RADIO RESOURCE CONTROL (RRC)

The RRC Connection is a dedicated connection used for control signaling between WCDMA
RAN and one UE. The establishment is always initiated by the UE, due to some signaling
procedure to be run towards the CN (e.g. Periodic Location Area update), or user action
(e.g. service request) or paging from the CN.
The WCDMA RAN always establishes the RRC Connection on a dedicated channel (DCH). A
RRC connection between the UE and RNC consists of three or four Signaling Radio Bearers
(SRB1, SRB2, SRB3, and SRB4. SRB4 is not established at handover from GSM to UMTS)

SETTING UP THE RRC CONNECTION OVER THE AIR INTERFACE

The steps taken to establish the RRC connection between the UE and Serving Radio
Network Controller (SRNC).

1 After the NAS event in the UE (for example a page or user action) a RRC Connection
Request is sent from the UE to the CN using a physical Random Access Channel
(RACH).
2 Upon reception of this message the following algorithms will take action.
a. The Power Control algorithm in the SRNC sets the initial downlink (DL)
Dedicated Channel (DCH) transmission power.
b. The Iub and Uu Timing scheduling algorithms calculate the channel timing
parameters.
c. The Admission Control algorithm checks if the new Radio Link can be
allowed in the cell.
d. The Code Control algorithms allocate the UL scrambling code and DL
channelization code.

Comment [s1]: RRC Connection Request UE

RNC on DCH

Comment [s2]: RNC: Different Algorithms

1. Power Control (DCH)
2. Timing Scheduling
3. Admission Control.
4. Scrambling & Channelization Code

Setting up the RRC over the Air Interface

3 The SRNC will send a Radio Link Setup Request message to the RBS with the
required resources. The binding identifier and transport layer address for the
AAL2 connection are allocated.
4 The RBS calculates link characteristic parameters from the received UL/DL
Transport Format Combination Set (TFCI)/Transport Format Set (TFS) information.
5 The RBS will return a Radio Link Setup Response to the SRNC.
6 If the response is positive, the transport bearer (AAL2 connection) needed for
signaling is set up over Iub interface and synchronized.
7 Once the transport channel is synchronized the RBS will start to transmit the
downlink (DL) Dedicated Physical Channel (DPCH) and start to receive the
uplink (UL) DPCH. Supervision of the Radio Link Set (RLS) will also start.
8 The SRNC will send a RRC Connection Setup message to request the UE to
change to connected state (Cell_DCH) using the Secondary Common Physical
Channel (S_CCPCH)

Comment [s3]: RNC to RBS: Radio Link Setup

Request.
1.Binding Identifier.
2.AAL2 connection address.

Comment [s4]: RBS to RNC: Radio Setup Link

Response after evolutions of different parameters
settings received from RNC
Comment [s5]: RNC: AAL2 connection setup
over Iub

Comment [s6]: RBS: Transport channel Sync

over UL|DL Dedicated Physical channels.

Comment [s7]: RNC to UE: RRC connection

setup message. State = Connected State (Cell_DCH)

After reception of DL DPCH the UE will start to transmit the UL DPCH. When the RBS
can receive the UL DPCH the Layer 1 (L1) connection is synchronized.
The RBS will indicate this to the SRNC by sending a Radio link restore
indication message.
The UE will send a RRC connection setup complete message which contains the
UE capabilities to the SRNC using the newly established Signaling Radio Bearer
SRB. This information is used by the RAB establishment procedure, UE Security
Handling and by the Channel Switching function.
The RRC connection is now established on the air interface and the UE is now
said to be in SRB CELL_DCH state and will be using an uplink and downlink
Dedicated Physical control (DPCCH) and data (DPDCH) Channel.

Comment [s8]: UE: Start UL DPCH to RBS = L1

connection synchronized
Comment [s9]: RBS to RNC = Radio Link Restore
Message.

Comment [s10]: UE to RNC: RRC Connection

setup COMPLETE Message ovr new SRB + UE
capabilities, THIS INFO FURTHER USED FOR RAB
estb.

SETTING UP THE IU CONTROL PLANE CONNECTION

The second part of a Signaling Connection consists of the Iu control plane connection
between WCDMA RAN and a Core Network (CN) domain. The setup of this connection and
thus the first Signaling Connection, followed by the procedure Report of Common Id where
a permanent NAS UE identity(IMSI) is received by the SRNC from the CN, is shown in
Figure

1 The establishment is initiated by the reception of a RRC message that contains the
NAS message that originally triggered the Signaling Connection setup.
2 Upon reception, the SRNC registers the connection and allocates an identifier for the
Iu control plane connection.

Comment [s11]: UE to RNC: RRC message that

contains NAS message

Comment [s12]: SRNC: Allocate an ID for IU

control plane connection

3 The SRNC uses the Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP) service to set up an Iu
control plane connection to the CN and sends the Radio Access Network Application
Part (RANAP) message to the CN.
a. This RANAP message includes the UE NAS message.
b. Current location information of the UE
c. The Iu control plane connection identifier.

Comment [s13]: RNC to CN: Uses SCCP &

RANAP message to setup Iu control plane
connection.
1.UE NAS message.
2.Current Location of UE.
3.Iu control plane ID.

4 After the SRNC has received a confirmation from CN that the connection has been
setup, both nodes are ready to send and receive data in SCCP-connection oriented
mode
5 If a RANAP DIRECT TRANSFER message was included in the SCCP Connection
Confirm messages, the SRNC forwards the NAS message to the UE. At this stage the
UE has both a RRC Connection to WCDMA RAN and an Iu control plane connection
between WCDMA RAN and CN, thus a Signaling Connection is established and the UE
will now be in CELL_DCH state.
6 Soon after the establishment of the Signaling Connection, the CN sends a RANAP
Common Id messages (if not already included in the SCCP connection confirmation
messages) to inform the SRNC about the permanent NAS UE Identity (i.e. IMSI).

RAB ESTABLISHMENT
The existing Signaling Connection is used to carry the Non Access Stratum (NAS) call setup
message between the CN and UE.
The RAB establishment is done in two parts, the first is the setup of an Iu bearer and
the second is the setup of the Radio Bearer (RB).

Comment [s14]: SRNC: Connection setup

Confirmation from CN.

Comment [s15]: CN to SRNC: RANAP common

id message to inform the SRNC about IMSI.

1 A RAB ASSIGNMENT REQUEST is received from the CN indicating the RAB ID to be

speech. The SRNC determines the new Radio Connection configuration (taking into
account the existing one) and also check the UE capabilities (to check if the new
configuration can be supported by the UE).

2 The SRNC initiates the setup of an AAL2 connection for the Iu bearer.
3 The UE is ordered to setup a new Radio Bearer (RB). In the SRNC the MAC shall be
reconfigured without waiting for the RLC acknowledge. When finished the UE
acknowledges the successful RB setup and the UE will be in CELL_DCH state.

Comment [s16]: CN to SRNC: RAB assignment

request with RAB Id = Speech.
SRNC check Radio Connection configuration & UE
capabilities.
Comment [s17]: SRNC: Setup AAL2 connection
over Iu for user traffic.

Comment [s18]: SRNC to UE: RB setup.

SRNC setup MAC over Iu.
RAB established.