LTE Protocol Stacks

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 Module Contents

Radio Layers
PDCP Layer
RLC Layer
MAC Layer
RRC Layer
Radio Traffic Flow

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eUtran Layers

eNodeB

MME
UE X2

eNodeB

S1_MME

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 RRM layers

RRC Functions RRC PDUs

• UE control and configuration IP packets L3
• Radio Mobility
Radio Bearers
• Measurement confirguration
Control
PDCP Functions
• Security
• Header compression
Control L2
RLC Functions
• ARQ error correction Logical Channels
• In-sequence delivery
Control

MAC Functions
• Transfer between Logical and
Transport Channels
Transport Channels
• Scheduling Control
L1
• RACH procedures
• Uplink timing maintenance
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Channels and eUtran protocols

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 Module Contents

Radio Layers
PDCP
PDCPLayer
Layer
RLC Layer
MAC Layer
RRC Layer
Radio Traffic Flow

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 PDCP Layer 1

PDCP Functions Include: IP packets

Radio Bearers
•Security Function
Integrity protection and verification for Control Plane data
Ciphering for User Plane and Control Plane data

•Header compression Function

Robust Header compression (ROHC) of User Plane data

•Ensuring lossless data transfer during Handover and radio link failure
IN-sequence delivery of upper layer PDUs at re-establishment of lower layers
Duplicate detection of lower layer SDUs at re-establishment of lower layer
Retransmission of missing PDCP PDUs at re-establishment of PDCP

•Timer-based discard
•SDU is discarded when the timer expires

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PDCP Layer 2

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 Module Contents

Radio Layers
PDCP Layer
RLCLayer
RLC Layer
MAC Layer
RRC Layer
Radio Traffic Flow

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RLC Layer 1

RLC Functions Include:

•Transport of Upper Layer PDUs

•Error Correction through ARQ
•Concatenation, Segmentation, and Reassembly of SDUs
•Re-segmentation of RLC PDUs
•In-sequence delivery of upper Layer PDUs
•Duplicate Detection
•Protocol Error Detection
Logical Channels
•Protocol Error Detection and Recovery
•RLC SDU Discard

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 RLC Layer 2

Depending on Bearer type, 3 Modes are defined for Upper layer PDUs (PDCP) data transfer :
Transparent Mode (TM)
No retransmissions
No header
Separate receive and transmit entities
Typically used for common signaling
Unacknowledged Mode (UM)
No retransmissions
Separate receive and transmit entities
Typically used for time sensitive services
Acknowledged Mode (AM)
Reliable service
Bidirectional entity

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RLC Layer 3

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RLC interaction with MAC

MAC Layer informs the RLC layer of:

•Transmission opportunities (size/number of PDUs)
•HARQ Transmission failure
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 Module Contents

Radio Layers
PDCP Layer
RLC Layer
MACLayer
MAC Layer
RRC Layer
Radio Traffic Flow

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MAC Layer

MAC Functions Include:

•Data Transfer and Mapping between Logical channels and Transport channels
Multiplexing of logical channels to Transport Blocks
Demultiplexing of Transport Blocks Logical channels

•Scheduling
Assignment of Uplink and Downlink Resources
HARQ
Transport Format selection
Priority handling between Ues and/or logical channels Logical Channels

•RACH Procedures
Transport Channels
•Maintenance of Uplink Timing

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MAC Layer 2

Control Elements for MAC operations and reporting can be piggybacked on

data payloads on the DL-SCH and UL-SCH.
Six Control Elements are defined :
• 3 for downlink
Timing Alignment (8 bits)
DRX Command (8 bits)
UE Contention resolution Identity (48 bits)
• 3 for Uplink
UE Buffer Status Reports (8 or 24 bits)
UE Power Headroom (8 bits)
C-RNTI (16 bits)
Within the MAC header, each Control Element has a 1 byte sub-header
The Logical Channel ID (LCID) field identifies the type of MAC Control Element

R R E LCID
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MAC Layer 3

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MAC Layer 4

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Traffic flow

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 Module Contents

Radio Layers
PDCP Layer
RLC Layer
MAC Layer
RRCLayer
RRC Layer
Radio Traffic Flow

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 RRC layer 1

RRC Functions Include:

•Transmission of broadcast information
System Information (MIB,SIB) RRC PDUs
Cell (re)selection control IP packets
Broadcast and multicast seervices Radio Bearers

Control
•Establish and maintain services in-between UE
and EPC
Paging
Radio connection (Establishment/Release/Modification) Control
Handover control
Measurement control Logical Channels
Security control (integrity protection and ciphering)
Control
Radio configuration control (ARQ, HARQ, and DRX)

•QoS Control Transport Channels

Semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) Control

Allocation of preority and a prioritized bit rate for each RB

•Transfer dedicated control information to the Ues

NAS Signaling 21
RLC Layer 2

Discontinuous Reception (DRX)

•Reduce power consumption during periods of reduced activity

•UE and the Network negotiate the DRX phase
•DRX cycles can vary from a few milliseconds to a few seconds.
•DRX can be used when the UE is in idle mode or connected mode
In idle state (RRC Idle), the DRX is defined by NAS (MME)
In connected sate (RRC_Connected), the DRX is defined by the serving eNB
•Two DRX cycles: Short and Long
UE starts with Short DRX cycle and transitions to long DRX cycle after the expiration 22
 RLC Layer 3

Basic DRX Activation via Inactivity Timer

Additional timers delay DRX activation when HARQ retransmissions are possible
•DRX retransmission timer starts on expiration of HARQ RTT timer if UE soft buffer has
undecided data
•DRX activated when DRX retransmission timer expires
UE will not enter DRX if
•Uplink grant for HARQ retransmission is expected
•RACH process is in progress

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LTE and HSPA Retransmissions

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L2 Retransmission in LTE

HARQ Characteristics
•N-process Stop-And-Wait HARQ is used
•The HARQ is based on ACK/NACKs
•In the downlink asynchronous retransmissions with adaptive
transmission parameters are supported
•In the uplink HARQ is based on synchronous retransmissions

ARQ characteristics
•The AR retransmits RLC SDUs (IP packets)
•ARQ retransmissions are based on HARQ/ARQ interactions

HARQ/ARQ interactions
•ARQ uses knowledge obtained from the HARQ about transmission/reception
status of a Transport Block

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HSDPA vs LTE 1

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HSDPA vs LTE 2

+ Reduced delay for RLC retransmissions

+ Single sequence number space and reordering scheme
•The MAC layer has no sequence numbers or reordering
+Tighter interaction between HARQ and RLC
•HARQ can indicate failed transmissions to RLC layer
•Transmitter can retransmit without waiting for NACK from the receiver

-Mobility issues
•No central node (RNC) to hold retransmission buffer
•Source and target eNB must coordinate transfer of downlink unacknowledged data
SDUs (PDCP) and acknowledged Uplink data SDUs
•No RLC context transfer, RLC is reset.

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 Module Contents

Radio Layers
PDCP Layer
RLC Layer
MAC Layer
RRC Layer
RadioTraffic
Radio TrafficFlow
Flow

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Protocols Configuration Example - Downlink

E-mail FTP

NAS
UDP TCP
RRC IP IP
SRB1 SRB2 DRB1 DRB2
PDCP Integrity&ciphering Ciphering&ROHC

RLC AM AM AM AM
Logical Channels DCCH1 DCCH2 DTCH1 DTCH2
MAC

Transport Channels DL-SCH

Physical Layer

Physical Channels PDSCH

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Data Flow Example

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