Voice over LTE

Network Research Department

China Mobile Research Institute
Content

1 Alternatives of LTE voice solution

2 Voice over LTE solution

3 SRVCC enhancement

4 Industry status on Voice of LTE

2
Different strategies for LTE voice service provision

• Voice service can be provided both by CS network or LTE network

• No impact to legacy CS network if voice service remains in CS
• LTE system is an all-IP network without CS domain
• VoIP service can be provided on LTE system with IMS based voice call control
functionality

Strategy 1: Voice over CS

CS coverage • Voice service keeps in legacy
CS network
RAN/GERAN

• LTE system provides only high

CS speed data service
Voice continuity

Strategy 2 : Voice over LTE

MME IMS
eNodeB
• LTE system provides VoIP service
SAE and high speed data service
simultaneously
• IMS is used for voice call control
LTE covertage • Voice should be provided in CS
network when out of LTE
3
coverage
Alternatives of LTE voice solution

VoIMS+SRVCC: Providing IMS-based 3GPP

Voice over LTE voice over LTE, and supporting PS/CS
Standard Solution
interworking between LTE and 2/3G

Multi-mode
Single-standby CS Fallback (LTE First)：If voice
is needed, reselecting from LTE to 2/3G
to provide.
3GPP
Voice over CS Standard Solution
CS Fallback (2/3G First)：First
select 2/3G, if data service is needed,
reselecting from 2/3G to LTE based on
some condition

Multi-mode
Multi-mode Dual-standby
Single-USIM Terminal Network
Dual-standby Voice over CS The UE access 2G/3G and LTE Independent
Single-USIM simultaneously, voice over 2G or 3G,
data service over LTE or 2G/3G
Solution

4
Content

1 Alternatives of LTE voice solution

2 Voice over LTE solution

3 SRVCC enhancement

4 Industry status on Voice of LTE

5
General Principle of Voice over LTE
Legacy After LTE and IMS are introduced

Internet IMS IMS based

network call control

CS PS Internet
network nework CS
network PS
Voice & nework Data service
multimedia
Voice & SMS Data service 2G/3G services
services 2G/3G
LTE •EPC provides
beaers for IP
services
LTE terminal
2G/3G terminal
LTE terminal

•VoIP service and high speed data service are

•Legacy networks provide different
services via CS and PS domains
•CS domain provides voice and SMS
services
•PS domain provides data service
simultaneously offered over LTE
•Due to lack of call control function, EPC network needs
IMS network for call control and service provision
•IMS network provides voice continuity from LTE to CS by
anchoring voice call
•LTE terminal uses the same MSISDN in LTE and CS 6
networks
VoIMS+SRVCC: Target Solution for Voice over LTE

SRVCC: VoLTE Target Solution

• The consensus has been reached by the industry that the target solution for VoLTE should be based on IMS.
• SRVCC provides the voice continuity from LTE coverage to 2/3G CS, necessarily ensuring the pleasant
experience for VoLTE users at early stage of commercial deployment.

SRVCC Principle SRVCC Enhancements

• VoLTE UE under LTE coverage initiates voice • The first version of SRVCC solution has been
sessions via IMS network, which will anchor the specified in 3GPP Release 8, but the handover
session and provide SIP-based session control performance of this version need to be enhanced.
and applications. • The Work Item of SRVCC enhancement was
• When the UE moves from LTE to 2/3G CS created and completed in 3GPP Release 10,
coverage with the ongoing IMS session, IMS aiming at the comparable handover performance
switches the session to the CS domain, keeping with legacy CS network.
both parties of the session unaware of the
handover. RAN/GE
RAN
CS MGW SCC AS SGW/PGW
MSC Server IMS
LTE
MGC
SR-IWF F SCC
MME AS
Voice continuity

SV CSCF PCRF
ATCF
HSS P-CSCF I/S- IMS
eMSC CSCF
SRVCC UE
eNodeB MME 2G/3G ATGW
Internet
SAE-GW
EPC 2G/3G MGW Remote UE
MSC Server

7
Single Radio Voice Call Continuity
SRVCC fundamental
• Within LTE coverage voice call is initiated from
LTE/EPC via IMS, which controls and anchors
the voice call
• When the UE leaves the coverage of LTE, IMS
RAN/GE
RAN will transfer the ongoing call to CS network
SCC AS
MGW MSC Server MGCF
IMS
IWF
CS PCRF
CSCF
SRVCC features
Voice continuity

SV
HSS
• SRVCC applies to the scenario that LTE
coverage is not continual
Internet
MME • SRVCC applies to multi-mode single radio UE
SAE-GW
• SRVCC is essentially a handover procedure,
EPC
eNodeB including transport level handover and session
level handover
• Considering the impacts to the networks
introduced, SRVCC is not recommended until
Sv interface between MSC server and MME LTE becomes middle level coverage
is defined to handle SRVCC procedure • SRVCC requires deployment of IMS network
• Currently SRVCC only supports voice continuity
from LTE to CS
8
SR-VCC general procedure

Target
UE E-UTRAN MME MSC Server 3GPP IMS
UTRAN/GERAN

Measurement
Reports

Handover to UTRAN/GERAN
required

Initiates SRVCC for voice component

CS handover preparation
Handles PS-PS HO for
non-voice if needed IMS Service Continuity Procedure

To eUTRAN
Coordinates SRVCC CS HO response to MME
Handover CMD and PS HO response

Handover
execution

1. EUTRAN indicates MME of SRVCC handover after measurement;

2. MME initiates SRVCC procedure via Sv interface to MSC server;
3. MME also handles PS handover procedure for non-voice sessions
4. MSC Server reserves bearers in CS network, then initiates IMS session transfer procedure;
5. After successful bearer reservation, MSC Server indicates MME, who will then notify UE to reselect to
UTRAN/GERAN;
9
6. UE continues the ongoing call when successfully reselecting to UTRAN/GERAN
Content

1 Alternatives of LTE voice solution

2 Voice over LTE solution

3 SRVCC enhancement

4 Industry status on Voice of LTE

10
 The problem of handover performance in existing
SRVCC solution
Since SRVCC is an IMS based inter-RAT handover procedure from LTE to the 2G/3G CS, it is much more
complex than that of the legacy 2G/3G networks, the question is how to keep the comparable handover
performance?
SCC AS 1. SRVCC UE initiates voice call to another IMS UE via LTE.
signal
2. The call is successfully established, with voice media
media between UEs
Remote IMS UE IMS 3. SRVCC happens when SRVCC UE leaves LTE coverage.
CSCF
interrupt time SAE network informs SRVCC MSC to prepare for
HSS
T2 MGCF handover. MSC completes the resource reservation
4. The UE is informed to switch to 2G/3G. The voice is
MSCS
SRVCC eMSC
interrupted during the switching procedure, for about
SAE-PGW
MME 200ms in T1
CS Sv
5. SRVCC MSC informs the remote UE to receive voice
MGW EPC
media from SRVCC MSC, not SRVCC UE
MGW
6. The remote UE switch media connection to SRVCC MSC
7. voice media will be interrupted again during the media
2G/TD LTE
switching procedure above, for about 800ms(if remote UE
is roaming, the interruption could be longer)
interrupt time
T1 The whole interruption time ＝ 800ms
SRVCC UE
SRVCC UE The longest voice interrupt could be more than1s

• SRVCC performance issues

• Session transfer and remote UE update may need a long time
• No sync between session transfer and RAT retuning procedures 11
• The performance issues have notable negative impact on user experience
 SRVCC optimization alternatives
SRVCC optimization target：voice interruption less than 300ms in roaming and the non-roaming; no
impact to UE; the impact to the network is minimized.
User plane before SRVCC
User plane during SRVCC
User plane after SRVCC
LTE Wireless
SGW/PG
SCC • The media is anchored in visited network during call setup
access network MME AS
W • The anchor point redirects media flow to CS when SRVCC
Pros
UE
2G/3G •good performance
UE
核心网 IMS Cons
2G/3G Wireless MSC Server IWF •Impacts to visited network, requiring visited network
access network
support

User plane before SRVCC

User plane after SRVCC
LTE Wireless SCC
• The media is anchored in home network during call setup
SGW/PGW
access network MME AS • The anchor point bi-cast media flow to LTE and CS during
MR SRVCC
UE
2G/3G
FP
UE
Pros
IMS
核心网
•Little impact on network, easy to deploy
2G/3G Wireless MSC Server IWF Cons
access network
•Local breakout is impossible
•All session need to be anchored back to home network
User plane before SRVCC
User plane after SRVCC • Synchronize IMS session transfer procedure with RAT
LTE Wireless SCC retuning procedure to overlap the interruptions
SGW/PGW
MME AS
access network Pros
•Little impact on network, easy to deploy
IMS
UE
2G/3G Cons
UE
核心网 •Difficult to accurate synchronization
2G/3G Wireless 12better
•Performance not optimized, the best result is no
access network MSC Server IWF
than the longer one in the two interruptions
 eSRVCC standardizations

• In order to enhance the handover performance of SRVCC, a WI named eSRVCC (SRVCC

enhancement) is established in 3GPP SA2 in Release 10, with China Mobile as the rapporteur
• on July 1, 2010, in the conference call of eSRVCC work group, the solution of eSRVCC to be
standardized was determined out of 12 alternatives
• IMS based solution, i.e. anchoring the media in visited IMS network, is selected
• All 3GPP standardization work has been completed in March, 2011

Sol 12：media anchored in SGW IMS based solution

Serving Leg
Access Leg
Home Leg

Media anchored
SN HN
Remote Remote
MSC After transfer I/S-CSCF,
Sol 10：media anchored in PGW UE After transfer After transfer ATCF Leg End
in visited
Server Before transfer SCC AS
Mw

Sol 4： media anchored in MGW network

Sol 11： media anchored in ALG/TrGW Gm

Before transfer
UE

Sol 8：media surface anchors on

MRFC/MRFP of home network Media anchored
in home EPC based solution
network
Sol 1：synchronization based on UE After transfer CS-MGW

measurement UL voice media

synchronizatio

Durin
DL voice media

g tran
Sol 2：serial handover
n

sfer
Sol 5：ST optimization based on sol 2 Remote
performance not UE Before transfer S/P-GW Before and during transfer
end

Sol 9： synchronization based on packet fulfiled 13

check
eSRVCC solution
•The solution is based on IMS anchoring, which introduces new entities ATCF (Access Transfer Control Function) and ATGW
(Access Transfer Gateway)
•As functional entities, ATCF and ATGW can be collocated with other entities, e.g. P-CSCF, IBCF, or MSC Server
•ATCF, anchor point for SIP signaling, stays in the SIP signaling path during registration and session setup, controling ATGW to
anchor the voice media when required
•when SRVCC happens, ATCF indicates ATGW to redirect the media flow to CS, keeping other part of media path unchanged

EPC network

LTE wireless
access network SGW/PGW
MME SCC AS

Sv ATCF
P-CSCF
I/S- IMS
CSCF
SRVCC UE Remote UE
CS network eMSC ATGW

2G/3G
wireless access
network MSC Server MGW

• Voice media is anchored in visited network, therefore the media redirection is executed locally,
which is much faster, normally less than 100ms
• IMS session transfer and remote update procedures are avoided
• Interruption by RAT change can not be avoided, which is normally 200ms
14
• The total interruption time will be less than 300 ms
Control and user planes during SRVCC handover
Both the control plane and user plane are anchored in the network which the SRVCC UE
is attached, the handover is executed locally
Access Leg
Serving Leg Home Leg
SN HN
Remote Remote
MSC After transfer I/S-CSCF,
UE After transfer After transfer ATCF Leg End
Server Before transfer SCC AS
Mw
The change on control
plane during SRVCC
handover
Before transfer P-CSCF
UE
Gm

SN
UE After transfer CS-MGW

Af
ter
tr ans
The change on control
f er
plane during SRVCC
handover
Remote
UE Before transfer Serving GW Before transfer PDN GW Before transfer ATGW Remote leg
end

Media Path of Serving Leg Media Path of Remote Leg

15
Content

1 Alternatives of LTE voice solution

2 Voice over LTE solution

3 SRVCC enhancement

4 Industry status on Voice of LTE

16
VoLTE standardization status

•SRVCC •rSRVCC
•LTE supporting mid-
introduced •SRVCC •vSRVCC
•IMS call
•SRVCC enhancement •VoLTE roaming
introduced •VoLTE
defined architecture
emergency call

R5-R7 Rel-8 Rel-9 Rel-10 Rel-11

(ongoing)

VoLTE basic VoLTE futher

VoLTE international roaming & interworking
requirements requirements

•Requirements for •IR.88 defines •IR.64 IMS

•IR.92 defines •IR.65 defines Service
VoLTE roaming principles for LTE roaming
VoLTE profile architecture architecture for Centralization
IMS roaming & and Continuity
•VoLTE roaming interworking VoLTE
architecture Guidelines

17
VoLTE roadmap of the industry

11Q1 11Q2 11Q3 11Q4 12Q1 12Q2 12Q3 12Q4 13Q1 13Q2 13Q3 13Q4 14Q1

Operator 1 Operator 2 Operator 4

VoLTE Roadmap
of operators
Operator 3

Vendor 1 Vendor 3 Vendor 5

eSRVCC roadmap
of nw vendors
Vendor 4
Vendor 2

Chip vendor 2
SRVCC roadmap
of chip vendor
Chip vendor 1

18
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