LTE Techniques in 4G Wireless System Using Protocol Stack
LTE Techniques in 4G Wireless System Using Protocol Stack
Abstract: LTE, an acronym for Long-Term Evolution. 4G LTE is a standard for wireless broadband technology designed to
support roaming Internet access via cell phones and handheld devices. Due to the requirements on high data rate and low
latency for broadband wireless communication systems, LTE air-interface protocol stacks to be designed and implemented
with high data processing efficiency. LTE user equipment (UE), this paper analyzes the main challenges in the link-layer
protocol stack design and application, including the data handling efficiency, synchronic, flexibility and portability.
Authentication service is one of the most essential services in LTE networks. A memory access optimization and light-
weighted thread model are proposed to improve the data processing efficiency. QoS Proposal to overcome such as channel
capacity, latency, delay, Jitter, Packet loss, large RTTs. Voice over LTE is a methodology and group of technologies for the
delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. VoIP
support the necessary protocols and features required for VoIP streaming including the implementation of Real Time
Protocol (RTP) and an IP stack. In this paper, we survey and compare LTE security for Mobile Access Border security
(RAN-to-EPC/S1), Internet Border security (EPC-to-Internet/SGi) and Partner Border security (EPC-to-EPC / S8).
Keyword: LTE protocol stack layer, User plane, Control plane, SGi, EPC.
I. INTRODUCTION
In contrast to the circuit-switched model of previous cellular systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been designed to support
only packet-switched services. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technology, increasing the size and
speed using a different radio interface together with core network improvements. It aims to provide seamless Internet Protocol
(IP) connectivity between user equipment (UE) and the packet data network (PDN), without any disruption to the end users’
applications during mobility. While the term “LTE” encompasses the evolution of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System (UMTS) radio access through the Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), it is accompanied by an evolution of the non-radio
aspects under the term “System Architecture Evolution” (SAE), which encloses the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network.
Composed LTE and SAE comprise the Evolved Packet System (EPS). EPS uses the concept of EPS bearers to route IP traffic
from a gateway in the PDN to the UE. A bearer is an IP packet stream with a defined quality of service (QoS) between the
gateway and the UE. The E-UTRAN and EPC together setup and release bearers as required by applications. This paper
provides a comprehensive of the overall EPS network architecture, giving an impression of the functions provided by the core
network (CN) and E-UTRAN. The protocol suite across the different edges is explained, along with an impression of the
functions provided by the different protocol layers. The end-to-end bearer route along with QoS aspects are also conversed,
including a typical procedure for launching a bearer. The remainder of this paper presents the network interfaces in detail, with
particular focus on the E-UTRAN edges and the procedures used across these interfaces, including those for the provision of
user mobility.
The high-level network architecture of LT E is comprised of following three main components: The User Equipment (UE).
The Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN).The Evolved Packet Core (EPC).The evolved packet core
communicates with packet data networks in the outside world such as the internet, private corporate networks or the IP
multimedia subsystem[1]. The interfaces between the different parts of the system are denoted Uu, S1 and SGi .
Traffic
Traffic
Traffic
eNB eNB
EPC
Uu
S1
eNB
Each eBN connect with the EPC by means of the S1 interface and it can also be connected to nearby base stations by the X2
interface, which is mainly used for signalling and packet forwarding during handover. A homeeNB (HeNB) is a base station that
has been purchased by a user to provide femtocell coverage e within the home. A home eNB belongs to closed subscriber g
group (CSG) and can only be accessed by mobiles with a USIM that also belong s to the closed subscriber group.
Signals
MME Traffic
S10
S6a
HSS
MME
S1-
MME
E-UTRAN S11
SERVERS
S1-U PDNS
The Home Subscriber Server (HSS) component has been carried forward from UMT S and GSM and is a central database that
contains information about all the network operator's subscribers [4]. The Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW)
communicates with the outside world. Packet data networks PDN, using SGi interface. Each packet records network is
identified by an access point name (APN). The PDN gateway has the same role as the GPRS support node (GGSN) and the
serving GPRS support node (SGSN) with UMT S and GSM. The serving gateway (S-GW) act as a router, and to the fore data
between the base station and the PDN gateway. The mobility management entity (MME) controls the high-level operation of the
mobile by means of signalling messages and Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The Policy Control and Charging Rules Function
(PCRF) is a component which is not shown in the above diagram but it is responsible for policy control executive, as well as for
controlling the flow-based charging functionalities in the Policy Control Enforcement Function (PCEF), which resides in the P-
GW. The interface between the serving and PDN gateways is known as S5/S8. This has two a little different implementation, to
be exact S5 if the two devices are in the same network and S8 if they are in altered networks
The protocol stack is an implementation of a computer networking protocol stack. The terms are often used interchangeably.
Severely speaking, the suite is the definition of the protocol, and the stack is the software execution of them. Individual
protocols within a stack are often designed with a single function in mind. This modularization makes design and estimation
easier. since each protocol module usually communicate with two others, they are commonly imaginary as layers in a stack of
protocols. The lowest protocol always deals with "low-level", physical interaction of the hardware. Each higher layer adds more
features. User applications generally deal only with the top most layers.
NAS IP
Non Access Stratum Internet Protocol
RRC Radio
Resources control
PDCP
Packet Data Convergence
protocol
L2 & 3
RLC
Radio Link Control
Logical channels
Transport channels
Physical channels
D. User Plane
The user plane protocol stack between the e-NodeB and UE consists of the following sub-layers: PDCP (Packet Data
Convergence Protocol) RLC (radio Link Control) Medium Access Control (MAC). On the user plane, packets in the core
E. Control Plane
The control plane includes additionally the Radio Resource Control layer (RRC) which is responsible for configuring the lower
layers. The Control Plane handles radio-specific functionality which depends on the state of the user equipment which includes
two states still or connected. The user equipment camps on a cell after a cell selection or reselection process where factors like
radio link feature, cell status and radio access tools are considered. The UE also monitor a paging channel to detect incoming
calls and acquire system information. In this method, control plane protocols include cell selection and reselection procedures.
Connected The UE supplies the E-UT RAN with downlink channel quality
and neighbour cell information to enable the E-UT RAN to select the most suitable cell for the UE. In this casing, control plane
protocol includes the Radio Link Control (RRC) protocol. The protocol stack for the control plane between the UE and MME is
shown below. The grey area of the stack indicates the access stratum (AS) protocols.
T he lower layers perform the same functions as for the user plane with the exception that there is no header compression
function for the control plane.
LTE UE device is mainly comprised of hardware units, like the application processor, stack processor and physical layer
workstation, together with software operation on them. For the uplink data transfer, the application data from different types of
multi-media services, such as voice, video and real-time gaming, are processed by the application processor with operating
systems such as Android or IOS.Then internet protocol (IP) packets are generated and mapped to different radio bearers (RB),
which are further delivered to the link-layer protocol stack[9]. The link-layer protocol stack includes non-access stratum (NAS)
layer and radio resource control (RRC) layer for the control plane, as well as the layer2 (L2), which consists of packet data
convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer and medium access control (MAC) layer for the data plane.
It defines the functionalities and logical behaviours over the air interface and is running on the stack processor. The IP packets
are sequentially processed by the L2 protocols, where transport blocks (TBs) are finally generated and passed to the physical
layer (PHY) for signal processing and transmitting over the air interface. The opposite data processing procedures apply for the
downlink data transfer process. Generally, different protocol stack implementations employ different software programming
technologies. This may have great impact on run-time computing resource utilization and memory consumption, which results
Uplink signal
700
Downlink
System data processing time(us)
600
500
400
300
200
100
V. CONCLUSION
This paper investigated the implementation of a LTE protocol stack software at the UE, E-URAN and EPC side. By using the
My paper wouldn’t have been successful without the assistance and blessings of number of people. I would like to acknowledge
the help rendered by each of them. I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my project guide Prof.Mr.
M.RajeevKumarM.E, (Dept of Information Technology, Vel Tech Technical University, Avadi, Chennai) for giving me this
golden opportunity to do this paper work.
I want to thank my friends and staff who have encouraged me over the course of this paper.
Last but not the least, the constant moral and spiritual encouragement from my lovable parents has been a source of inspiration
throughout the period of my paper work, and therefore, the submission of gratitude shall be incomplete without expressing my
grateful reverence to them.
I wish to express my profound sense of gratitude and sincere thanks for fruitful discussions to my brother
Mr.E.S.N.Subramanian.M.Tech, (Network Engineer, Javi System India Pvt Ltd). Supported to me in the successful completion
of this work.
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