RRC Layer

RRC LAYER
RRC STATES
RRC CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT
RRC CONNECTION RELEASE
RRC CONNECTION RE-CONFIGURATION
RRC CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHMENT
RRC STATES - IDLE AND CONNECTED
RRC IDLE STATE-In idle state UE will be use only to transmitted and receive the few signaling information no user/data
information will be transmitted and receive.
RRC CONNECTED STATE-In connected state UE can transmitted and receive any signaling information and any user/data
information like DL,UL.
There are few signaling procedure to perform that procedure RRC layer can also move from rrc idle state to rrc connected
state.
• In Idle state UE will use less power and less resource consumption.
• In Connected state UE will use high power and high resource consumption.
• Three mode in Connected states.
1. Active
2. Short DRX
3. Long DRX
• Active state only one RRC states where UE can transmit and receive the packet.
• Idle state can go directly to connected mode after some signaling procedure.
• Connected mode can-not go directly to the Idle state firstly it will go short drx then Long drx then after it will go to the idle
state.
• If Connected mode directly come to the idle state, then it will go under so many procedure to come back in connected
mode.
• Through this procedure we can save power and resource consumption.
• UE will go Idle to Active state that is called RRC CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT.
• UE will go long drx to Idle state that is called RRC CONNECTION RELEASE.
RRC CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT
RRC connection establishment is used to make the transition from RRC Idle mode to RRC Connected mode. UE must make the
transition to RRC Connected mode before transferring any application data or completing any signaling procedures.
the initial Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message is transferred as part of the RRC connection establishment procedure. In the
case of UMTS, the initial NAS message is transferred after the RRC connection establishment procedure. The approach used
by LTE helps to reduce connection establishment delay.
RRC CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT procedure is completed in 3 steps.
• RRC CONNECTION REQUEST
• RRC CONNECTION SETUP
• RRC CONNECTION SETUP COMPLETED
RRC Connection Request
Direction: UE => E-UTRAN
Signaling Radio Bearer: SRB0
RLC Mode: TM
Logical Channel: CCCH
Transport Channel: UL-SCH
Physical Channel: PUSCH
PURPOSE-CREATION SRB1
RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message is used to request the E-UTRAN for the establishment of an RRC connection. It is sent as part of the Random-Access
procedure. It is transferred using SRB0 on the Common Control Channel (CCCH) because neither SRB1 nor a Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH) has been setup at
this point.

UE-Identity (Initial UE-Identity): This IE is included to facilitate contention resolution by lower layers. It can be either S-TMSI (40-bits) or a bit string of random
Value (40-bits). If the upper layers provide S-TMSI, then S-TMSI is used as the ue-Identity; else a random value in the range of 0 … 240-1 is drawn and used as
the ue-Identity. Upper layers provide the S-TMSI if the UE is registered in the TA of the current cell.

Establishment Cause: The main cause values and the corresponding NAS procedure which triggers the RRC connection establishment are presented below:

• emergency: This corresponds to NAS Procedure “MO-CS fallback Emergency call”

• mt-Access: Corresponding NAS procedures are “Service Request” (paging response for PS domain) or “Extended Service Request”(MT-CS fallback)
• mo-Signalling: Corresponding NAS procedures are Attach, Detach, and TAU
• mo-Data: Corresponding NAS Procedures are “Service Request” and “Extended Service Request”
Example1: RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message with ue-Identity as a Random Value.

Example2: RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message with ue-Identity as S-TMSI

RRC Connection Setup
Direction: E-UTRAN => UE
Signaling Radio Bearer: SRB0
RLC Mode: TM
Logical Channel: CCCH
Transport Channel: DL-SCH

The RRC CONNECTION SETUP message is used to establish SRB1. It contains configuration information for SRB1. This allows subsequent signaling
to use the DCCH logical channel. The configuration for SRB1 can be a specific configuration or the default configuration.

The RRC CONNECTION SETUP message will also contain all this information.
• UE Identity.
• SRB1 Configuration.
• DCCH Configuration.
• RLC Configuration.
• Logical Channel Configuration.
• MAC PDU and SDU size information.

UE will apply all this configuration then UE will move into connected mode and the UE will transmit RRC CONNECTION SETUP COPLETE.
RRC Connection Setup Complete
Direction: UE => E-UTRAN
Signaling Radio Bearer: SRB1
RLC Mode: AM
Logical Channel: DCCH
Transport Channel: UL-SCH
The RRC CONNECTION SETUP COMPLETE message is used to confirm the successful completion of an RRC connection establishment. Some of the IEs in
this message are explained below:
Selected PLMN-Identity: This IE points to a PLMN-Id in the plmn-Identity List of SIB1. The IE plmn-Identity List is transmitted in SIB1 when the cell
belong to more than one PLMN. The value of this IE equals to ‘1’ if the 1st PLMN is selected from the plmn-Identity List included in SIB1, ‘2’ if the
2nd PLMN is selected from the plmn-Identity List included in SIB1 and so on.
Dedicated NAS information: This IE includes the initial NAS message from the UE (Attach request ).
Registered MME: This IE is optional and is included when available. This is the identity of the MME with which the UE is (previously) registered with. If
upper layers provide the 'Registered MME', then the IE registered MME is set as follows:
If the PLMN identity of the 'Registered MME' is different from the PLMN selected by the upper layers (selected PLMN-Identity) then include the plmn
Identity in the registered MME and set the mmegi and the mmec to the value received from upper layers.
Example1: RRC CONNECTION SETUP COMPLETE message without registered MME IE.
Example2: RRC CONNECTION SETUP COMPLETE message with registered MME IE included

DEDICATED NAS INFORMATION

RRC Connection Release
Direction: E-UTRAN => UE
Signaling Radio Bearer: SRB1
RLC Mode: AM
Logical Channel: DCCH
Transport Channel: DL-SCH
The RRC CONNECTION RELEASE message is used to command the release of an RRC connection. E-UTRAN initiates the RRC connection
release procedure to a UE in RRC_CONNECTED state.
The RRC CONNECTION RELEASE procedure with redirection information can also be used for CS-fallback to UTRAN.
The RRC CONNECTION RELEASE procedure can also be used for MME load balancing. If an MME feels overloaded, it can simply move the calls to other
MME in the MME pool. The source MME releases the S1 connections of the UE towards the eNodeB asking the UE to perform a “load balancing TAU”.
Then the eNodeB sends RRC CONNECTION RELEASE message to the UE with cause ‘load balancing TAU required'. After receiving this message, the UE
initiates Tracking Area Updating procedure which is redirected to another MME.
The eNodeB may provide a cell reselection priority for each frequency, by means of separate lists for each RAT (including E-UTRA) in the RRC
CONNECTION RELEASE message.
There is no RRC CONNECTION RELEASE COMPLETE message defined in LTE. So, UE leaves RRC_CONNECTED state without transmitting RRC
CONNECTION RELEASE COMPLETE message.
Some of the IEs in RRC CONNECTION RELEASE message
Release Cause: The IE release Cause is used to indicates the reason for releasing the RRC Connection (Ex:- load Balancing TAU required, cs-Fallback High
Priority, or other)
Redirected Carrier Info: The redirected Carrier Info indicates a carrier frequency which is used to redirect the UE to an E-UTRA or an inter-RAT carrier
frequency.
Freq Priority List X: Provides a cell reselection priority for each frequency, by means of separate lists for each RAT (including E-UTRA).
Cell Info List: Used to provide system information of one or more cells on the redirected inter-RAT carrier frequency. The system information can be used if,
upon redirection, the UE selects an inter-RAT cell indicated by the Phys Cell Id and carrier Freq or by the Phys Cell Id (other RATs).
System Information: Container for system information of the GERAN cell. Each OCTET STRING in ‘System Info List GERAN’ contains one complete System
Information.

Example2: RRC CONNECTION RELEASE message with redirection from E-UTRAN to UTRAN.
RRC Connection Reconfiguration
Direction: E-UTRAN => UE
Signaling Radio Bearer: SRB1
RLC Mode: AM
Logical Channel: DCCH
Transport Channel: DL-SCH
RRC CONNECTION RECONFIGURATION message is the command to modify an existing RRC connection.
RRC CONNECTION RECONFIGURATION CAUSE.
• To establish/modify/release Radio Bearers.
• To perform Handover.

· To setup/modify/release Measurements.

· Dedicated NAS Information might also be transferred from eNodeB to UE(Attach accept).
RRC connection re-configuration-SRB1/DCCH/DLSCH/PDSCH
RRC connection re-configuration complete-SRB1/DCCH/ULSCH/PUSCH

RRC CONNECTION RECONFIGURATION message will also carry RACH parameter, BSR, PHR Configuration.
RRC CONNECTION RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE is just acknowledgement message.
Example1: RRC CONNECTION RECONFIGURATION – Dedicated Info NAS .
RRC Connection Re-establishment Request

Direction: UE => E-UTRAN

Signaling Radio Bearer: SRB0
RLC Mode: TM
Logical Channel: CCCH
Transport Channel: UL-SCH
RRC Connection Re-Establishment procedure will be initiated by UE when UE lost their SRB1 Configuration so UE want to re-establishment the RRC
connection but there is one condition if eNB have valid context information then UE will initiate this procedure other wise it will go on RRC
Connection establishment.
The purpose of this procedure is to re-establish the RRC connection, which involves the resumption of SRB1, the re-activation of security and the
configuration of only the P-cell.

RRC Connection Re-establishment Cause

1. If RRC Connection Re-configuration message will be fail.
2. If handover will fail.
3. If U.E will reach to maximum RLC-retransmission.
4. IF security and integrity protection fail.
5. IF Configuration of dedicated radio resource fail.
6. Mobility from EUTRA will fail (IRAT).
Set the re-establishment Cause to the value 'other Failure' if the re-establishment procedure was triggered due other causes than indicated in cases 1
and 2
RRC Connection Re-establishment request-SRB0/CCCH/UL-SCH/PUSCH

Example: RRC CONNECTION REESTABLISHMENT request message

OVERALL RRC LAYER
SRB DRB
PROTOCOL STACK
THANK YOU