10/12/2015

NAS

TheMobileBroadbandStandard

About3GPP

SpecificationsGroups

Specifications

3GPPCalendar

Technologies

News&Events

NAS

Home

Sitemap

Contact

Search

Author:FrdricFirmin,3GPPMCC
ThisarticlegivesanoverviewoftheNonAccessStratum(NAS)anditsprotocolsEMMandESM.
TheNonAccessStratumisasetofprotocolsintheEvolvedPacketSystem.TheNASisusedtoconveynonradiosignalling
betweentheUserEquipment(UE)andtheMobilityManagementEntity(MME)foranLTE/EUTRANaccess.

3GPPWebsite: Searchfor...

Searchanddownloadspecs,docs,CRsandmorefrom
the3GPPFTPServer:

NAS

ADVANCEDF T PSEARCH

Fromaprotocolstackperspective,theNASisthehigheststratumofthecontrolplane,asshowninfigure1.

MoreNews

Figure1:EPScontrolplaneforEUTRANaccess
TheNASproceduresaregroupedintwocategories:
theEPSMobilityManagement(EMM),and
theEPSSessionManagement(ESM).

EPSMobilityManagement
TheEPSMobilityManagementprotocolreferstoproceduresrelatedtomobilityoveranEUTRANaccess,authenticationand
security.ItistheequivalentinEPSofMMinGSMandGMMinGPRS.

IfyouwishtodisplayoneofourLTElogos,please
readthe'LTELogoUse'webpageandletusknow
aboutit.

NewsFeeds

3GPPspecificationsmakedistinctionbetweenEMMcommon,specificandconnectionmanagementprocedures:

3GPPNews

EMMcommonprocedures

3GPPtweets

EMMcommonproceduresrefertovariousnetworkinitiatedmechanisms.
GUTI(GlobalUniqueTemporaryID)reallocation
Authentication
Securitymodecontrol
Identification
EMMinformation

EMMspecificprocedures
EMMspecificproceduresareUEinitiated.
Theseproceduresdefineattach/detach(to/fromtheEPC)mechanisms.TheyalsointroducetheTrackingAreaUpdate(TAU)
mechanism,whichupdatethelocationoftheUEwithinthenetwork.TrackingAreaistheequivalentinEPSofLocationArea
inGSMandRoutingAreainGPRS.
InEPS,aUEinitiatesaTrackingAreaUpdatewhenitdetectsthatitentersintoanewTrackingArea.EMMspecific
proceduresalsodefineperiodicTrackingAreaUpdate.

http://www.3gpp.org/technologies/keywordsacronyms/96nas

1/3

10/12/2015

NAS

Figure2:trackingareas
EPSalsointroducestheconceptofTrackingAreaList(TAL),whichallowstheprovisionoflistsofTrackingAreasinUEs.AUE
doesnotneedtoinitiateaTAUifitentersaTrackingAreawhichisincludedinitsTAL.
ProvisioningdifferentliststotheUEswithinthenetworkavoidsignallingpeaksforinstancewhenallUEsonatraincrossaTA
border.
EMMconnectionmanagementprocedures:
(alsoknownasECM:EPSConnectionManagement)
EMMconnectionmanagementproceduresprovideseveralfunctionstosupporttheconnectionoftheUEtothenetwork(see
ESMproceduresbelow):
Servicerequest:initiatedbytheUEtostarttheestablishmentofNASsignallingconnection
Paging:initiatedbythenetworkincaseofdownlinkNASsignallingtoindicatetotheUEtostartaservicerequest
TransportofNASmessages:usedforSMS(CSfallback)
GenerictransportofNASmessages:Variousotherapplications(e.g.LCS)

EPSSessionManagement
TheEPSSessionManagementprotocolofferssupporttotheestablishmentandhandlingofuserdataintheNAS.
InEPS,twoconceptsareintroducedtodefinetheIPconnectivitybetweenaUEandapacketdatanetwork(PDN):
PDNconnection,and
EPSbearer

Asshowninfigure3,aPDNconnectioniscomposedofadefaultEPSbearerandpossiblyadditionalonescalled"dedicated
bearers".

Figure3:PDNconnectionandEPSbearer
AdefaultbeareriscreateduponestablishmentofaPDNconnection.Ifaservice(e.g.videostreaming)requiresspecific
handlingintermsofqualityofservice(QoS),dedicatedbearerscanbeestablished.
WithinaPDNconnection,allEPSbearersshareasameUEIPaddressandanAPN.
EPSsupportsmultiplesimultaneousPDNconnections.Forinstance,aUEcanhaveaPDNconnectiontotheInternet(with
justadefaultEPSbearer)andonetotheoperatorsIMS(withadditionaldedicatedbearers,ifrequiredbytheservice).
ESMproceduresaregroupedintotwocategories:
EPSbearerprocedures,whicharenetworkinitiatedandprovidemechanismsforactivation,deactivationormodificationofEPS
bearers,and
Transactionrelatedprocedures,whichareUEinitiatedandprovidemechanismsfor:
requestsforPDNconnectionestablishmentanddisconnection,
requestsforbearerresourcesallocationandmodification,and

http://www.3gpp.org/technologies/keywordsacronyms/96nas

2/3

10/12/2015

NAS

releaserequests

Furtherreading:
General:
The3GPPwebsitecontainsall3GPPspecifications.Theycanbedownloadedforfreeatwww.3gpp.org/specifications
Descriptionsofall3GPPreleasescanbefoundatftp://ftp.3gpp.org/Information/WORK_PLAN/Description_Releases/
AnoverviewoftheEPCcanbefoundat:http://www.3gpp.org/TheEvolvedPacketCore
NAS:
3GPPTS23.401definesthearchitectureoftheEPCforanLTEaccess
3GPPTS24.301definestheprotocoldetailsoftheNAS
3GPPTS24.008definesintersystemmobilitybetweenLTEand2G/3G
3GPPTS24.303definesintersystemmobilitybetweenLTEandnon3GPPaccesses.

F UL L MEET ING CAL ENDAR

RAN

70

Sitges

0710Dec2015

SA

70

Sitges

0911Dec2015

GERAN

69

Malta

1519Feb2016

CT

71

Gothenburg

0708Mar2016

RAN

71

Gothenburg

0710Mar2016

SA

71

Gothenburg

0911Mar2016

GERAN

70

China

2327May2016

CT

72

SOUTHKOREA

1314Jun2016

RAN

72

SOUTHKOREA

1316Jun2016

SA

72

SOUTHKOREA

1517Jun2016

GERAN

71

Goteborg

2226Aug2016

CT

73

US

1920Sep2016

RAN

73

US

1922Sep2016

SA

73

US

2123Sep2016

GERAN

72

US

1418Nov2016

CT

74

Vienna

0506Dec2016

ABO UT REL EASES

Release14
Release13
Release12
Release11
Release10
Release9
Release8
Release7
Release6
Release5
Release4
Release1999

http://www.3gpp.org/technologies/keywordsacronyms/96nas

BRO WSET ECHNO L O G IES

LTEAdvanced
LTE
CarrierAggregationExplained
HetNet/SmallCells
NAS
TheEvolvedPacketCore
HSPA
UMTS
WCDMA
GPRS&EDGE

3/3