LTE/EPS Technology

The 3GPP evolution for the 3G mobile system created the new base station system, called Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and a new core network, called Evolved Packet Core (EPC) as a result of two standardisation projects: Long Term Evolution (LTE) and System Architecture Evolution (SAE). Under these specifications a mobile phone gets access to higher bandwidth with low latency in an improved and more efficient network architecture. The standards define an all-IP network as a base for the E-UTRAN/EPC. The E-UTRAN/EPC does not have a separate PS data traffic and CS voice network, both communicate over the same new Evolved Packet System (EPS) network. LTE/EPS Technology course is an intermediate technical course, which covers all aspects of architecture and functionality of the EPS.

Target audience

The course is intended for technical GSM/UMTS staff and their management who plan to or already work on introducing LTE/EPS network.

Training contents

• Introduction
  (3GPP mobile network evolution, requirements for the LTE system),
• Network architecture
  • EPC - Evolved Packet Core
    (MME -Mobility Management Entity, S-GW - Serving Gateway, P-GW - Packet Data Network Gateway, HSS - Home Subscriber Server, EIR - Equipment Identity Register, PCRF - Policy and Charging Rules Function),
  • E-UTRAN
    (UTRAN and E-UTRAN architecture comparison, evolved Node B - eNB, the need for eNB-eNB X2 interface),
  • Architecture for interworking with GERAN/UTRAN
    (SGSN - Serving GPRS Support Node, interfaces: S3, S4, S12 and one tunnel option),
  • Architecture for roaming
    (user traffic routed to the HPLMN, local breakout),
  • Architecture for interworking with non-3GPP IP access (WLAN, WiMax)
    (trusted and untrusted non-3GPP IP access, ePDG - evolved Packet Data Gateway, AAA - Authentication Authorisation and Accounting),
  • Interfaces and protocol stacks
  • Geographical network structure
    (TA - Tracking Area and TA list registration),
  • Identity numbers
    (IMSI, MSISDN, IMEI, PDP address, GUTI, S-TMSI, M-TMSI).
• OFDMA and SC-FDMA
  (multiple access technologies, FT - Fourier Transform and DFT - Discrete Fourier Transform , orthogonality of frequencies, channel separation in FDMA and OFDM, transmission example, implementation, advantages and disadvantages of OFDM, OFDMA, SC-FDMA),
• E-UTRAN
  • Duplex mode
    (FDD and TDD),
  • Frequency bands
  • ICI - Inter-Cell Interference
    (ICI randomization, cancellation, co-ordination/avoidance),
  • Basic time structures and parameters
    (resource grid, resource block, radio frame, reference symbols),
  • MIMO - Multiple Input Multiple Output
    (multiple antenna systems, reference symbols from multiple antennas, MIMO channels estimation),
  • Channels
    (radio, physical, transport, logical channels and their characteristics, UTRAN and E UTRAN channel comparison),
  • Transmission process
    (link adaptation, HARQ, scheduling).
  • LTE-Uu protocol stack
• Core network
  • MME in Pool
    (pool area, MME selection and addressing, load balancing, overload control),
  • Signalling Transport - SIGTRAN
    (SCTP, multihoming, streams, stream oriented / message oriented protocol - comparison, security, SIGTRAN in GSM/UMTS / SIGTRAN in EPS - comparison),
  • User data transport
    (tunneling concept, GPRS Tunneling Protocol - GTP, tunnel establishment),
  • Diameter
    (3GPP Diameter applications, Proxy/Relay agent),
  • QoS
    (EPS default bearer, EPS dedicated bearer, bearer establishment, QoS parameters, exchange of QoS related parameters between EPS and service network).
• Policy Control and Charging - PCC
  (PCC in UMTS R5-, R6 and UMTS/EPS R8, Policy Decision Function - PDF, Charging Rules Function - CRF, Policy and Charging Rules Function - PCRF, interaction with services, flow based charging and policy control),
• Traffic Cases
  (EMM, ECM and RRC states, attach procedure, TA update, UE/network triggered service request, S1 release procedure, dedicated bearer activation, UE requested bearer resource allocation, handover, intersystem handover, Idle mode Signalling Reduction - ISR),
• Security
  (EPS Authentication & Key Agreement - EPS-AKA, key hierarchy, ciphering, integrity protection),
• EPS Management
  (Self Organising Network - SON, eNB establishment, optimisation of the neighbourhood list, coverage and capacity optimisation, continuous optimisation due to dynamic changes, handover optimisation),
• Services
  (IMS - IP Multimedia Subsystem, network architecture, identification, QoS, protocols, IMS discovery, registration, security procedures, mobile-to-mobile call, mobile-to-PSTN call, presence service, push-to-talk over cellular, instant messaging, session based messaging, SMS, VCC - Voice Call Continuity, SR-VCC Single Radio Voice Call Continuity),
• CS Fallback and SMSoSGs
  (MSC-MME interworking, combined IMSI/EPS Attach, combined LA/TA update, CS call, SMS, other CS services).

Prerequisites

The participants should have attended the following courses for better understanding: "UMTS Technology" or "WCDMA Air Interface", or have the equivalent knowledge on UMTS.

Training method

Lecture

Duration

2 days

Level

Intermediate