02 Huawei WCDMA UTRAN Interface and Signaling Procedure

Internal
OWA210001 WCDMA
UTRAN Interface and
Signaling Procedure
ISSUE 1.0
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
www.huawei.com
All rights reserved
Upon completion of this course, you
will be able to:

Understand UTRAN interface and
structure
Understand the definitions about
UTRAN network elements
Understand UTRAN signaling
procedure
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Page 1
Chapter 1 UTRAN Network Overview

Chapter 2 Basic Concepts about UTRAN
Chapter 3 UTRAN Signaling Procedure
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The Position of UTRAN in WCDMA Network
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Service manager layer

Service convergence layer
Radio access layer
UMTS Construction
CN
Iu
UTRAN
Uu
UE
UTRAN
CN
UE
UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network

Core Network
User Equipment
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Page 4
WCDMA network architecture shown in slide above

UE (User Equipment)
The User Equipment (UE) consists of two parts:
1.The mobile equipment (ME) is the radio terminal used for radio communication over the Uu
interface
2. The UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) is the equivalent smartcard to SIM in GSM. It
hold the subscriber identity , performs authentication algorithm , stores authentication and
encryption keys ,etc.
UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access network)
The UTRAN consists of one or several Radio Network Subsystem ( RNS ) ,each containing one
RNC and one or several NodeB
1.NodeB
The NodeB is the correspondent element to the BTS in GSM.
2.RNC
The Radio Network Controller (RNC) owns and controls the radio resources of the connected
NodeB
CN (Core Network)
Core network (CN) includes a lot of equipments such as MSC ,HLR, SGSN,GGSN,AUC,VLR etc.
Interface
Iu interface
The Iu interface connects the UTRAN to the CN and is split in two parts. The Iucs is the interface
between the RNC and the circuit switched domain of the CN. The Iups interface is the interface
between the RNC and the packet switched domain of the CN
Uu interface
The Uu interface is the WCDMA radio interface with in UMTS. It is the interface through which the
UE accesses the fixed part of the network.
UMTS Structure
Core Network
Iu
Iu
RNS
RNS
Iur
RNC
RNC
Iub
Iub
Iub
Iub
Node B
Node B
Node B
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Node B
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UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access network) structure

The UTRAN consists of one or several Radio Network Subsystem ( RNS ) ,each
containing one RNC and one or several NodeB
Interface
Iu interface
The Iu interface connects the UTRAN to the CN and is split in two parts. The Iucs
is the interface between the RNC and the circuit switched domain of the CN. The
Iups interface is the interface between the RNC and the packet switched domain
of the CN
Uu interface
The Uu interface is the WCDMA radio interface with in UMTS. It is the interface
through which the UE accesses the fixed part of the network.
Iub interface
The Iub interface connects the NodeB and the RNC. Contrarily to GSM, this
interface is fully open in UMTS and thus more competition is expected
Iur interface
This RNC-RNC interface was initially designed in order to provide inter RNC soft
handover, but more features were added during the development
Uu Interface
GC
Nt
DC
Duplication avoidance
GC
Nt
DC
UuS boundary
C-plane signalling
U-plane information
control
L3
control
control
control
control
RRC
Radio
Bearers
PDCP
PDCP
L2/PDCP
RLC
RLC
RLC
RLC
RLC
RLC
BMC
L2/BMC
RLC
L2/RLC
RLC
Logical
Channels
L2/MAC
MAC
Transport
Channels
L1
PHY
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The radio interface (Uu) is layered into three protocol layers:
the physical layer (L1)

the data link layer (L2)
the network layer (L3).
The layer 1 supports all functions required for the transmission of bit streams on the physical medium. It is also in charge
of measurements function consisting in indicating to higher layers, for example, Frame Error Rate (FER), Signal to
Interference Ratio (SIR), interference power, transmit power, It is basically composed of a layer 1 management
entity, a transport channel entity, and a physical channel entity.
The layer 2 protocol is responsible for providing functions such as mapping, ciphering, retransmission and segmentation.
It is made of four sublayers: MAC (Medium Access Control), RLC (Radio Link Control), PDCP (Packet Data Convergence
Protocol) and BMC (Broadcast/Multicast Control).
The layer 3 is split into 2 parts: the access stratum and the non access stratum. The access stratum part is made of
RRC (Radio Resource Control) entity and duplication avoidance entity. The non access stratum part is made of CC,
MM parts.
Not shown on the figure are connections between RRC and all the other protocol layers (RLC, MAC, PDCP, BMC and
L1), which provide local inter-layer control services.
The protocol layers are located in the UE and the peer entities are in the node B or the RNC.`
The radio interface (Uu) is spitted into 2 plane, left is control plane ,right is user plane ,control plane transfer
control massage such as signalling, measurement control. User plane transfer user data such as
speech ,packet data etc.
Many functions are managed by the RRC layer. Here is the list of the most important:
Establishment, re-establishment, maintenance and release of an RRC connection between

the UE and UTRAN: it includes an optional cell re-selection, an admission control, and a layer 2
signaling link establishment. When a RNC is in charge of a specific connection towards a UE, it
acts as the Serving RNC.
Establishment, reconfiguration and release of Radio Bearers: a number of Radio Bearers can
be established for a UE at the same time. These bearers are configured depending on the
requested QoS. The RNC is also in charge of ensuring that the requested QoS can be met.
Assignment, reconfiguration and release of radio resources for the RRC connection: it
handles the assignment of radio resources (e.g. codes, shared channels). RRC communicates with
the UE to indicate new resources allocation when handovers are managed.
Paging/Notification: it broadcasts paging information from network to UEs.
Broadcasting of information provided by the non-access stratum (Core Network) or access
Stratum. This corresponds to system information regularly repeated.
The radio interface (Uu) is layered into three protocol layers:
UE measurement reporting and control of the reporting: RRC indicates what to measure, when
and how to report.
Outer loop power control: controls setting of the target values.
Control of ciphering: provides procedures for setting of ciphering.
The RRC layer is defined in the 25.331 specification from 3GPP.
The RLCs main function is the transfer of data from either the user or the control plane over the Radio interface. Two
different transfer modes are used: transparent and non-transparent. In non-transparent mode, 2 sub-modes are used:
acknowledged or unacknowledged.
RLC provides services to upper layers:
data transfer (transparent, acknowledged and unacknowledged modes),

QoS setting: the retransmission protocol (for AM only) shall be configurable by layer 3 to provide
different QoS,
notification of unrecoverable errors: RLC notifies the upper layers of errors that cannot be
resolved by RLC.
The RLC functions are:
mapping between higher layer PDUs and logical channels,

ciphering: prevents unauthorized acquisition of data; performed in RLC layer for non-transparent
RLC mode,
segmentation/reassembly: this function performs segmentation/reassembly of variable-length
higher layer PDUs into/from smaller RLC Payload Units. The RLC size is adjustable to the actual
set of transport formats (decided when service is established). Concatenation and padding may
also be used,
error correction: done by retransmission (acknowledged data transfer mode only),
flow control: allows the RLC receiver to control the rate at which the peer RLC transmitting entity
may send information.
MAC services include:
Data transfer: service providing unacknowledged transfer of MAC SDUs between peer MAC
entities.
Reallocation of radio resources and MAC parameters: reconfiguration of MAC functions such as
change of identity of UE. Requested by the RRC layer.
Reporting of measurements: local measurements such as traffic volume and quality indication
are reported to the RRC layer.
The functions accomplished by the MAC sublayer are listed above. Heres a quick explanation for some of them:
Priority handling between the data flows of one UE: since UMTS is multimedia, a user may
activate several services at the same time, having possibly different profiles (priority, QoS
parameters...). Priority handling consists in setting the right transport format for a high bit rate
service and for a low bit rate service.
Priority handling between UEs: use for efficient spectrum resources utilization for bursty transfers
on common and shared channels.
Ciphering: to prevent unauthorized acquisition of data. Performed in the MAC layer for
transparent RLC mode.
Access Service Class (ACS) selection for RACH transmission: the RACH resources are
divided between different ACSs in order to provide different priorities on a random access
procedure.
PDCP
UMTS supports several network layer protocols providing protocol transparency for the users of the service.
Using these protocols (and new ones) shall be possible without any changes to UTRAN protocols. In order to perform this
requirement, the PDCP layer has been introduced. Then, functions related to transfer of packets from higher layers shall
be carried out in a transparent way by the UTRAN network entities.
PDCP shall also be responsible for implementing different kinds of optimization methods. The currently known methods
are standardized IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) header compression algorithms.
Algorithm types and their parameters are negotiated by RRC and indicated to PDCP.
Header compression and decompression are specific for each network layer protocol type.
In order to know which compression method is used, an identifier (PID: Packet Identifier) is inserted. Compression
algorithms exist for TCP/IP, RTP/UDP/IP,
Another function of PDCP is to provide numbering of PDUs. This is done if lossless SRNS relocation is required.
To accomplish this function, each PDCP-SDUs (UL and DL) is buffered and numbered. Numbering is done after header
compression. SDUs are kept until information of successful transmission of PDCP-PDU has been received from RLC.
PDCP sequence number ranges from 0 to 65,535.
BMC (broadcast/multicast control protocol)

The main function of BMC protocol are:
Storage of cell broadcast message. the BMC in RNC stores the cell broadcast message received over the CBC-RNC
interface for scheduled transmission.
Traffic volume monitoring and radio resource request for CBS. On the UTRAN side, the BMC calculates the required
transmission rate for the cell broadcast service based on the messages received over the CBC-RNC interface, and
requests appropriate .CTCH/FACH resources from from RRC
Scheduling of BMC message. The BMC receives scheduling information together with each cell broadcast message
over the CBC-RNC interface. Based on this scheduling information, on the UTRAN side the BMC generates schedule
message and schedules BMC message sequences accordingly. On the UE side ,the BMC evaluates the schedule
messages and indicates scheduling parameters to RRC, which are used by RRC to configure the lower layers for CBS
discontinuous reception.
Transmission of BMC message to UE. The function transmits the BMC messages according to the schedule
Delivery of cell broadcast messages to the upper layer. This UE function delivers the received non-corrupted cell
broadcast messages to the upper layer
The layer 1 (physical layer) is used to transmit information under the form of electrical signals corresponding to bits,
between the network and the mobile user. This information can be voice, circuit or packet data, and network signaling.
The UMTS layer 1 offers data transport services to higher layers. The access to these services is through the use of
transport channels via the MAC sublayer.
These services are provided by radio links which are established by signaling procedures. These links are managed by
the layer 1 management entity. One radio link is made of one or several transport channels, and one physical channel.
The UMTS layer 1 is divided into two sublayers: the transport and the physical sublayers. All the processing (channel
coding, interleaving, etc.) is done by the transport sublayer in order to provide different services and their associated QoS.
The physical sublayer is responsible for the modulation, which corresponds to the association of bits (coming from the
transport sublayer) to electrical signals that can be carried over the air interface. The spreading operation is also done by
the physical sublayer. These sublayers are well described in chapters 6 and 7.
These two parts of layer 1 are controlled by the layer 1 management (L1M) entity. It is made of several units located in
each equipment, which exchange information through the use of control channels.
General Protocol Mode for UTRAN Terrestrial Interface

The structure is based on the principle that the layers and planes are
logically independent of each other.

Radio
Network
Layer
Control Plane
User Plane
Application
Protocol
Data
Stream(s)
Transport
Network
Layer
Transport Network
User Plane
Transport Network
Control Plane
Transport Network
User Plane
ALCAP(s)
Signalling
Bearer(s)
Signalling
Bearer(s)
Data
Bearer(s)
Physical Layer
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Protocol structures in UTRAN terrestrial interfaces are designed according

to the same general protocol model. This model is shown in above slide.
The structure is based on the principle that the layers and planes are
logically independent of each other and, if needed, parts of the protocol
structure may be changed in the future while other parts remain intact.
Horizontal Layers
The protocol structure consists of two main layers, the Radio Network
Layer (RNL) and the Transport Network Layer (TNL). All UTRANrelated issues are visible only in the Radio Network Layer, and the
Transport Network Layer represents standard transport technology that is
selected to be used for UTRAN but without any UTRAN-specific changes.
Vertical Planes
Control Plane
The Control Plane is used for all UMTS-specific control signalling. It
includes the Application Protocol (i.e. RANAP in Iu, RNSAP in Iur and
NBAP in Iub), and the Signalling Bearer for transporting the Application
Protocol messages. The Application Protocol is used, among other things,
for setting up bearers to the UE (i.e. the Radio Access Bearer in Iu and
subsequently the Radio Link in Iur and Iub). In the three plane structure
the bearer parameters in the Application Protocol are not
directly tied to the User Plane technology, but rather are general bearer
parameters. The Signalling Bearer for the Application Protocol may or may
not be of the same type as the Signalling Bearer for the ALCAP. It is
always set up by O&M actions.
User Plane
All information sent and received by the user, such as the coded voice in a
voice call or the packets in an Internet connection, are transported via the
User Plane. The User Plane includes the Data Stream(s), and the Data
Bearer (s) for the Data Stream(s). Each Data Stream is characterized by
one or more frame protocols specified for that interface.
Transport Network Control Plane
The Transport Network Control Plane is used for all control signalling
within the Transport Layer. It does not include any Radio Network Layer
information. It includes the ALCAP protocol that is needed to set up the
transport bearers (Data Bearer) for the User Plane. It also includes the
Signalling Bearer needed for the ALCAP. The Transport Network Control
Plane is a plane that acts between the Control Plane and the User Plane.
The introduction of the Transport Network Control Plane makes it possible
for the Application Protocol in the Radio Network Control Plane to be
completely independent of the technology selected for the Data Bearer in
the User Plane.
About AAl2 and AAL5
Above the ATM layer we usually find an ATM adaptation layer (AAL). Its
function is to process the data from higher layers for ATM transmission.
This means segmenting the data into 48-byte chunks and reassembling
the original data frames on the receiving side. There are five different
AALs (0, 1, 2, 3/4, and 5). AAL0 means that 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.
The usage of ATM is promoted by the ATM Forum. The Iu interface uses
two AALs: AAL2 and AAL5.
AAL2 is designed for the transmission of connection oriented, realtime data streams with variable bit rates.
AAL5 is designed for the transmission of connectionless data
streams with variable bit rates.
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RNL Control Plane Application Protocol

CN
RANAP
UE
RRC
RNC
RNSAP
RNC
NBAP
Node B
NBAP Node B Application Part
RANAPRadio Access Network Application Part
RNSAPRadio Network Subsystem Application Part
RRC Radio Resource Control
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RANAP is the signalling protocol in Iu that contains all the control

information specified for the Radio Network Layer.
RNSAP is the signalling protocol in Iur that contains all the control
NBAP is the signalling protocol in Iub that contains all the control
RRC is the signalling protocol in Uu that locate in the Uu interface layer 3
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Iu-CS Interface
Control Plane
Radio
Network
Layer
User Plane
Iu UP Protocol
Layer
RANAP
Transport
Network
Layer
Transport Network
User Plane
Transport Network
Control Plane
Transport Network
User Plane
Q.2630.1
SCCP
MTP3b
Q.2150.1
MTP3b
SSCF-NNI
SSCF-NNI
SSCOP
SSCOP
AAL5
AAL5
AAL2
ATM
Physical Layer
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Protocol Structure for Iu CS

The Iu CS overall protocol structure is depicted in above slide. The three planes in the Iu interface
share a common ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) transport which is used for all planes. The
physical layer is the interface to the physical medium: optical fibre, radio link or copper cable. The
physical layer implementation can be selected from a variety of standard off-the-shelf
transmission technologies, such as SONET, STM1, or E1.
Iu CS Control Plane Protocol Stack
The Control Plane protocol stack consists of RANAP, on top of Broadband (BB) SS7 (Signalling
System #7) protocols. The applicable layers are the Signalling Connection Control Part (SCCP),
the Message Transfer Part (MTP3-b) and SAAL-NNI (Signalling ATM Adaptation Layer for
Network to Network Interfaces). SAAL-NNI is further divided into Service Specific Coordination
Function (SSCF), Service Specific Connection Oriented
Protocol (SSCOP) and ATM Adaptation Layer 5 (AAL) layers. SSCF and SSCOP layers are
specifically designed for signalling transport in ATM networks, and take care of such functions as
signalling connection management. AAL5 is used for segmenting the data to ATM cells.
Iu CS Transport Network Control Plane Protocol Stack
The Transport Network Control Plane protocol stack consists of the Signalling Protocol for setting
up AAL2 connections (Q.2630.1 and adaptation layer Q.2150.1), on top of BB SS7 protocols. The
applicable BB SS7 are those described above without the SCCP layer.
Iu CS User Plane Protocol Stack
A dedicated AAL2 connection is reserved for each individual CS service.
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Iu-PS Interface
Radio
Network
Layer
Control Plane
User Plane
Iu UP Protocol
Layer
RANAP
Transport
Network
Layer
Transport Network
User Plane
Transport Network
Control Plane
Transport Network
User Plane
SCCP
M3UA
MTP3-B
GTP-U
SCTP
SSCF-NNI
SSCF-NNI
UDP
IP
SSCOP
IP
AAL5
AAL5
ATM
ATM
Physical Layer
Physical Layer
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Protocol Structure for Iu PS

The Iu PS protocol structure is represented in above slide. Again, a common
ATM transport is applied for both User and Control Plane. Also the physical layer
is as specified for Iu CS.
Iu PS Control Plane Protocol Stack
The Control Plane protocol stack again consists of RANAP, and the same BB
SS7-based signalling bearer as described in Section 5.4.1.1. Also, as an
alternative, an IP-based signalling bearer is specified. The SCCP layer is also
used commonly for both. The IP based signalling bearer consists of M3UA (SS7
MTP3 User Adaptation Layer), SCTP (Simple Control Transmission Protocol),
IP (Internet Protocol), and AAL5 which is common to both alternatives. The SCTP
layer is specifically designed for signalling transport in the Internet. Specific
adaptation layers are specified for different kinds of signalling protocol, such as
M3UA for SS7-based signalling.
Iu PS Transport Network Control Plane Protocol Stack
The Transport Network Control Plane is not applied to Iu PS. The setting up of
the GTP tunnel requires only an identifier for the tunnel, and the IP addresses for
both directions, and these are already included in the RANAP RAB Assignment
messages.
Iu PS User Plane Protocol Stack
In the Iu PS User Plane, multiple packet data flows are multiplexed on one or
several AAL5 PVCs. The GTP-U (User Plane part of the GPRS Tunneling
Protocol) is the multiplexing layer that provides identities for individual packet
data flow. Each flow uses UDP connectionless transport and IP addressing.
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Iub Interface
Radio Network
Control Plane
User Plane
CPCH FP
USCH FP
DSCH FP
FACH FP
PCH FP
Node B
Application Part
(NBAP)
RACH FP
DCH FP
Radio
Network
Layer
Transport
Network
Control Plane
ALCAP
Q.2630.1
Q.2150.2
Transport
Layer
SSCF-UNI
SSCF-UNI
SSCOP
SSCOP
AAL Type 5
AAL Type 5
AAL Type 2
ATM
Physical Layer
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The Iub interface is the terrestrial interface between NodeB and RNC. The protocol stack for the
Iub is shown in the above slide. The Radio Network Layer defines procedures related to the
operation of the NodeB. The transport Network Layer defines procedures for establishing physical
connections between the NodeB and the RNC.
The Iub application protocol, NodeB application part ( NBAP ) initiates the establishment of a
signaling connection over Iub . It is divided into two essential components, NBAP common for
defining the signalling procedures across the common signalling link and NBAP dedicated for the
dedicated signalling link. This split is due to the fact that the NodeB is defined as having a
common part and a number of dedicated parts (each controlling a traffic connection) .
NBAP-C is used for signaling that initiates a UE context for a dedicated UE or signals that is not
related to specific UE. Example of NBAP-C procedure are cell configuration , handling of common
channels and radio link setup
NBAP-D signalling is used for signaling relating to a specific UE context. The initial request to
NodeB from the RNC such as Radio link setup for a context activation uses NBAP-C ,but once
the context has been set up ,NBAP-D is used from then. Example of NBAP-D functions are
addition, reconfiguration and release of radio links for one UE context
SAAL is an ATM Adaptation Layer that supports communication between signalling entities over
an ATM link.
The user plane Iub Frame Protocol ( FP ), defined the structure of the frames and the basic in
band control procedure for every type of transport channel. There are DCH-FP,RACH-FP,FACHFP,HS-DSCH FP and PCH FP
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Iur Interface
Radio
Network
Layer
Control Plane
User Plane
Iur Data
Stream(s)
RNSAP
Transport
Network
Layer
Transport Network
User Plane
Transport Network
Control Plane
Transport Network
User Plane
ALCAP(Q.2630.1)
SCCP
MTP3-B
SSCF-NNI
M3UA
SCTP
SSCOP
IP
AAL5
STC (Q.2150.1)
MTP3-B
M3UA
SSCF-NNI
SCTP
SSCOP
IP
AAL5
AAL2
ATM
Physical Layer
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Iur interface connects two RNCs. The protocol stack for the Iur is shown in above
slide.
The RNSAP protocol is the signalling protocol defined for the Iur interface.
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16
SRNC/DRNC
CN
Iu
Iur
SRNC
DRNC
SRNC and DRNC are on per connection basis between a UE and
the UTRAN
The SRNC handles the connection to one UE, and may borrow
radio resources of a certain cell from the DRNC

Drift RNCs support the Serving RNC by providing radio resources
A UE in connection state has at least one and only one SRNC, but
can has 0 or multiple DRNCs
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Inside the UTRAN, the RNCs of the Radio Network Subsystems can be
interconnected together through the Iur. Iu(s) and Iur are logical interfaces.
Iur can be conveyed over direct physical connection between RNCs or
virtual networks using any suitable transport network .
For each connection between User Equipment and the UTRAN, One RNC
is the Serving RNC. When required, Drift RNCs support the Serving RNC
by providing radio resources. The role of an RNC (Serving or Drift) is on a
per connection basis between a UE and the UTRAN.
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CRNC
CN
...
Iu
Iub
CRNC
Node B
Node B
Cell
Cell
Cell
The CRNC owns the radio resources of a cell

Dynamical control of power for dedicated channels, within limits
admitted by CRNC, is done by the SRNC.

Scheduling of data for dedicated channels is done by the SRNC,
while for common channels it is done by the CRNC
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Then what is CRNC? CRNC is related to a specific NodeB (or Cell)
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RAB, RB and RL
RAB
RB
UE
CN
RNC
RL
NodeB
UTRAN
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RAB: The service that the access stratum provides to the non-access stratum for
transfer of user data between User Equipment and CN
RB: The service provided by the layer2 for transfer of user data between User
Equipment and Serving RNC
RL: A "radio link" is a logical association between single User Equipment and a
single UTRAN access point. Its physical realization comprises one or more radio
bearer transmissions
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UE Working Modes and States
Idle mode
Connected mode
Cell_DCH
Cell_FACH
Cell_PCH
URA_PCH
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The connected mode is entered when the RRC connection is established.

The UE leaves the connected mode and returns to idle mode when the
RRC connection is released or at RRC connection failure.
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Idle Mode
The UE has no relation to UTRAN, only to CN. For data transfer, a
signalling connection has to be established.

UE camps on a cell
It enables the UE to receive system information from the PLMN

When registered and if the UE wishes to establish an RRC connection,
it can do this by initially accessing the network on the control channel of
the cell on which it is camped
UE can receive "paging" message from common channels of the cell.
It enables the UE to receive cell broadcast services.
The idle mode tasks can be subdivided into three processes:
PLMN selection and reselection;

Cell selection and reselection;
Location registration.
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When a UE is switched on, a public land mobile network (PLMN) is

selected and the UE searches for a suitable cell of this PLMN to camp on.
The NAS shall provide a list of equivalent PLMNs, if available, that the AS
shall use for cell selection and cell reselection.
The UE searches for a suitable cell of the chosen PLMN and chooses that
cell to provide available services, and tunes to its control channel. This
choosing is known as "camping on the cell". The UE will, if necessary,
then register its presence, by means of a NAS registration procedure, in
the registration area of the chosen cell.
If the UE finds a more suitable cell, it reselects onto that cell and camps
on it. If the new cell is in a different registration area, location registration
is performed .
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Connected Mode
When at least one signalling connection exists, the UE is in connected
mode and there is normally an RRC connection between UE and UTRAN.

The UE position can be known on different levels:
UTRAN Registration Area (URA) level
The UE position is known on URA level. The URA is a set of cells
Cell level
The UE position is known on cell level. Different transport channel
types can be used for data transfer:
Common transport channels (RACH / FACH)
Dedicated transport channels (DCH)
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In connected mode, the UE is assigned a Radio Network Temporary

Identity (RNTI) to be used as UE identity on common transport channels.
Two types of RNTI exist. The Serving RNC allocates an s-RNTI for all
UEs having an RRC connection. The combination of s-RNTI and an RNCID is unique within a PLMN. c-RNTI is allocated by each Controlling RNC
through which UE is able to communicate on DCCH. c-RNTI is always
allocated by UTRAN when a new UE context is created to an RNC, but
the UE needs its c-RNTI only for communicating on common transport
channels.
Within connected mode the level of UE connection to UTRAN is
determined by the quality of service requirements of the active radio
bearers and the characteristics of the traffic on those bearers.
The UE-UTRAN interface is designed to support a large number of UEs
using packet data services by providing flexible means to utilize statistical
multiplexing. Due to limitations, such as air interface capacity, UE power
consumption and network h/w availability, the dedicated resources cannot
be allocated to all of the packet service users at all times.
Variable rate transmission provides the means that for services of variable
rate the data rate is adapted according to the maximum allowable output
power.
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The UE state in the connected mode defines the level of activity

associated to the UE. The key parameters of each state are the required
activity and resources within the state and the required signalling prior to
the data transmission. The state of the UE shall at least be dependent on
the application requirement and the period of inactivity.
Common Packet Channel (CPCH) uplink resources are available to UEs
with an access protocol similar to the RACH. The CPCH resources
support uplink packet communication for numerous UEs with a set of
shared, contention-based CPCH channels allocated to the cell.
Assuming that there exists an RRC connection, there are two basic
families of RRC connection mobility procedures, URA updating and
handover. Different families of RRC connection mobility procedures are
used in different levels of UE connection (cell level and URA level):
-URA updating is a family of procedures that updates the UTRAN
registration area of a UE when an RRC connection exists and the
position of the UE is known on URA level in the UTRAN;
-Handover is a family of procedures that adds or removes one or
several radio links between one UE and UTRAN when an RRC
connection exists and the position of the UE is known on cell level
in the UTRAN.
23
Connected Mode
Cell-DCH
In active state
Communicating via its dedicated channels
UTRAN knows which cell UE is in.
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Page 24
If there is huge data to be transmitted, it must allocate dedicated channel.

Thus UE will be in Cell-DCH. UE in Cell-DCH state is communicating via
DCH (downlink and uplink) with UTRAN
24
Connected Mode
Cell-FACH
In active state
Few data to be transmitted both in uplink and in downlink. There
is no need to allocate dedicated channel for this UE.
Downlink uses FACH and uplink uses RACH.
UE need to monitor the FACH for its relative information.
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Page 25
If there is only few data to be transmitted,there is no need to allocate

dedicated channel. Thus UE will be in Cell-FACH. UE in Cell-FACH state
is communicating via FACH (downlink) and RACH (uplink) with UTRAN.
UE need to monitor the FACH for its relative information because FACH is
shared for all users in the cell.
25
Connected Mode
Cell-PCH
No data to be transmitted or received.

Monitor PICH, to receive its paging.
lower the power consumption of UE.
UTRAN have to update cell information of UE when UE
roams to another cell
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Page 26
If UE has no data to be transmitted or received, UE will be in Cell-PCH or

URA-PCH. In these two states, UE needs to monitor PICH,to receive its
paging. UTRAN knows which cell or URA UE is now in. The difference
between Cell-PCH and URA-PCH is that UTRAN update UE information
only after UE which is in URA-PCH state has roamed to other URA.
UTRAN have to update cell information of UE when UE roams to another
cell. UE migrates to cell-FACH state to complete the cell update. If there is
also no data to be transmitted or received, UE is back to CELL-PCH state
after cell update. If the cell update times in a fixed time reach a preset
value, UTRAN will let UE migrate to URA-PCH. URA is an area of several
cells.
26
Connected Mode
URA-PCH
No data to be transmitted or received.

Monitor PICH.
UTRAN only knows which URA (UTRAN Registration Area,
which consists of multiple cells) that UE is in.
UTRAN updates UE information only after UE has roamed to
other URA.
A better way to reduce the resource occupancy and signaling
transmission
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Page 27
It is the same as the CELL-PCH state. UE should migrate to CELL-FACH

state to complete the URA update.
27
UE States
- Reduce action
DTX
and save power
RRC connection
URA_PCH
CELL_PCH
CELL_DCH
CELL_FACH
- Dedicated Channel
- Radio bearers Transmission Services
IDLE
DEAD
All rights reserved
- upper layer Signaling

trigger (CN)
- Monitor paging channel
- cell re-selection
- Scanning networks (PLMN)

- Camp on cell
Page 28
This is the UE states figure. These states are significant only for UTRAN
and UE. They are transparent to CN. Lets focus on the switch between
the states.
28
RNTI - Radio Network Temporary Identifier
Five Types of RNTI exist
Serving RNC RNTI (S-RNTI)

Drift RNC RNTI (D-RNTI)
Cell RNTI (C-RNTI)
UTRAN RNTI (U-RNTI)
HS-DSCH RNTI (H-RNTI)
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Page 29
SRNTI
SRNTI is used by UE to identify itself to the serving RNC
SRNTI is used by SRNC to address the UE
SRNTI is used by DRNC to identify the UE to serving RNC
SRNTI is allocated for all UEs having a RRC connection, it is allocated by serving RNC and it
unique within the SRNC.SRNTI is always reallocated when the SRNC for the RRC connection is
changed.
DRNTI
DRNTI is used to SRNC to identify the UE to the DRNC
DRNTI is never used on Uu interface. DRNTI is allocated by DRNC upon drift UE contexts
establishment and is unique within the DRNC. The SRNC knows the mapping between SRNTI
and DRNTI is allocated by DRNC for the same UE. The DRNC shall know the SRNTI and SRNC
ID related to existing DRNTI within the DRNC.
CRNTI
CRNTI is used by a UE to identify itself to the CRNC
CRNTI is used by CRNC to address the UE
CRNTI is allocated by CRNC when UE accessing a new cell. CRNTI is unique within the
accessed cell.
URNTI
URNTI is consisted of SRNC identity and SRNTI
HRNTI
HRNTI is allocated by CRNC when UE establishing a HS-DSCH channel. HRNTI shall be unique
within the cell carrying the HS-DSCH
29

All rights reserved
Page 30
30

Section 1 Cell Setup
Section 2 System Information Broadcast
Section 3 Paging
Section 4 Call Process
Section 5 Handover
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Page 31
31
Cell Setup
RNC
NodeB
NBAP
NCP: Resource Status Ind
NBAP
NBAP
NCP: Audit Req
NBAP
NBAP
NCP: Audit Rsp
NBAP
NBAP
NCP: Cell Setup Req
NBAP
NBAP
NCP: Cell Setup Rsp
NBAP
NBAP
NCP: Comm TrCh Setup Req
NBAP
NBAP
NCP: Comm TrCh Setup Rsp
NBAP
Q.AAL2
Est Req
Q.AAL2
Q.AAL2
Est Conf
Q.AAL2
NBAP
NCP: Comm TrCh Setup Req
NBAP
NBAP
NCP: Comm TrCh Setup Rsp
NBAP
Q.AAL2
Est Req
Q.AAL2
Q.AAL2
Est Conf
Q.AAL2
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Page 32
Setup NCP and CCP in SAAL link stratum, which NCP carries the NBAP public
information and CCP carries the NBAP dedicated information. One NodeB only
can setup one NCP, but can setup several CCP;
To prepare the cell setting up, the resource of Node B should be audited;
Logic cell setup
Setup the common transport channel for cell, including RACH, FACH and PCH.
32

Section 3 Paging
Section 5 Handover
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33
System Information Broadcast Flow

UE
RNC
Node B
CN
1.System Information Update Request

NBAP
NBAP
2.System Information Update Response

NBAP
NBAP
RRC
3.BCCH:System Information
RRC
RRC
RRC
RRC
RRC
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34
Introduction of System Information

MIB
Contains PLMN tag and SB (scheduling information block) or the
scheduling information for SIB (system info block)
SB1
Contains scheduling information for SIB
SB2
Contains scheduling information for SIB
SIB1
Contains the system information for NAS and the timer/counter for UE
SIB2
Contains the URA information
SIB3
Contains the parameters for cell selection and cell re-selection
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35

SIB4
Contains parameters for cell selection and cell re-selection while UE is in
connecting mode
SIB5
Contains parameters for the common physical channels of the cell
SIB6
Contains parameters for the common physical channels of the cell while
UE is in connecting mode
SIB7
Contains the uplink interference level and the refreshing timer for SIB7
SIB8
Contains the CPCH static information
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36

SIB9
Contains the CPCH dynamic information
SIB10
Contains information to be used by UEs having their DCH controlled
by a DRAC procedure
Used in FDD mode only
To be used in CELL_DCH state only
Changes so often, its decoding is controlled by a timer
SIB11
Contains measurement controlling information
SIB12
Contains measurement controlling information in connecting mode
SIB13
Contains ANSI-41 system information
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37

SIB14:
Contains the information in TDD mode
SIB15:
Contains the position service information
SIB16:
Contains the needed pre-configuration information for handover from
other RAT to UTRAN
SIB17:
Contains the configuration information for TDD
SIB18:
Contains the PLMN identities of the neighboring cells
To be used in shared networks to help with the cell reselection process
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38
System Information Block Type 1

System information type 1
The NAS system information

CS domain DRXK 6then DRX
period is 2^k = 2 ^ 6 = 64 TTI = 640
ms
PS domain DRXK 6then DRX
period is 2^k = 2 ^ 6 = 64 TTI = 640
ms
The different timers for UE in
connecting mode and idle mode.
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39
System info type 2
URA information
All rights reserved
Page 40
40

The references for cell selection
and re-selection
Qhyst2s
Sintrasearch
Sintersearch
SinterRatsearch
Qqualmin
Qrxlemin
T reselection
Max Allowed UE TX power
All rights reserved
Page 41
41

The configuration information for
the following physical channels

and the counterpart transport
channels
PICH
AICH
PCCPCH
PRACH
SCCPCH
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42
System Information Block Type 7 and 11

System info type 7
Including the UL interference level which is used for open

loop power control:
Preamble_Initial_Power=Primary CPICH DL TX power CPICH_RSCP + UL interference + Constant Value
Including the Expiration Time Factor which is used for
refreshing the SIB7 periodically
System info type 11
The neighbor cell information for cell re-selection in IDLE

mode.
All rights reserved
Page 43
43

Section 3 Paging
Section 5 Handover
All rights reserved
Page 44
44
Paging Caused by CN
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Page 45
The paging procedure is a procedure of paging initiated from the CN to the

called party. When the CN needs to set up a connection with the called
subscriber, it first needs to find the called subscriber via the paging
procedure. The purpose of the paging procedure is just to enable the CN
to page the called subscriber. The paging procedure is set up via
connectionless signaling.
45
Paging Caused by CN
The paging information type which is sent by UTRAN is
decided by UE mode.
If UE is in the CELL_FACH or CELL_DCHUTRAN send
paging type 2. In other modes, the paging information is

type 1 and UE can use DRX method to detecting PICH.
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Page 46
When the RRC is idle, the UE may receive paging from the CS or PS
domain. Because the UE is now in the idle state, the CN can learn the
Location Area Identification (LAI) or RAI information of the UE. The paging
will be sent via this location area and the LA or RA in this example crosses
two RNCs.
The above example shows the paging procedure of the UE in the RRC
connected state (CELL_DCH or CELL_FACH), where the UTRAN
coordinates the paging request over the DCCH in the RRC connected
state.
Paging Type 1 is sent over the PCCH when the UE is idle while Paging
Type 2 is sent over the DCCH when the UE is in the RRC connected state.
The typical case is that the UE uses the Paging Type 2 to send the
PAGING message of the CS domain in the PS service procedure.
However, the Paging Type is controlled by the RNC and the CN does not
need to know it.
46
Paging Caused by UTRAN
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Page 47
When the system information is modified, UTRAN will send the paging
information to tell UEs which are in IDLE, Cell_PCH or URA_PCH mode.
Then, UE will read the modified system information from BCH.
To change the state of UE which is in Cell_PCH or URA_PCH state,
UTRAN will start a paging flow. Then, UE will start a Cell-Update or URA
update flow for response.
47

Section 3 Paging
Section 5 Handover
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Page 48
48
Introduction of Call Process

In WCDMA system, a call process includes the following
basic signaling flows:

RRC connection flow
Iu interface signaling flow
Authentication flow (optional)
Security flow (optional)
RAB establish flow
Call proceeding
NAS signaling before correlative bearer release
Correlative bearer release
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49
RRC Connection Establishment Flow (DCH)

Node B
Serving RNS
UE
Serving
RNC
1. CCCH : RRC Connection Request

RRC
RRC
Allocate RNTI
Select L1 and L2
parameters
2. Radio Link Setup Request
NBAP
NBAP
Start RX
description
3. Radio Link Setup Response
NBAP
NBAP
4. ALCAP Iub Data Transport Bearer Setup
DCH - FP
DCH - FP
5. Downlink Synchronisation
6. Uplink Synchronisation
DCH - FP
DCH - FP
Start TX
description
7. CCCH : RRC Connection Set up
RRC
RRC
8. Radio Link Restore Indication
NBAP
NBAP
RRC
9. DCCH : RRC Connection Setup Complete

RRC
When UE is in IDLE mode and the NAS of UE request the signaling connection, UE will send a RRC Connection Request.
Each UE only can have one RRC Connection. The main function is to configure the signaling channel of UTRAN.
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In the idle mode, when the non-access layer of the UE requests to

establish a signaling connection, the UE will initiate the RRC connection
procedure. Each UE has up to one RRC connection only.
Description:
1. The UE sends an RRC Connection Request message via the
uplink CCCH to request to establish an RRC connection.
2. Based on the RRC connection request cause and the system
resource state, the SRNC decides to establish the connection
on the dedicated channel, and allocates the RNTI and L1 and
L2 resources.
3. The SRNC sends a Radio Link Setup Request message to
Node B, requesting the Node B to allocate specific radio link
resources required by the RRC connection.
4. After successfully preparing the resources, the Node B
responds to the SRNC with the Radio Link Setup Response
message.
5. The SRNC initiates the establishment of Iub user plane
transport bearer with the ALCAP protocol and completes the
synchronization between the RNC and the Node B.
6. The SRNC sends an RRC Connection Setup message to the
UE in the downlink CCCH.
7. The UE sends an RRC Connection Setup Complete message
to the SRNC in the uplink DCCH.
By now, the RRC connection setup procedure ends.
50
Iu Interface Signaling Connection Establish

UE
RRC
Node B
Initial
DT
Control Plane
CN
RNC
RRC
SCCP
RANAP
Initial UE message (Connect SCCP

Request)
SCCP
Connect Confirm
SCCP
Transport Network
User Plane
SCCP
In Iu interface, radio network layer reports the
MTP3b
SSCF-NNI
RANAP information and NAS information.
SSCOP
NAS information is taken as directed
AAL5
message in RANAP information.

And the process of Iu signaling connection is
to establish the Iu interface connection of

SCCP between RNC and CN.
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Page 51
After the RRC connection between the UE and the UTRAN is successfully
set up, the UE sets up a signaling connection with the CN via the RNC
for NAS information exchange between the UE and the CN, such as
authentication, service request and connection setup. This is also
called the NAS signaling setup procedure.
For the RNC, the signaling exchanged between the UE and the CN is a
direct transfer message. After receiving the first direct transfer
message, that is, the Initial Direct Transfer message, the RNC sets up
a signaling connection with the CN on the SCCP. The procedure is
shown in the above figure:
The specific procedure is given as follows:
1. After the RRC connection is established, the UE sends the
Initial Direct Transfer message to the RNC via the RRC
connection. This message carries the NAS information content
sent to the CN by the UE.
2. After receiving the Initial Direct Transfer message from the UE,
the RNC sends the SCCP Connection Request (CR) message
to the CN via the Iu interface. The message content is the Initial
UE Message sent from the RNC to the CN, and carries the
message content sent from the UE to the CN.
51
3.If the CN is ready to accept the connection request, then it

returns the SCCP Connection Confirm (CC) message to the
RNC. The SCCP connection is successfully set up. The RNC
receives the message and confirms the signaling connection
setup success.
4.If the CN cannot accept the connection request, then it returns
the SCCP Connection Reject (CJ) message to the RNC. The
SCCP connection setup fails. The RNC receives the message
and confirms the signaling connection setup failure. Then it
initiates the RRC release procedure.
After the signaling connection is successfully set up, the message sent by
the UE to the CN is forwarded to the RNC via the Uplink Direct
Transfer message, and the RNC converts it into the Direct Transfer
message to send to the CN. The message sent by the CN to the UE is
forwarded to the RNC via the Direct Transfer message, and the RNC
converts it into the Downlink Direct Transfer to send to the UE.
52
Authentication and Security Flow

UE
RNC
CN
RRC Connection Setup

Initial DT
Initial
UE
Message
Common ID
DL DT (Authentication
Request)
Request)
Request)
Request)
Security Mode Command

RAB Assignment
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Page 53
Authentication is used for the validity of CN and UE.

Security flow includes the encrypt process and integrity protection.
53
Common ID
All rights reserved
Page 54
Imsi cnimsiutran
imsicommon idimsiue
54
RAB Establishment Flow

UE
NodeB
RNC
RANAP
Q.AAL2
Q.AAL2
NBAP
NBAP
Q.AAL2
Q.AAL2
RL Recfg Prep
NBAP
RL Recfg Ready
NBAP
AAL2 Setup Req
Q.AAL2
AAL2 Setup Rep
Q.AAL2
DL Sync
FP
UL Sync
FP
RB Setup
RRC
NBAP
RRC
AAL2 Setup Req

AAL2 Setup Rep
RANAP
Q.AAL2
Q.AAL2
FP
FP
RRC
RL Recfg Commit
RB Setup Complete
NBAP
RRC
RANAP
CN
RAB Ass Req
All rights reserved
RAB Ass Rep
RANAP
Page 55
RAB is the carrier which is provided by AS for NAS.

RAB is the carrier in user plane, which is for transferring the voice service, data service or
multiple media service between UE and CN.
RAB establishment flow mainly includes the AAL2 PATH establishment of Iu and Iub
interface, also includes the reconfiguration process of radio resource.
The RAB refers to the user plane bearer that is used to transfer voice, data and
multimedia services between the UE and the CN. The UE needs to complete the RRC
connection establishment before setting up the RAB.
The RAB setup is initiated by the CN and executed by the UTRAN. The basic procedure
is as follows:
1. First the CN sends the RAB assignment request message to the UTRAN,
requesting the UTRAN to establish the RAB.
2. The SRNC in the UTRAN initiates the establishment of the data transport
bearer between the Iu interface and the Iub interface (Iur interface).
3. The SRNC sends the RB setup request to the UE.
4. After completing the RB establishment, the UE responds to the SRNC with
the RB setup complete message.
5. The SRNC responds to the CN with the RAB assignment response message
and the RAB setup procedure ends.
When the RAB is successfully established, a basic call is set up and the UE enters the
conversation process.
55
NAS Signaling (CS)

UE
MSC
UE
RRC and NAS signaling Connection Setup

CM Service Request
MSC
Paging
RRC and NAS signaling Connection Setup
Authentication Request
Paging Response
Authentication Response
Authentication Request
Authentication Response

Setup

Setup
Call Proceeding
Call Confirmed
RAB Assignment
RAB Assignment
Alerting
Connect
Alerting
Connect ACK
Connect
Disconnect
Connect ACK
Release
Disconnect
Release Complete
Release
Release Complete
UE Outgoing Call
UE Terminating Call
All rights reserved
Page 56
Authentication and security flow are optional.

CN does not need to the CM Service Response if the security mode is
used.
56
NAS Signaling (PS)

SGSN
RRC connection and NAS signaling
connection establishment
SGSN
RRC connection and NAS signaling

connection establishment
Security Mode
Security Mode
RAB establishment
RAB establishment
All rights reserved
Page 57
Authentication and security flow are optional.

CN does not need to the CM Service Response if the security mode is used.
57
UE to UE (1)
All rights reserved
Page 58
58
UE to UE (2)
All rights reserved
Page 59
59
UE to UE (4)
All rights reserved
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60
UE to UE (5)
All rights reserved
Page 61
61
UE to UE (6)
All rights reserved
Page 62
62
UE to UE (7)
All rights reserved
Page 63
63
UE to UE (8)
All rights reserved
Page 64
64
Activate PDP Context from UE
All rights reserved
Page 65
65
Activate PDP Context from UE
All rights reserved
Page 66
66
Activate PDP Context from Network
All rights reserved
Page 67
67
Activate PDP Context from Network
All rights reserved
Page 68
68

Section 3 Paging
Section 5 Handover
All rights reserved
Page 69
69
Concepts about Soft Handover
Soft handover: the signals from different NodeBs are merged
in RNC.
Softer handover: the signals from different cells, but from the
same NodeB are merged in NodeB.
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Page 70
Soft handover:
Selection combination in uplink
Maximum combination in downlink
Softer handover
Maximum combination in uplink and downlink
70
Soft Handover Flow

Core Network
RNC
Node B
AirBridge
AirBridge
AirBridge
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Page 71
It is no handover in this slide, only one radio links is connected with UE.
71
Soft Handover Flow

Core Network
RNC
Node B
AirBridge
AirBridge
AirBridge
Merged in NodeB
All rights reserved
Page 72
It is softer handover. During the handover, the cells in active set are
belong to one NodeB. The NodeB uses the RAKE receiver to combine the
data, and the UE also combines the data in RAKE receiver.
72
Soft Handover Flow

Core Network
RNC
Node B
AirBridge
AirBridge
AirBridge
Merged in RNC
All rights reserved
Page 73
It is soft handover. During the handover, the cells in active set are belong
to one RNC, but different NodeBs. So the UE can combine the data in
RAKE receiver. But in uplink, the data are combined with selection
combination in RNC.
73
Soft Handover Flow (SRNC-DRNC)

Core Network
Serving RNC
Drift RNC
Node B
AirBridge
AirBridge
AirBridge
Merged in SRNC
All rights reserved
Page 74
It is soft handover. During the handover, the cells in active set are belong
to different RNCs. So the UE can combine the data in RAKE receiver. But
in uplink, the data are combined with selection combination in SRNC.
74
Soft Handover Flow (SRNC Relocation)

Core Network
RNC
Serving RNC
Node B
AirBridge
AirBridge
AirBridge
All rights reserved
Page 75
It is no handover. The SRNC has changed.
75
Soft Handover FlowIntra-RNC
NodeB
CN
CN
CN
SRNC
SRNC
SRNC
NodeB
Before Handover
NodeB
NodeB
NodeB
During Handover
All rights reserved
NodeB
After Handover
Page 76
During the soft handover, two radio links are connected with UE, and data
in each RL are same.
76
Soft Handover Flow Add Branch in RNC

Node B(new)
UE
SRNC
Decision to setup
new RL
NBAP
1. Radio Link Setup Request
NBAP
Start RX description
NBAP
2. Radio Link Setup Response
NBAP
3 ALCAP Iub Data Transport Bearer Setup

DCH-FP
4. Downlink Synchronisation
DCH-FP
DCH-FP
5.Uplink Synchronisation
DCH-FP
Start RX description
RRC
RRC
6.DCCH: Active Set Update

7.
RRC
DCCH : Active Set Update Complete
All rights reserved
RRC
Page 77
In the WCDMA system, since the intra-frequency exists among

neighboring cells, the UE can communicate with the network via multiple
radio links, and can select one with good signal quality by comparison
when these radio links are merged, thus optimizing the communication
quality. The soft handover can be conducted only in the FDD mode. The
soft handover falls into the following cases according to the locations of
the cells. The first case is the soft handover among difference cells of the
Node B. In this case, the radio links can be merged within the Node B or
the SRNC. If they are merged within the Node B, it is called softer
handover. The second case is the soft handover among different Node Bs
within the same RNC and among different RNCs.
An important issue during the soft handover is the merge of multiple radio
links. In the WCDMA system, the MACRO DIVERSITY technology is
adopted for the merge of the radio links, that is, the system compares the
data from different radio links based on certain standards (such as BER),
and selects the data with better quality to send to the upper layer.
The following are some key concepts about the neighboring cell in the soft
handover:
1. Active set: The set of cells currently used by the UE. The
execution result of the soft handover indicates the increase or
decrease of the cells in the active set.
77
2. monitor set: The set of cells that are not in the active set but
are being observed by the UE based on the neighboring cell
information from the UTRAN. The UE measures the cells in the
observation set. When the measurement results satisfy certain
conditions, the cells may be added to the active set. Therefore,
the observation set sometimes is also called the candidate set.
3. Detected set: The set of cells that have been detected by the
UE but do not belong to the active set or the observation set.
The UTRAN can request the UE to report the measurement
result of the detected set. Since the cells in the detected set are
not listed in the neighboring cell list, this set is also called the
unlisted set.
The soft handover procedure comprises the following steps:
1. Based on the measurement control information from the RNC,
the UE measures the intra-frequency neighboring cells, and
reports the measurement result to the RNC after processing.
2. The RNC compares the reported measurement result with the
set threshold to decide the cells to be added and deleted.
3. If some cells are to be added, the RNC notifies the Node B to
get ready.
4. The RNC notifies the UE to add and/or delete cells via the
active set update message.
5. After the UE successfully update the active set, if the cells are
deleted, the Node B will be notified to release the corresponding
resources.
The original communication is not affected during the soft handover
procedure so that smooth handover from a cell to another can be
successfully completed.
78
Soft Handover Flow Del Branch in RNC

UE
Node B(old)
SRNC
Decision to delete
a RL
RRC
RRC
1.DCCH: Active Set Update

2.
RRC
DCCH : Active Set Update Complete
NBAP
3. Radio Link Deletion Request
RRC
NBAP
Stop RX and Tx
NBAP 4. Radio Link Deletion Response
NBAP
5 ALCAP Iub Transport Bearer release
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Page 79
79
Hard Handover (Intra-RNC)
NodeB
CN
CN
SRNC
SRNC
NodeB
NodeB
NodeB
After Handover
Before Handover
Radio Link can not exist simultaneously

All rights reserved
Page 80
It is hard handover. The UE disconnects the original radio link, then

connects to the target cell. It happens in intra-frequency, inter-frequency
and inter-RAT.
80
Hard Handover (Intra-RNC)

UE
Node B
Source
Node B
Target
SRNC
Decide to
handover
NBAP 1. Radio Link Setup Request NBAP

Start Rx
NBAP 2. Radio Link Setup Response
NBAP
3 ALCAP ub Data Transport Bearer Setup
DCH-FP4. Downlink Synchronisation DCH-FP
DCH-FP
RRC
RRC
5.Uplink SynchronisationDCH-FP
Start Tx
6.DCCH : Physical Channel Reconfiguration
RRC
7. Radio Link Failure Indication

NBAP
8. DCCH : Physical Channel Reconfiguration Complete
NBAP
RRC
NBAP
9. Radio Link Deletion Request

10. Radio Link Deletion Response
NBAP
NBAP
NBAP
11. ALCAP Iub Data Transport Bearer Release
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Description:
1. The SRNC sends the Radio Link Setup Request message to the
Node B where the target cell is, requesting the Node B to
establish a radio link.
2. The Node B where the target cell is sends the Radio Link Setup
Response message to the SRNC, indicating the radio link is
successfully established.
3. The SRNC adopts the ALCAP protocol to set up the Iub
interface transport bearer between the SRNC and the target
Node B, and synchronizes the FP.
4. The SRNC sends the Physical Channel Reconfiguration
message carrying the target cell information to the UE via the
downlink DCCH.
5. After the UE hands over from the source cell to the target cell,
the Node B of the source cell detects the radio link
communication failure and then sends the Radio Link Failure
Indication message to the SRNC, indicating the radio link failure.
6. After successfully handing over to the target cell, the UE sends
the Physical Channel Reconfiguration Complete message to the
SRNC via the DCCH, notifying the SRNC that the physical
cannel reconfiguration is complete.
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7. The Node B where the source cell is deletes the radio link
resources, and then responds to the SRNC with the Radio Link
Deletion Response message.
8. The SRNC adopts the ALCAP protocol to release the Iub
interface transport bearer of the SRNC and the Node B where
the source cell is.
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SRNC Relocation
Core Network
Core Network
Iu
DRNS
Iu
SRNS
Iur
SRNS
RNS
Cells
UE
UE
Before SRNS Relocation
After SRNS Relocation
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The RNC relocation refers to that the SRNC of the UE changes from one
RNC to another RNC. It is divided into two cases based on the UE
location at the time of relocation: Static relocation and associated
relocation, or in other words, UE Not Involved and UE Involved.
The precondition for the static relocation is that the UE accesses the
network from one and only one DRNC. Since the relocation procedure
does not require the UEs participation, it is also called the UE Not
Involved relocation. The following is an example of two radio links. After
the relocation, the original DRNC becomes the SRNC, the Iur interface
connection is released, and the Iu interface migrates
Associated relocation refers to that the UE accesses the target RNC from
the SRNC via hard handover, and the Iu interface changes at the same
time. Since the relocation procedure requires the UEs participation, it is
also called the UE Involved relocation.
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Hard Handover with Relocation (CS)
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Associated relocation refers to that the UE accesses the target RNC from
the SRNC via hard handover, and the Iu interface changes at the same
time. Since the relocation procedure requires the UEs participation, it is
also called the UE Involved relocation.
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Inter-System Handover FlowUMTS->GSM
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85
Inter-System Handover Flow (GSM-UMTS)
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Forward Handover
Forward Handover is sponsored by UE, including cell update and
URA update. URA update is only used to make the URA re-selection
for the UE which is in URA_PCH state, and check the RRC
connection.
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Page 87
When UE is in Cell_FACH or Cell_PCH state

1. Cell reselection
2. In service area, the T304 timer is overdue.
When UE is in Cell_PCH or URA_PCH state:
1. UE is going to upload data (from Cell_PCH or URA_PCH to
Cell_FACH)
2. After UE received the paging information from PCCH, UE
sponsored cell update.
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Summary
This chapter mainly explains the
basic signaling flow in UTRAN. This

is very helpful for the CN signaling
flow.
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88
Thank You
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02 Huawei WCDMA UTRAN Interface and Signaling Procedure

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02 Huawei WCDMA UTRAN Interface and Signaling Procedure

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Upon completion of this course, you

will be able to:

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Chapter 1 UTRAN Network Overview

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The Position of UTRAN in WCDMA Network

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Service manager layer

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UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network

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WCDMA network architecture shown in slide above

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UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access network) structure

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The radio interface (Uu) is layered into three protocol layers:

the physical layer (L1)

Establishment, re-establishment, maintenance and release of an RRC connection between

The radio interface (Uu) is layered into three protocol layers:

data transfer (transparent, acknowledged and unacknowledged modes),

mapping between higher layer PDUs and logical channels,

BMC (broadcast/multicast control protocol)

General Protocol Mode for UTRAN Terrestrial Interface

logically independent of each other.

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Protocol structures in UTRAN terrestrial interfaces are designed according

RNL Control Plane Application Protocol

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RANAP is the signalling protocol in Iu that contains all the control

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Protocol Structure for Iu CS

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Protocol Structure for Iu PS

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Chapter 1 UTRAN Network Overview

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SRNC and DRNC are on per connection basis between a UE and

radio resources of a certain cell from the DRNC

can has 0 or multiple DRNCs

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The CRNC owns the radio resources of a cell

admitted by CRNC, is done by the SRNC.

while for common channels it is done by the CRNC

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Then what is CRNC? CRNC is related to a specific NodeB (or Cell)

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