Network

Architecture and
Mapping
Future Potential Use Cases

• Extreme Mobile Broadband that delivers Multi Gigabytes of bandwidth on demand

• Massive machine-type communication that connects billions of sensors and machines
• Critical machine-type communication that allows for the immediate, synchronous eye-hand feedback that enables
remote control over robots

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5G key technology components

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5G Challenges
What are 5G Challenges ?
✓ Frequency Band : C-Band Spectrum availability and clean from interference
✓ 5G Devices : Limited and pricy 5G devices
✓ Transmission Capacity : Fiber GPON or E-Band access upgraded to 10G
✓ Tower Load : Massive MIMO 64T64R with heavy load
✓ Clock Synchronization : GPS available or not in legacy network
✓ Limited Use Cases : Focus on eMBB initial deployment, limited use cases. what else ?

Motorola moto z4 LG V50 ThinQ 5G Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Galaxy Note10+ 5G Samsung Galaxy Fold ZTE Axon 10 Pro Huawei Mate X Huawei Mate 20 X 5G

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Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G OPPO Reno 5G OnePlus 7 Pro 5G Energizer Power Max P8100S Alcatel 7 5G
Mobile Communication Evolution

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5G Starts from 3GPP Release 15

= NR (New Radio)
5G Phase 1
(Release 15)
5G Phase 2
(Release 16)

The 5G air interface, also known as NR (New Radio), is 3GPP’s solution to meet the ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union –
Radiocommunication), and in particular the 5G Working Party, defined minimum requirements for a 5G or IMT (International Mobile
Telecommunications) 2020 network.
3GPP have defined a phased approach to 5G, referred to as 5G Phase 1 and 5G Phase 2. These are defined in 3GPP Release 15 and Release
16 respectively. The early focus for 5G Phase 1 is eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) data services and some URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low
Latency Communications) support. 5G Phase 2 is planning to complete the IMT-2020 requirements with various enhancements, as well as
support for MIoT (Massive Internet of Things).

5G New Radio
Rel-15 Rel-16

Rel-12 Rel-13 Rel-14 Rel-15 Rel-16

Key Performance Comparison Between 4G and 5G
LTE Network Elements
Main references to architecture in 3GPP specs.: TS23.401,TS23.402,TS36.300
Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) Evolved Packet Core (EPC)

HSS
eNB Mobility
Management
Entity Policy & Charging Rule
S6a Function

MME S10
X2 S7 Rx+
PCRF
S11
S1-U S5/S8 SGi
PDN
LTE-Uu Serving PDN
Evolved Node B
Gateway Gateway
LTE-UE (eNB)
SAE
Gateway

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LTE Element Function
❑ E-UTRAN / E-NODE B
➢ Function for radio resource management radio bearer control, radio admission control,
connection mobility control, dynamic allocation of resource to UEs in both uplink and downlink.
➢ Selection of an MME at UE attachment.
➢ Routing of user plane data towards serving gateway.
➢ Measurement & measurement reporting configuration for mobility & scheduling.

❑ MME (Mobility Management Entity) ❑ P-GW (PDN Gateway)

➢ NAS signaling security
➢ AS security control
➢ Idle state mobility handling
➢ EPS (evolved packet system) bearer control
➢ Support paging, Handover, authentication
➢ Per-user based packet filtering: UE IP address
allocation, UL and DL service level charging.
❑ S-GW (Serving Gateway)
➢ Packet routing and forwarding

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LTE Radio Interface & the X2 Interface
LTE-Uu interface
..
(E)-RRC User PDUs User PDUs • Air interface of LTE
PDCP
• Based on OFDMA in DL & SC-FDMA in UL
RLC TS 36.300
• FDD & TDD duplex methods
MAC
LTE-L1 (FDD/TDD-OFDMA/SC-FDMA) eNB • Scalable bandwidth: 1.4MHz - 20 MHz

LTE-Uu
X2 interface
X2-UP
(User Plane)
• Inter eNB interface
X2-CP
(Control Plane) • X2AP: special signaling protocol (Application Part)
User PDUs • Functionalities:
TS 36.423 X2-AP GTP-U
X2 – In inter- eNB HO to facilitate Handover and
SCTP UDP
TS 36.422
TS 36.424 provide data forwarding.
IP IP
– In RRM to provide e.g. load information to
TS 36.421 L1/L2 L1/L2 TS 36.421 neighbouring eNBs to facilitate interference
management.
TS 36.420 – Logical interface: doesn’t need direct site-to-site
connection, i.e. can be routed via CN as well
eNB
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S1-MME & S1-U Interfaces
S1 interface is divided into two parts: S1-MME
(Control Plane)
S1-MME interface NAS Protocols
MME
• Control Plane interface between eNB & MME TS 36.413 S1-AP
SCTP
• S1AP:S1 Application Protocol TS 36.412
IP
• MME & UE will exchange NAS signaling via eNB through L1/L2 TS 36.411
this interface ( i.e. authentication, tracking area updates) S1-U
S1-U interface (User Plane)
User PDUs
• User plane interface between eNB & Serving Gateway. eNB GTP-U Serving
TS 36.414 Gateway
• Pure user data interface (U=User plane) UDP
IP
TS 36.411 L1/L2

TS 36.410

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5G network architecture vocabulary

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5G Network architecture

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5G Network architecture options in 3GPP Release 15
5G System can be deployed as a standalone solution without LTE. This approach is called Option 2 in 3GPP. 5G
can also use non-standalone solution with dual connectivity to LTE. That approach is called Option 3. The very
first 5G networks must use Option 3 because it is available in 3GPP 6 months before Option 2.

Dual connectivity has also other benefits: it allows to combine LTE and 5G data rates together and it allows to
reuse existing Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Option 2 with 5G core network enables new end-to-end services
including low latency. Option 2 allows lower latency and faster setup time than dual connectivity solution where
LTE protocols are used. 3GPP Standards will bring also the option to connect LTE eNodeB to 5G core network
with Options 7 and 4.

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Option 3 Varian

Option 3 is a dual connectivity deployment with E-UTRA as the anchor Radio Access Technology (RAT) and NR as
the secondary RAT in a non-standalone configuration based on the existing EPC.
Both 5G base stations (gNodeB) and LTE base stations (eNodeB) are connected to the EPC. The control plane
goes via LTE. There are 3 possible variants as displayed on the slide. The option 3X seems favored by most
operators for enhanced mobile broadband.
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Data flow in options 3, 3A and 3X
In Option 3a: there is user plane
traffic split at core network: EPC
establishes separate bearers to
LTE and 5G
In Option 3x, the gNodeB is the
data split anchor : The user plane
goes via both eNodeB and gNodeB
with bearer split at gNodeB.
In Option 3, the eNodeB is the data split anchor:
there is a Master Node split: EPC establishes the
bearer to Master LTE eNodeB, then Master LTE
ENodeB splits the bearer for forwarding packets
to LTE radio and/or 5G radio. 16
Terminology and Option
DC (Dual Connectivity)
– A UE in RRC_CONNECTED is configured with Dual Connectivity when
configured with a Master and a Secondary Cell Group
› PCell (Primary Cell)
– The cell, operating on the primary frequency, in which the UE either performs
the initial connection establishment procedure or initiates the connection re-
establishment procedure, or the cell indicated as the primary cell in the
handover procedure
› SCell (Secondary Cell)
– A cell, operating on a secondary frequency, which may be configured once
an RRC connection is established and which may be used to provide
additional radio resources
› MCG (Master Cell Group)
– For a UE not configured with DC, the MCG comprises all serving cells. For a
UE configured with DC, the MCG concerns a subset of the serving cells
comprising of the PCell and zero or more secondary cells
› SCG (Secondary Cell Group)
– For a UE configured with DC, the subset of serving cells not part of the
MCG, i.e. comprising of the PSCell and zero or more other secondary cells
› PSCell (Primary Secondary Cell)
– The SCG cell in which the UE is instructed to perform random access when
performing the SCG change procedure
› SpCell (Special Cell)
– For Dual Connectivity operation the

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