the protocol performs either a fully
transparent operation, or framing for user
data segments
the protocol also performs some basic
control signaling to be used for
initialization and online control

the protocol has two modes

transparent mode

GTP-UIu FP

applied for RABs that assume fully transparent

operation
support mode

real-time
for predefined SDU (Service Data Unit) sizes
performs framing of user data into segments of
predefined size

the SDU sizes typically correspond to

AMR (Adaptive Multirate Codec) speech frames,
or
the frame sizes derived from the data rate of a
CS data call
control procedures for initialization and rate control
are defined, and a functionality is specified for
indicating the quality of the frame based, for
example, on CRC from radio interface

5.4.5 PROTOCOL STRUCTURE OF IU BC,

AND THE SABP PROTOCOL

Iu BC interface
connects RNC in UTRAN with the broadcast domain of
Core Network, namely with Cell Broadcast Centre
used to define Cell Broadcast information that is
transmitted to mobile user via Cell Broadcast Service
e.g. name of city/region visualized on the mobile phone
display

Iu BC is a control plane only interface

the protocol structure of Iu BC is shown as follows

SABP (Service Area Broadcast Protocol)

provides the capability for Cell Broadcast
Centre in CN to define, modify and remove
cell broadcast messages from RNC
SABP has the following functions
message handling
broadcast of new messages
amendment [] of existing broadcast
messages
prevention of broadcasting of specific
messages

load handling

responsible for determining the loading of the broadcast

channels at any particular point in time

reset

permits CBC to end broadcasting in one or more Service

Areas

5.5 UTRAN INTERNAL INTERFACES

5.5.1 RNCRNC Interface (Iur Interface) and the
RNSAP Signaling
5.5.2 RNCNode B Interface and the NBAP Signaling

5.5.1 RNCRNC INTERFACE (IUR

INTERFACE) AND THE RNSAP
SIGNALLING
5.5.1.1 Iur1Support of the Basic Inter-RNC Mobility
5.5.1.2 Iur2Support of Dedicated Channel Traffic
5.5.1.3 Iur3Support of Common Channel Traffic
5.5.1.4 Iur4Support of Global Resource
Management

The following figure shows the protocol stack of RNC to

RNC interface (Iur interface)
Iur interface provides four distinct functions
support of basic inter-RNC mobility (Iur1)
support of dedicated channel traffic (Iur2)
support of common channel traffic (Iur3)
support of global resource management (Iur4)

5.5.1.1 IUR1SUPPORT OF THE BASIC

INTER-RNC MOBILITY

This functionality requires the basic module of

RNSAP signaling
provides the functionality needed for the mobility of the
user between two RNCs
does not support the exchange of any user data traffic

If this module is not implemented

the only way for a user connected to UTRAN via RNS1

to utilize a cell in RNS2 is to disconnect itself
temporarily from UTRAN (release the RRC connection)

The functions offered by Iur basic module include

support of SRNC relocation
support of inter-RNC cell and UTRAN registration area
update
support of inter-RNC packet paging
reporting of protocol errors

Since this functionality does not involve user data

traffic across Iur

User Plane and Transport Network Control Plane

protocols are not needed

5.5.1.2 IUR2SUPPORT OF DEDICATED

CHANNEL TRAFFIC

This functionality

requires dedicated channel module of RNSAP signaling

allows dedicated and shared channel traffic between two
RNCs

This functionality requires also

User Plane Frame Protocol (FP) for dedicated and

shared channel
Transport Network Control Plane protocol (Q.2630.1
[Q.aal2 CS1]) used for the set-up of transport
connections (AAL2 connections)

Frame Protocol for dedicated

channels (DCH FP) defines the
structure of
the data frames carrying the user
data
the control frames used to exchange
measurements and control
information

Frame Protocol for common

channels (CCH FP) describes

the User plane procedure for the

shared channel

The functions offered by Iur DCH module

establishment, modification and release of the dedicated and
shared channel in DRNC due to handovers in dedicated
channel state
set-up and release of dedicated transport connections across
Iur interface
transfer of DCH Transport Blocks between SRNC and DRNC
management of the radio links in DRNS via
dedicated measurement report procedures
power setting procedures
compress mode control procedures

5.5.1.3 IUR3SUPPORT OF COMMON

CHANNEL TRAFFIC

This functionality

allows the handling of common channel (i.e. RACH, FACH

and CPCH) data streams across Iur interface
Note
CPCHCommon Packet CHannel
RACHRandom Access CHannel
FACHForward Access CHannel

It requires

Common Transport Channel module of RNSAP protocol

Iur Common Transport Channel Frame Protocol (CCH
FP)

If signaled AAL2 connections are used

Q.2630.1 [Q.aal2 CS1] signaling protocol of the

Transport Network Control Plane is needed

The functions offered by Iur common transport

channel module
set-up and release of the transport connection across
Iur for common channel data streams
splitting of the MAC layer between SRNC (MAC-d) and
DRNC (MAC-c)
flow control between MAC-d and MAC-c

MACMAC

MAC-b
(broadcast)(logical channel)
(transport channel)
UEMAC-b
Node BcellMAC-b

MAC-d
(dedicated)
UEMAC-d
SRNCUEMAC-d
MAC-c/sh
(common)(shared)

UEMAC-c/sh
CRNC (Controlling RNC)cellMACc/sh

5.5.1.4 IUR4SUPPORT OF GLOBAL

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
This provides signaling to support enhanced radio
resource management and O&M features across
Iur interface
The function is considered optional
This function has been introduced in subsequent
releases for the support of

common radio resource management between RNCs

advanced positioning methods
Iur optimization

The functions offered by Iur global resource module

transfer of cell information and measurements between

two RNCs
transfer of positioning parameters between controller
transfer of Node B timing information between two
RNCs

5.5.2 RNCNODE B INTERFACE

AND THE NBAP SIGNALING
5.5.2.1 Common NBAP and the Logical O&M
5.5.2.2 Dedicated NBAP

Figure 5.10 shows the protocol stack of RNCNode

B interface (Iub interface)

Figure 5.11 shows the logical model of Node B

seen from the controlling RNC

Figure 5.11 Logical Model of Node B

Logical model of Node B includes

the logical resources provided by Node B to UTRAN (via
Controlling RNC) - depicted as "cells" which include the
following physical channel resources
DPCH (Dedicated Physical Channel)
PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel)
PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel)
the dedicated channels which have been established on Node B
the common transport channels that Node B provides to RNC

Elements of the logical model

Node B Communication Contexts for dedicated and shared
channels

1.

corresponds to all the dedicated resources that are

necessary for a user in dedicated mode and using
dedicated and/or shared channels as restricted to a
given Node B

attributes (not exhaustive)

list of Cells where dedicated and/or shared physical
resources are used
list of DCH which are mapped on the dedicated
physical resources for that Node B Communication
Context
list of DSCH and USCH [TDD] which are used by
the respective UE

the complete DCH characteristics for each DCH,

identified by its DCH-identifier
the complete Transport Channel characteristics for
each DSCH and USCH, identified by its Shared
Channel identifier
list of Iub DCH Data Ports
list of Iub DSCH Data ports and Iub USCH data
ports
FDD up to one Iub TFCI2 Data Port

for each Iub DCH Data Port, the corresponding

DCH and cells which are carried on this data port
for each Iub DSCH and USCH data port, the
corresponding DSCH or USCH and cells which
serve that DSCH or USCH
physical layer parameters (outer loop power control,
etc)

2.

Common Transport Channel

configured in Node B, on request of CRNC

attributes (not exhaustive)

Type (RACH, CPCH [FDD], FACH, DSCH,

USCH [TDD], PCH)

Associated Iub RACH Data Port for a RACH, Iub

CPCH Data Port for a CPCH [FDD], Iub FACH
Data Port for a FACH, Iub PCH Data Port for PCH

Physical parameters

3.

Transport network logical resources

3.1 Node B Control Port

Functionality

exchange the signaling information for the

logical O&M of Node B

the creation of Node B Communication

Contexts

the configuration of the common transport

channels that Node B provides in a given cell
PCH and BCH control information between the
RNC and the Node B
Node B Control Port corresponds to one signaling
bearer between the controlling RNC and the Node
B
There is one Node B Control Port per Node B

3.2 Communication Control Port

used to send the procedures for controlling the
connections between radio links and Iub DCH data ports
from RNC to Node B for control of Node B
Communication Contexts
one signaling bearer between RNC and Node B can at
most correspond to one Communication Control Port
Node B may have multiple Communication Control Ports
(one per Traffic Termination Point)

3.3 Traffic Termination Point

represents DCH, DSCH and USCH [TDD] data streams
belonging to one or more Node B Communication
Contexts (UE contexts), which are controlled via one
Communication Control Port

3.4 Iub RACH Data Port

3.5 Iub CPCH Data Port [FDD]
3.6 Iub FACH Data Port
3.7 Iub PCH Data Port
3.8 Iub FDD TFCI2 Data Port
3.9 Iub DSCH Data Port
3.10 Iub TDD USCH Data Port
3.11 Iub DCH Data Port

5.5.2.1 COMMON NBAP AND THE

LOGICAL O&M

Iub interface signaling (NBAP, Node B Application Part)

is divided into two essential components

common NBAP

defines the signaling procedures across the common

signaling link

dedicated NBAP

used in the dedicated signaling link

User Plane Iub frame protocols

define
the structures of the frames
the basic inband control
procedures for every type of
transport channel (i.e. for every
type of data port of the model)
Q.2630.1 [Q.aal2 CS1] signaling
used for dynamic management
of AAL2 connections used in
User Plane

Common NBAP (C-NBAP) procedures

used for the signaling that is not related to one specific UE

context already existing in Node B
defines all the procedures for the logical O&M (Operation
and Maintenance) of Node B

such as configuration and fault management

Main functions of Common NBAP

set-up of the first radio link of one UE, and selection of the
traffic termination point
cell configuration
handling of the RACH/FACH/CPCH and PCH channels
initialization and reporting of Cell or Node B specific
measurement
Location Measurement Unit (LMU) control
fault management

5.5.2.2 DEDICATED NBAP

When the RNC requests the first radio link for one UE
via C-NBAP Radio Link Set-up procedure
Node B assigns a traffic termination point for the handling of
this UE context
every subsequent signaling related to this mobile is
exchanged with dedicated NBAP (D-NBAP) procedures
across the dedicated control port of the given Traffic
Termination Point

Main functions of the Dedicated NBAP

addition, release and reconfiguration of radio links for one
UE context
handling of dedicated and shared channels
handling of softer combining
initialization and reporting of radio link specific measurement
radio link fault management

5.6 UTRAN ENHANCEMENTS AND

EVOLUTION
5.6.1 IP Transport in UTRAN
5.6.2 Iu Flex
5.6.3 Stand Alone SMLC and Iupc Interface
5.6.4 Interworking between GERAN and UTRAN, and the
Iur-g Interface

Release99 UTRAN architecture

Enhancement of the Release99 UTRAN architecture

defines the basic set of network elements and interface

protocols for the support of Release 99 WCDMA radio
interface
support new WCDMA radio interface features to provide a
more efficient, scalable and robust 3GPP system architecture

Four most significant additions to the UTRAN

architecture introduced in Release 5 are described in the
subsequent sections

5.6.1 IP TRANSPORT IN UTRAN

ATM

IP transport

the transport technology used in the first release of UTRAN

introduced in Release 5

In addition to the initially defined option of AAL2/ATM,

user plane FP frames can also be conveyed
over UDP/IP protocols on Iur/Iub
over RTP/UDP/IP protocols in Iu CS interface

5.6.2 IU FLEX

Release99 architecture presented in

Figure 5.3
only one MSC and one SGSN
connected to RNC
i.e. only one Iu PS and Iu CS
interface in the RNC
Iu flex (flexible)
allows one RNC to have more than
one Iu PS and Iu CS interface
instances with the core
Main benefits of this feature
possible load sharing between core
network nodes

5.6.3 STAND ALONE SMLC AND

IUPC INTERFACE
Location-based services
expected to be a very important source of revenue for
mobile operators
a number of different applications are expected to be
available and largely used
UTRAN architecture includes a stand alone Serving
Mobile Location Centre (stand alone SMLC, or, simply,
SAS)
a new network element for handling of positioning
measurements and calculation of the mobile station
position

SAS

connected to RNC via Iupc interface

Positioning Calculation Application Part (PCAP) is the L3
protocol used for RNC-SAS signaling
SAS performs the following procedures

provides positioning (GPS related) data to RNC

performs the position calculation function for UE
assisted GPS

SAS and Iupc interface are optional elements

Iupc

the first version, supported only Assisted GPS

later versions, support for other positioning methods

5.6.4 INTERWORKING BETWEEN GERAN

AND UTRAN, AND THE IUR-G INTERFACE

Iu interface

scheduled to be part of the GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network

(GERAN) in GERAN Release 5
allows reusing 3G Core Network also for GSM/EDGE radio
interface (and frequency band), but also allows a more optimized
interworking between the two radio technologies

Effect

RNSAP basic mobility module is enhanced to allow the

mobility to and from GERAN cells in the target and the
source
RNSAP global module is enhanced in order to allow GERAN
cells measurements to be exchanged between controllers
allows a Common Radio Resource Management (CRRM)
between UTRAN and GERAN radios

Iur-g interface

refer to the above-mentioned set of Iur functionalities that are

utilized also by GERAN

5.7 UMTS CORE NETWORK

ARCHITECTURE AND EVOLUTION
5.7.1 Release99 Core Network Elements
5.7.2 Release 5 Core Network and IP Multimedia Subsystem

UMTS radio interface, WCDMA

UMTS core network

a bigger step in radio access evolution from GSM networks

did not experience major changes in 3GPP Release99
specification

Release99 structure was inherited from GSM core

network

both UTRAN and GERAN based radio access network

connect to the same core network

5.7.1 RELEASE 99 CORE NETWORK

ELEMENTS

Two domains of Release99 core network

Circuit Switched (CS) domain

Packet Switched (PS) domain

The division comes from the different requirements for

data

depending on whether it is real time (circuit switched) or nonreal time (packet data)

Figure 5.12
Release99 core network
structure with both CS and PS
domains
Registers
HLR, VLR, EIR
Service Control Point (SCP)
the link for providing a
particular service to end user

CS domain has the following elements

Mobile Switching Centre (MSC), including Visitor Location

Register (VLR)
Gateway MSC (GMSC)

PS domain has the following

elements
Serving GPRS Support Node
(SGSN)
covers similar functions as
MSC for packet data,
including VLR type
functionality
Gateway GPRS Support Node
(GGSN)
connects PS core network
to other networks, e.g. to
the Internet

In addition to the two domains, the network needs

various registers for proper operation
Home Location Register (HLR)
Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

contains the information related to the terminal

equipment
can be used to, e.g., prevent a specific terminal from
accessing the network

5.7.2 RELEASE 5 CORE NETWORK AND IP

MULTIMEDIA SUB-SYSTEM

Release 4 included the change in core network CS

domain
MSC was divided into MSC server and Media Gateway
(MGW)
GMSC was divided into GMSC server and MGW

Release 5
contains the first phase of IP Multimedia Sub-system (IMS)
this will enable a standardized approach for IP-based service
provision via PS domain

Release 6
enhance IMS to allow the provision of
services similar to CS domain services
from PS domain
Release 5 architecture is presented in
Figure 5.13
Home Subscriber Server (HSS)
shown as an independent item
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
the key protocol between terminal
and IMS
the basis for IMS-related signaling

MSC or GMSC server

takes care of the control functionality as MSC or
GMSC, respectively
user data goes via Media Gateway (MGW)
one MSC/GMCS server can control multiple MGWs
this allows better scalability of the network when
data rates increase with new data services
in this case, only the number of MGWs needs to
be increased
MGW performs actual switching for user data and
network interworking processing
e.g., echo cancellation or speech decoding/
encoding

IMS includes the following key

elements
Media Resource Function (MRF)
controls media stream resources or
mixes different media streams
Call Session Control Function (CSCF)
the first contact point to terminal in
the IMS (as a proxy)
handling of session states
acting as a firewall towards other
operators networks

Media Gateway Control Function

(MGCF)
handle protocol conversions
control a service coming via CS
domain and perform processing in an
MGW, e.g. for echo cancellation