Lte UE Protocol Stack Architecture

 In LTE Protocol stack with your mobile you can

transmit two type of information either signaling or
user traffic.
 Then UE needs the protocol which can handle the
signaling and user traffic.

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 LTE Protocol stack is vertically divided into two
planes:-
1.Control Plane
2.User Plane

1. Control Plane:-Handle the signalling information.

2. User Plane:- Handle the user traffic information.

 LTE UE protocol stack is horizontally divided into

three layers:-
1.Layer 3 –(NAS,RRC)
2.Layer 2 –(PDCP, RLC,MAC)
3.Layer 1 –(PHY)
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LTE UE Protocol Stack Architecture

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 C/N Protocol (NAS) & RRC protocol belongs to only control plane which can
handle only signaling information.
 PDCP,RLC,MAC & PHY belongs to both plane (control plane and user plane)
which can handle signaling as well as user traffic information.
 Comparing with low level and high level design of Lte Ue protocol stack , the
protocol RRC , PDCP, RLC , MAC & PHY known as radio protocol.
 Radio protocol is used to access the E-UTRAN which is known as Access
Stratum (AS).
 The entire layers (RRC,PDCP,RLC,MAC & PHY) these layers are radio
protocol which is use to communicate with e-NodeB.
 The radio protocol which access the stratum is called as Access Stratum and
core network is not access the stratum because no C/N protocol in RAN(E-
UTARAN) that’s why the more popular name of the C/N protocol is NAS (Non
Access Stratum).

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 Layer-3 is belonging only with control plane (NAS & RRC) means it can
create only signalling information not any traffic information.

 PDCP is the first layer where IP traffic will be transmitted and receive.

 RRC layer is called “ Master Layer” which control the entire protocol stack
means rrc will communicate with PDCP , rrc will communicate with the NAS
and also communicate with RLC, MAC and Phy etc.

 But RRC layer not communicate directly which communicate via process by
process.
 RRC layer is the master layer which communicate with all other layer to
perform other layer functional . Their parameter value actually decided by the
RRC layer.

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 How the information will be transmitted from higher
layer to lower layer?

 For this there are different types of channel and bearer

concept present in Lte.
 There are three different types of channel is present in Lte-

1.Logical Channel
2.Transport Channel
3.Physical Channel

 Logical channel are exist between RLC and MAC layer.

 Transport channel are exist between MAC and PHY Layer.

 The physical layer transmit all the higher layer information

(Signaling & Traffic) over the air interface in the form of
physical channel and also vice-versa.

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How the information will be transmitted from higher
layer to lower layer?

 For this there are bearer concept in Lte.

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 BEARER CONCEPT
 In Lte the higher layer information is transmitted through radio
bearer over the air interface between mobile and enb.The air
interface is known as Radio.

 The higher layer information between mob and enb is transmitted

through different type of radio bearer.

 In Lte there are total 11 type of radio bearer available.

 This Radio bearer is used to carry the NAS, RRC and PDCP layer
massage, signaling as well as traffic information over the air
interface between mobile to enb.

 Out of these 11 radio bearer first 3 radio bearer is reserved for

signaling that’s why it is called as signaling radio bearer (SRB).

 And rest of the 8 radio bearer are used for user traffic data, so that
bearer is called Data Radio Bearer(DRB).
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SRB AND SRB CONCEPT

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 EPS BEARER
 Radio bearer is used only for transmitting the information between UE to ENB
but EPS Bearer is used end to end session establishment for data
transmission.

 Radio Bearer is a subset of EPS Bearer.

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 Types of EPS Bearer

 There are two types of EPS Bearer:-

1.Default EPS Bearer.
2.Dedicated EPS Bearer.

 When end to end session established ,it is compulsory that first

bearer will be allocated for end to end session that bearer is called
Default EPS Bearer . After that only n/w will allocate Dedicated
Bearer for other services.

 Without Default EPS Bearer ,Dedicated EPS Bearer will never

allocate.

 Once the mobile complete the attach procedure that time only
default eps bearer created and after that if require then additional
bearer will allocated. This additional bearer is called Dedicated
Bearer.

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Which EPS Bearer have a high priority ?

Default EPS Bearer has higher priority.

Each User having one and only one default eps

bearer for each PDN.

There are three type of PDN:-

1.Internet
2.Corporate VPN
3. IMS.
Bearer connection with PDN

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 At a time UE can connect with one PDN or it might be
possible that UE can connect more than one PDN.

 Each PDN has separate IP address while connecting to

same UE.

 If UE has connect 3 PDN then UE have three default EPS

Bearer.

 Default EPS Bearer is capable for transmitting small

amount of data ,suppose UE perform text msg
transmission then default EPS Bearer is capable for
transmitting that text msg ,because it’s a small amount of
data . But after some time UE start downloading some
movies the P/GW decided now QCI for downloading movie
then n/w will allocate the additional bearer this additional
bearer is called dedicated bearer.
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 This dedicated Bearer should link with default EPS Bearer,
because there is multiple default eps bearer for IMS,
Internet and Corporate VPN and they have separate
dedicated bearer for each PDN .

 Which dedicated bearer should map to the which default

eps bearer for that there is a association . This
association
Identify by Link Bearer Id.

 UE may have multiple dedicated bearer depends on their

service request and which type of bearer UE has to
allocate.

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