LTE/EPC Overview

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Brief mobile communication history

Wireless cellular communication is one of the major

evolutions provided to the telecommunication world,
experiencing an exponential growth in transmission rate
from the early 1990s.
2 remarkable Network systems:
─2G mobile cellular system (GSM), which count 2
billions of subscribers on 2006 all over the world.
─Wire/ wireless data connectivity system ( xDSL.
WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g standards)
Convergence of GSM popularity with higher data rate
of WLAN lead to 3G networks as promote successor in
mobile communication.

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Fixe Broadband vs Mobile Broadband

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Main 3G Drawbacks

 Maximum data bitrate far behin current stat of art

system like 802.11 a/b (WIFI) and xDSL

 The latency of user plane traffic (UMTS: >30 ms)

and of resource assignment procedures (UMTS:
>100 ms) is too big to handle traffic with high bit
rate variance efficiently.

 The terminal complexity for WCDMA or MC-

CDMA systems is quite high

Way to LTE ( Long Term Evolution)

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What is LTE ?

LTE : Long Term Evolution

Considered as the 1st step 3GPP Next generation
mobile broadband technology
Promises higher data transfer rate even with higher
mobility users
Compete with Wimax 802.16, the IEEE system
Totally new network architecture optimized for All-IP
traffic
Commercialization started since 2010

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LTE Advantages

High network throughput

Low latency
Faster data DL/UP
Plug & Play architecture
Response for applications
Low Operating Costs

All-IP network End-user experience

Higher Spectral Efficacity

for Network Operator for End-user

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LTE Advantages:
High network throughput

2G-4G data rate throughput

evolution

LTE 4G
3G 1 Gbps
2.5 G 14 Mbps 150 Mbps
500 kbps
2G
14.4 kbps

•2.5 speed based on max offered by EDGE

•3G speed based on max offered by HSDP

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LTE Advantages:
Low Operating Costs

Traffic
Traffic volume

Revenue

$/bit
Profitability
Network
cost

Time
Voice Data
dominated dominated

Flat Architecture with less network nodes

Source: Light Reading (adapted)

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LTE Advantages:
All-IP network

• Flatter All-IP network with fewer Network element.

• Increased interoperability between equipment from
different vendors.
• Flexibility to handle voice, data and future traffic
requirements.
• Open interfaces offer an easier path for development, and
support.

All-IP
Network
SP

Handset

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LTE Advantages:
Heterogeneous networks

• Heterogeneous networks are comprised of Macro, Pico and Femto

cells.
• Having lots of cells provides more opportunities for the user to
connect to a cell with low path loss.
• More sophisticated interface management and cancelation
techniques also increase capacity and data rates

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History and Future of Wireless

1990 2000 2005 2010

time
3GPP
HSPA LTE
HIGH WCDMA/cdma2000 Family
GSM/IS95 3G 3G Enhacements 3G Evolution
AMPS 2G
1G
mobility

WiMAX Family

802.16a/d 802.16e

WLAN Family
LOW 802.11 802.11a/b/g 802.11n
data rates

< 200 kbps < 1 Mbps < 10 Mbps < 50 Mbps < 100 Mbps < 1 Gbps

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LTE: Roadmap into 4G

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LTE Motivations

Other
Wireline Wireless data
Flat rate pricing technologies
evolution pushes usage requires
pushes efficiency push wireless
Data rates more capacity
capacities

LTE Targets

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HSPA+ and LTE
LTE
Optimized mobile OFDMA solution for new and wider spectrum
Higher peak data rates through wider bandwidth
Boosts data capacity in dense urban deployment
Interoperates seamlessly with 3G through multimode devices

HSPA+
 HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) is a UMTS enhancement, commercially available at the
end of 2007.
HSPA+ allow the system to quickly react to data bursts.
Ensure fast adaptation to a change in radio transmission characteristics.

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LTE architecture vs 3G Architecture

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LTE Timeline

Release
Release 8 Release 9
First LTE relese
December 2009
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December 2008 (LTE Advanced)
<2010

• OFDMA Air Interface • Multi-layer beam forming • Meet 4 G requirements

• MIMO • Vocoder rate adaptation • Peak data rate: DL 1Gbps
• Scarable Bandwith • Improved SON • Increased transmission
• All IP network bandwitdth 70 to 100 MHz
• Asymmetric DL/UL bandwidth
• Relay nodes
• Inter-eNodeB MIMO

2009 2010 2010+

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LTE Release 8 Goals (1/6)

Peak data rate 58 ~ 178Mbps

Max. peak data rate

350
300
Downlink
250 Uplink
Mbps

200
150
100
50
0
HSPA R6 Evolved HSPA LTE 2x20 MHz LTE 2x20 MHz
(Rel. 7/8, 2x2 (2x2 MIMO) (4x4 MIMO)
MIMO)

Enhanced consumer experience:

- drives subscriber uptake
- allow for new applications
- provide additional revenue streams

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LTE Release 8 Goals (2/6)

Latency:
Control Plan >100ms User Plan <20ms

Latency (Rountrip delay)*

GSM/
EDGE

LTE IDLE LTE Active HSPA

(no resources) (w/o resources)
Rel6
HSPAevo
(Rel8)

>100ms LTE
min max

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 ms

* Server near RAN

Enhanced consumer experience:

- drives subscriber uptake
- allow for new applications
- provide additional revenue streams

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LTE Release 8 Goals (3/6)

• Scalable bandwidth of 1.4 – 20 MHz

Urban
2.6 GHz LTE
2.1 GHz UMTS
or
2.6 GHz LTE
2.1 GHz UMTS LTE Easy to introduce on any frequency
band: Frequency Refarming
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 (Cost efficient deployment on lower
frequency bands supported)
Rural
900 MHz GSM UMTS
LTE
or

900 MHz GSM LTE

2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

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 LTE Release 8 Goals (4/6)

• All cases assume 2-antenna terminal reception

• HSPA R7, WiMAX and LTE assume 2-antenna BTS transmission
(2x2 MIMO)

2.0
1.8 Downlink
Uplink
1.6
1.4
bps/Hz/cell

1.2 • OFDMA technology

1.0 increases Spectral
0.8 efficiency
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
HSPA R6 HSPA R6 + HSPA R7 WiMAX LTE R8
UE
equalizer

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LTE Release 8 Goals (5/6)

Flat Architecture: 2 nodes architecture IP based Interfaces:

Flat, IP based architecture

Core
Access User plan Control plan

Internet
Gateway

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LTE Release 8 Goals (6/6)

Coverage
Throughput, spectrum efficiency, and mobility targets should be met
for 5km cells, and with a slight degradation for cells that are 5 ton30
km. Cell range up to 100km should not be precludes.

Advanced TX schemes and multiple-antenna technologies

MIMO to support diversity

Inter-working with existing 3G and non-3GPP systems

Interruption time of real-time or non-real-time service handover
between E-UTRAN and UTRAN/GERAN shall be less than 300 or
500ms.

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3G and LTE comparison

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LTE Release 9 Goals

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LTE Release 10 Goals

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LTE: SON

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A Packet Only Architecture (1/2)

PSTN IP

GMSC GGSN
Core Network

MSC/VLR SGSN
CS domain PS domain

Access Network

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 A Packet Only Architecture (2/2)

PSTN IP

PSTN PSTN IP PSTN

IMS IMS

CS CS PS CS PS Packet Core

Access Access Access Access

2G initial 2G packet 3G IMS EPS
Architecture Evolution evolution architecture
(GSM) (GPRS/EDGE)
(1991) (2000) (2004) (2008)

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3GPP PS architecture evolution

3GPP architecture evolution towards flat architecture

HSPA Direct tunnel I-HSPA LTE

HSPA R6 HSPA R7 HSPA R7 LTE R8

GGSN GGSN GGSN SAE GW

SGSN SGSN SGSN MME/SGSN

RNC RNC

Node B Evolved
Node B Node B +
(NB) Node B
(NB) RNC (eNB)
Functionality

Control Plan
User Plan
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LTE/SAE Key Features

EPS(Evolved Packet System)

EUTRAN/LTE EPC/SAE

IP
Public/Private

Evolved Node B / PS Domain only,

OFDMA/SC-FDMA No CS Domain
No RNC
MIMO ( beam-forming/ IP Transport Layer IP Transport Layer
spatial multiplexing)
UL/DL resource QoS Aware
HARQ scheduling 3GPP (GTP) or
Scalable bandwidth QoS Aware IETF (MIPv6)
(1.4, 3, 5, 10, .. 20 MHz) Prepared for
Self Configuration Non-3GPP Access

EUTRAN/LTE: Evolved UTRAN/ Long Term Evolution

EPC/SAE: Evolved Packet Core/ System Architecture Evolution

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LTE/SAE Key Features- Air Interface

Uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

(OFDM) for downlink

Uses Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple

Access (SC-FDMA) for uplink

Reduced power consumption

Higher RF power amplifier efficiency (Less battery
power used by handsets)

Support MIMO technology as an option

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LTE/SAE Key Features – EUTRAN 1/2

Evolved NodeB
• No RNC is provided anymore
• The evolved Node Bs take over all radio management functionality.
• This will make radio management faster and hopefully the network
architecture simpler

IP transport layer
• EUTRAN exclusively uses IP as transport layer

UL/DL resource scheduling

• In UMTS physical resources are either shared or dedicated
• Evolved Node B handles all physical resource via a scheduler and
assigns them dynamically to users and channels This provides greater
flexibility than the older system

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LTE/SAE Key Features – EUTRAN 2/2

QoS awareness
•The scheduler must handle and distinguish different quality of service
classes
•Otherwise real time services would not be possible via EUTRAN
•The system provides the possibility for differentiated service

Self configuration
•Currently under investigation
•Possibility to let Evolved Node Bs configure themselves
•It will not completely substitute the manual configuration and
optimization.

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LTE/SAE Key Features – EPC

Packet Switched Domain only

•No circuit switched domain is provided
•If CS applications are required, they must be implemented via IP
•Only one mobility management for the UE in LTE.

3GPP (GTP) or IETF (MIPv6) option

•The EPC can be based either on 3GPP GTP protocols (similar to PS
domain in UMTS/GPRS) or on IETF Mobile IPv6 (MIPv6)

Non-3GPP access
•The EPC will be prepared also to be used by non-3GPP access
networks (e.g. LAN, WLAN, WiMAX, etc.)
•This will provide true convergence of different packet radio access
system

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Standardization around LTE

Is a collaboration agreement that was established in

December 1998. The collaboration agreement brings
together a number of telecommunications standards
bodies :ARIB, CCSA, ETSI, ATIS, TTA, and TTC.
More in www.3gpp.org

• Next Generation Mobile Networks. Is a group of

mobile operators, to provide a coherent vision for
technology evolution beyond 3G for the competitive
delivery of broadband wireless services.
• More in www.ngmn.org

LTE/SAE Trial Initiative. Is was founded in may 2007

by a group of leading telecommunications companies.
LSTI Its aim is to prove the potential and benefits that the
LTE technology can offer.

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