Interworking

(1/3)

Why Interworking?

In order to overcome coverage shortage, the LTE network provided seamless service to users by
Interworking with the 3G network.

Interworking between the 3G network and the LTE network was developed by the Core
Network-level interworking solution, in which a 3G Core Network entity, SGSN (Serving GPRS
Support Node), directly interfaces with LTE Core Network Entities, MME (Mobility Management
Entity) and S-GW (Serving Gateway).
Interworking
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Why Interworking?

If 5G cells are not deployed with full coverage, a seamless service can be provided to users by
interworking with the existing LTE network, which is already deployed with full coverage. When
the network evolved from 3G to LTE, LTE cells were deployed by partial coverage when LTE was
first commercialized.
Interworking
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Interworking requirement(s)

To enable seamless operation of virtualized services across national and international network
domains, standardized APIs are required. Moreover, the management methods must be uniform
across all types of VNFs, services and vendors.

An application programming interface (API) is an interface or communication protocol between

different parts of a computer program intended to simplify the implementation and maintenance
of software.

Network functions virtualization (also network function virtualization or NFV) is a network arc
hitecture concept that uses the technologies of IT virtualization to virtualize entire classes of
network node functions into building blocks that may connect, or chain together, to create comm
unication services.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Interworking Motivation(s)

Motivated by the ever-increasing demand for wireless communication services,

the past decades have witnessed rapid evolution and successful deployment
of wireless networks. It is widely accepted that next-generation wireless
networks will be heterogeneous in nature with multiple wireless access
technologies. While the heterogeneity poses new challenges to achieve
inter-operability among different wireless networks, their complementary
characteristics can be exploited with the interworking to enhance service
provisioning.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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System Modelling

Both cellular access and

WLAN access are available
to dual-mode mobiles within
the WLAN-covered areas, which
are referred to as
double-coverage areas.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Interworking Research Issues

In the literature, many studies address the cellular/WLAN interworking issues

such as vertical handoff, access selection, and call admission control.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Handoff
The handoff between wireless networks of different access technologies is
referred to as vertical handoff, in contrast to horizontal handoff within a
homogeneous wireless network, e.g., between base stations of cellular
networks or access points of WLANs.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Vertical Handoff
Downward vertical handoff
Vertical handoff from a cell to a WLAN

Upward vertical handoff

Vertical handoff from a WLAN to a cell
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Vertical Handoff
Vertical handoff may originate from:
 Quality-of-service (QoS) enhancement
 Load balancing considerations
 Maintaining connectivity.

Hence, not only can vertical handoff proceed when a mobile moves out of the
cell/WLAN border, but also back-and-forth vertical handoff can take place
when a mobile moves within the cell/WLAN.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Vertical Handoff
Handoff decisions can be based on metrics such as
 Received signal strength (RSS)
 Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
 User moving speed
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Vertical Handoff
Advanced vertical handoff decision algorithms, which simultaneously consider
various factors such as
 Network characteristics
 Service type
 User mobility
 Network conditions
 User preference
 Cost
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Control Access Selection & Call Admission Control

The selected target network decides whether to accept or reject the call based
on its admission control policy. If there is no sufficient available bandwidth
to admit the call in the preferred network, the call can overflow to the other
network or just leave the system.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Control Access Selection & Call Admission Control

If enough resources are released from call completion or outgoing handoff in
the preferred network, an overflow call can reselect its preferred network. The
access reselection is referred to as take-back in some literature.
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Control Access Selection & Call Admission Control

Admission control policies in the target networks need to be properly
designed to limit the admissible traffic load and provide QoS assurance. For
example, as handoff dropping is more undesirable than new call blocking,
handoff calls should be prioritized over new calls in the admission control
policy, e.g., by means of
 Reserving guard channels
 Queueing handoff calls
Interworking of Wireless LANs and Cellular Networks
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Control Access Selection & Call Admission Control

The admission control policy of wireless overlay networks needs to
differentiate calls in different areas, since the accessible resources vary with
locations.
Mobile WiMAX and LTE
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Broadband Wireless Technologies

Mobile WiMAX and LTE
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WiMAX
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) refers to IEEE 802.16, a standard
developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) for the global
deployment of broadband Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks. WiMAX is available in two
versions – fixed and mobile.
Mobile WiMAX and LTE
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Fixed WiMAX
Fixed WiMAX, which is based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard, is ideally suited for delivering
wireless, last-mile access for fixed broadband services. It is similar to Digital subscriber line (DSL;
originally digital subscriber loop) or cable modem service.
Mobile WiMAX and LTE
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Mobile WiMAX
Mobile WiMAX, which is based on the IEEE 802.16e standard, supports both fixed and mobile
applications while offering users improved performance, capacity, and mobility.
Mobile WiMAX and LTE
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Mobile WiMAX
The mobile WiMAX supports access to a variety of Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia services via
WiMAX radio access technologies which is called Access Service Network (ASN). The ASN is
owned by a Network Access Provider (NAP) and comprises one or more Base Station (BS) and
one or more ASN gateways (ASN-GW) that form the radio access network.

Access control and traffic routing for Mobile Stations (MSs) in mobile WiMAX are entirely
handled by the Connectivity Service Network (CSN), which is owned by a Network Service
Provider (NSP), and provides IP connectivity and all the IP core network functions. The LTE
network may be owned by either the NAP or any other part in which case the interworking
is enabled and governed by appropriate business and roaming agreement.
Mobile WiMAX and LTE
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Mobile WiMAX-LTE interworking

3GPP and mobile WiMAX accesses are integrated through the Evolved packet
core (EPC). 3GPP access connections are supported by the Serving Gateway
(S-GW), and mobile WiMAX accesses are connected to the Packet Data Network
Gateway (P-GW). Specifically, the legacy serving General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS) - support node (SGSN) - is connected to the S-GW. New logical entities
are also added to the system architecture.

The Access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) is an entity that
facilitates the discovery of the target access. The target access supported by the
ANDSF can be either a 3GPP or mobile WiMAX cell. This entity is introduced by
3GPP in order to minimize the impacts on the use of radio signals. The use of
radio signals for neighbor cell discovery requires the User Equipment (UE) to
utilize multiple antennas, which result in power consumption. Moreover, if the cell
information is not broadcast, the UE is unable to acquire the appropriate target
cell information. Optionally, the ANDSF can provide additional information about
neighbor cells, such as QoS capabilities, which cannot be distributed by radio
signals due to high data demand.
Mobile WiMAX and LTE
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Mobile WiMAX-LTE interworking

The Forward Attachment Function (FAF) is another logical entity added for
seamless integration of mobile WiMAX and 3GPP accesses. The FAF is a BS-level
entity that is located in the target access. It supports the authentication of the UE
before the execution of handover through the IP tunnel. Depending on the type of
target access, the FAF emulates the BS functionalities of various networks. The
FAF performs the functionalities of WiMAX BS when the UE is moving toward a
WiMAX cell, or it may also perform as a 3GPP eNode if the target is 3GPP UTRAN
or Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN).

Although the FAF may have functions of higher level entities, such as WiMAX
ASN-GW, it is proper to consider the FAF as a BS-level logical entity since only the
BS-level entities have the functionalities to directly communicate
with the UE.
.