Network Registration

Chin Gang Wu, Application Engineer locate, communicate, accelerate

October 26th, 2016
Confidential
Inter-RAT and Handover: Keywords

• Cellular devices can be stationary or in movement, so it can occur that the device
should change its channel, or cell, or RAT. This “decision”is taken according to
several measures (signal level, interferences, etc.)
• Handover refers to the process of transferring an ongoing call or a data session
from one channel connected to the core network to another channel.
• The handover can be classified as:
• intra-cell handover: where the source and the target cell are the same
• It can be triggered by change in SNR of current channel
• inter-cell handover: where the source and the target cell are different
• Due to movements
• inter-RAT handover: where the source and the target cell belong to different access
technology (i.e. 2G  3G, 2G  4G, 4G  3G, etc.)
• Due to movements or quality fluctuations

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Inter-RAT and Handover: Keywords

Slide 3
Inter-RAT and Handover: Keywords

Inter-RAT Handover

Slide 4
Inter-RAT and Handover: Keywords
• OOC  Out Of Coverage
• Limited service  UE is camped on a cell belonging to a PLMN where it is not
entitled to access PS and/or CS services
• Usually reported by URC +C(x)REG:3 (often forbidden PLMN, service not allowed
on this PLMN, etc.)
• When the reject cause is “NW failure” or no answer from the NW (as in case of a
broken PA), the PLMN is not “forbidden” and the UE remains on the cell/PLMN and
is attempting to update state. Registration will be executed when service access (e.g.
call) has been triggered.
• LAC  the location area is a set of base stations that are grouped together (CS
domain)
• RAC  the routing area is the packet-switched domain equivalent of the location
area
• TAC  the tracking area is the LTE counterpart of the location area and routing
area

Slide 5
AT Commands and URCs – Network Registration Status
• It is strongly suggested to enable (AT+C(x)REG=2 when possible) the following URCs in
order to know the module’s registration status :
• +CREG, it works for all RAT, it monitors the CS status
• +CGREG, it monitors the PS status (RAT=2G or 3G)
• +CEREG, it monitors the EPS network registration status (RAT=4G)
• +CIREG, it monitors the IMS status registration (RAT=4G)

• Using a logic OR between these indicators it is possible to know the registration status
• Example : the module is registered on a 4G network and +CREG:0, +CEREG:5. This
means that the CS registration failed, but the module is registered on its HPLMN with
RAT=4G.
Example URCs:
+CREG: 2,1,"02E7","0E80DD01",7
+CGREG: 4
+CEREG: 1,"02E7","0E80DD04",7

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AT Commands and URCs – Data Connection Status
• It is strongly suggested to monitor the following URCs/command in order to know the
module’s data connection status :
 +CGEV, it could be enabled via +CGEREP, it returns info about the GPRS attach status and
the PDP contexts

Example:
AT+CGEREP=2,1
OK

AT+UPSDA=0,3
OK

+CGEV: ME PDN ACT 8  The MT has activated a primary context on <cid>=8

+UUPSDA: 0,"119.234.15.204“  Action successful

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AT Commands and URCs – Data Connection Status

 +UUPSDD, it signals that an internal context has been deactivated either explicitly by the
network (e.g. due to prolonged idle time) or locally by the module after a failed PS registration
procedure (e.g. due to roaming) or a user required detach (e.g. triggered by AT+COPS=2)

Example:
AT+UPSDA=0,4
OK

+CGEV: ME PDN DEACT 8  The MT has forced a primary context deactivation.

+UUPSDD: 0

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AT Commands and URCs – Data Connection Status
 +CGACT?, +CGDCONT?, it returns the list of the PDP contexts with their assigned IP
(0.0.0.0 means that the context is not active)
Example:
AT+CGACT?
+CGACT: 1,1
+CGACT: 4,1
+CGACT: 8,0

OK

AT+CGDCONT?
+CGDCONT: 1,"IP","internet.mnc001.mcc525.gprs","119.234.4.180",0,0,0,0,0,0
+CGDCONT: 4,"IP","e-ideas.mnc001.mcc525.gprs","10.177.217.224",0,0,0,0,0,0
+CGDCONT: 8,"IP","internet.mnc001.mcc525.gprs","",0,0,0,0,0,0

OK

Slide 9
Good Example of Usage of AT Commands

• Send before any session a concatenated command to enable network related

URCs (please be sure that all commands are supported by product in use)
• An example for TOBY-L210-02S could be:
AT+CMEE=2;+CEREG=3;+CREG=2;+CGREG=2;+CGEREP=2,1

• If IMS is supported add also +CIREG=2

• If you want call related URCs, add +UCALLSTAT=1

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 Checking of Network Registration Status (+CREG, +UREG, +CEREG, +CGREG)
Module 4G 3G 2G
registered on
registered for "SMS only", home
network (applicable only when
TOBY-L210- TOBY-L210- LISA-U200- SARA-G350-
<AcTStatus> indicates
EUTRAN); Being SMS the only
00S 02S 03S 01S
non-EPS service supported by
TOBY-L210-00S, this status is
AT+CREG? AT+CREG? AT+CREG? AT+CREG?
equivalent to 1.
Network +CREG: 0,6 +CREG: 0,1 +CREG: 0,1 +CREG: 0,1
registration OK OK OK OK
status
Extended Packet AT+UREG? AT+UREG? AT+UREG? AT+UREG?
Switched
network +UREG: 0,7 +UREG: 0,7 +UREG: 0,3 +CME ERROR:
registration OK OK OK unknown
status
AT+CEREG? AT+CEREG? AT+CEREG? AT+CEREG?

+CEREG: 0,1 +CEREG: 0,1

EPS Network OK OK +CME ERROR: +CME ERROR:
Registration unknown unknown
Status
AT+CGREG? AT+CGREG? AT+CGREG? AT+CGREG?

GPRS Network +CGREG: 0,4 +CGREG: 0,4 +CGREG: 0,1 +CGREG: 0,1
Registration OK OK OK OK
Status

unknown (e.g. out of GERAN/UTRAN coverage)

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locate, communicate, accelerate

Thank you!