LONG TERM EVOLUTION (LTE) THE FUTURE SYSTEM BEYOND 3G NETWORKS

Mlindi Mashologu M.Eng (Elec) (Telecoms) Mlindi01@gmail.com 329334 School of Electrical and Information Engineering University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

July 2008

Declaration

I declare that this report is my own unaided work. The solution provided reflects my analysis and synthesis. It is original and is not copied from another source.

. Mlindi Mashologu

-----------------------Date

1. INTRODUCTION Mobile Networks have grown quite significantly over the past 20 years and mobile operators have enjoyed the dominance, offering mostly voice services to their customers. The most competitive part of the service offering was the mobility which took the upper hand compared to their fixed line competitors. Although 3G technology is able to deliver quite higher throughputs than 2G technology, there is still growth demand as more people are looking for wireless broadband services which would provide multi-gigabit throughput and lower Round Trip Times (RTT). A lot has been written about the Fourth Generation (4G) communication systems but the concept lacks consensus and finality. The scenario that has been examined is the move directly from 3G Technology to Long Term Evolution (LTE). In addition to enabling fixed to mobile applications like Voice over IP (VoIP), Video streaming, Mobile TV, The LTE network will also provide the capacity to support demand for connectivity of new generation mobile devices and mobile applications. The LTE embraces the pillars of the Next Generation Networks (NGN): Broadband Wireless Access having high throughput and low latency (RTT), which is efficient in delivering unicast, multicast and broadcast media. Convergence of technology and networks customers are served by single applications domain across multiple networks and devices. Intelligence at the services edge policy enforcement and decisions are implemented at the edge of the network in an access-aware framework. Shift of Technology to an all IP Network the network is streamlined and simplified in order to improve its scalability and deployment flexibility to enable consistent access-aware policy enforcement and billing Embedded Security a multi-layer, multi-vendor approach to make sure that security is prevalent in the network.

2. BENEFITS OF ADOPTING THE LTE FOR CONSUMERS AND NETWORK OPERATORS The next generation wireless networks have the challenge of providing wireless broadband at a cost and performance which is better than that achieved by xDSL technologies while maintaining mobility, service control and maximizing network capacity with limited spectral resources.

The LTE offers the following benefits for consumers and operators: Performance and Capacity The LTE is required to provide the downlink peak data rates of at least 100Mbit/s. The RTT is expected to be less than 10ms. The LTE is expected to deliver up to 5 times greater than most advanced 3G networks (HSPA+). Simplicity The LTE supports flexible carrier bandwidths which are from below 5 MHz up to 20MHz. The LTE radio network products will have a number of features that will simplify the building and management of Next Generation Mobile Networks. The LTE will be deployed in parallel with IP-based core and transport networks which will be easier to build maintain and implement new services. Wide Range of Terminals Mobile phones, notebooks, ultra-portables and gaming devices will incorporate LTE embedded modules. As LTE supports handover and roaming to the existing mobile networks, all these devices will have mobile broadband coverage as soon as LTE goes live.

3. ARCHITECTURE OF LONG TERM EVOLUTION 3.1 Evolved Packet System The LTE is defined as IP-based, flat network architecture. The main components in the Evolved Packet System (EPS) are the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications (UMTS) terrestrial Radio Access Network known as E-UTRAN and Evolved Packet Core (EPC).
Control plane traffic User plane traffic S6d
HSS Operator's Services

Rx SGi
PCRF

SAE-GW: SGW+PGW

S2b Gx
PGW SGW

S4
SGSN

S6a S11

S5 (GTP)
ePDG

S3

MME

EPC S10 S12

BSC RNC

S2a S1-U S1-MME

eNodeB Trusted non-3GPP Untrusted non-3GPP

BTS

NodeB

3GPP Definition of EPS

3.1.1. Evolved Packet Core Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is the defined architecture being part of System Architecture Evolution (SAE) effort . The LTE-SAE architecture and concepts have been designed for efficient support of mass-market usage of any IP-based service [2]. The SAE architecture user plane defines two nodes: the LTE base station, Evolved NodeB (eNodeB) and SAE gateway. The eNodeB is connected to the core network by RAN Interface and this flat architecture reduces the number of involved nodes in the connections. The control signaling is handed by Mobility Management Entity (MME) which is separate from the Gateway. The Home Subscriber server is connected to the core by an interface based on Diameter protocol (not SS7 used in GSM / WCDMA). The separation of the bearer from the control is not new in the evolution of telecom systems as it started on 3GPP R4 CS network by decomposing the Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC) into a Media Gateway (MGW) and the Mobile Softswitch or MSC server. The SGSN in the EPC has been decomposed into the Serving Gateway (SGW) and the Mobility Management Entity. The EPC is embracing the idea of 3G Direct Tunneling.

3.1.2 Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) The E-UTRAN is also known as the LTE (Long Term Evolution of 3G) and is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) [9], which is a highly optimized radio access technology for packet traffic. The LTE makes use of OFDM as well as Multiple Input / Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna systems. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) - uses a large number of narrow subcarriers which is suited for multi-carrier transmission. It is able to handle most common RF distortions without the need of complex equalization and can easily fit different bandwidth requirements. Multiple Input / Multiple Output (MIMO) increases the peak throughput by transmitting and receiving multiple streams of information within the same spectrum [1]. It exploits the multi-path effects which are encountered in wireless communication systems.

Combining the OFDM and MIMO improves the spectral efficiency and capacity in the wireless network. This is a very valuable asset in maximizing the usage of spectrum. OFDM is an extremely successful access technology which has already been deployed in wireless and wireline applications like Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB , Wireless LAN (WLAN)and WiMax. MIMO employs multiple transmit and Receive antennas to substantially enhance the air interface [1]. It uses space-time coding for the same data stream which is mapped onto multiple transmit antennas which is an improvement to the traditional receive diversity schemes where only a single transmit antenna is used to extend the coverage of a cell.

3.1.3 IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) in LTE Architecture The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is the basic network architecture for Next Generation Networks (NGN) which is intended to bridge the divide between the traditional circuit switched and packet switched networks, thereby providing a single network capable of providing all service offerings. The IP Multimedia subsystem was initially defined by the 3GPP and 3GPP2 wireless working bodies [10] . The focus of IMS is to provide a new network architecture to enable the convergence of voice, data and multimedia services over an IP based network infrastructure. Since LTE is defined as a purely packet network some initiatives need to be taken to ensure that LTE can be used to transport voice as well (Voice over LTE, VoLTE). This would typically be VoIP on a mobile network architecture. The HSS and PRCF are defined on the architecture of EPC and consequently these elements are also core in the IMS architecture. The inclusion if IMS as an overlay into the LTE architecture will be a compliment in order to provide rich voice services over the packet based networks as well as interworking of LTE with legacy telecom networks.

4. VALUE ADDES SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY LTE RICH VOICE SERVICES This includes the provision of VoIP and high quality video conferencing. VoIP has a lot to offer to consumers, i.e. by combining the current voice offerings with a single WLAN-enabled multi-radio mobile device. VoIP allows the introduction of new services as the consumers can also benefit from Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). VoIP solution on mobile phones would combine data features like Instant Messaging and File transfer. The LTE Network would also support the delivery of video telephony which would be a very valuable asset as the deaf people could use the mobile devices for sign language.

P2F MESSAGING On the LTE environment this includes Photo messages, Instant Messaging (IM) Mobile e-mail and video messaging. LTE will support real-time messaging with very low latency. Mobile e-mail will benefit a lot from the high speeds of LTE which would allow the e-mails with attachments to be delivered quickly. Equipment manufacturers are already deploying mobile handsets which have mobile e-mail capabilities. Video messaging provides richer content capabilities and media features and elevates content expression and so evolving simple point-to-point messaging into a more valuable messaging media. This evolution consists of Point-to-point message transfer, multi-body information and video messaging media. The video sharing websites like YouTube are very popular so having mobile devices and mobile network (LTE) that would do this would be a very attractive service.

BROWSING This includes super-fast browsing and uploading content to social networking sites. Faster speed to be provided by LTE would be a very good benefit for browsing. LTE will deliver a fast browsing experience to customers who cannot access the most advanced fixed services (VDSL and Optic fibre).

PAID INFORMATION LTE will provide E-newspaper and high quality audio streaming. Currently the SMS / MMS are the most popular services for this category. Examples of this are receiving and SMS when your team has scored the goal or getting updates on the cricket matches. This also includes getting small video clips from the games. These services are normally charged at premium rates. The LTE would be able to launch e-newspaper and high quality audio streaming such as live commentary from the sporting events.

GAMES This would be a consistent online gaming experience across both fixed and mobile networks. Java-enabled handsets sales have increased dramatically as people do a lot of game downloads. Online mobile games have generally replicated console and PC games but the take off has been slow due to limitations in screen size and keypad controls as well as the latency and cost. LTE would take care of latency while more advanced handsets are being developed, this would provide a significant boost to online gaming revenue.

TV AND VIDEO ON DEMAND The current use of 3G TV and video could completely fill the existing 3G networks and that would leave little space for other services. LTE would enable the operator to offer ten TV broadcast, ten radio broadcast channels and 30 minutes per day per user when TV or radio on demand [5] is the service offering. The way in which the TV is packaged and marketed is essential to the demand of this service from mobile users. Operators would need to package TV services so that they make interest to customers, offering high value on-demand services rather than trying to provide a specific number of channels.

MUSIC Music download is an attractive service especially to youth. Some mobile operators have launched this service with a single track using several megabytes i.e. a three-minute 128kbit/s music track consumes 2.8MB. LTE would enable content providers and mobile operators to

advance music services. The recent launch of Apple iPhone which has 4Gb memory is one important development in this arena. The deployment of LTE would allow operators to cater for the increasing demand for mobile music and enabling fast downloads.

M-COMMERCE The development of new technology would enable users to purchase goods and services via the mobile devices. The handsets would be used as payment devices whereby a phone is enabled to exchange information and initiate applications with some electronic devices. Mobile gaming services like lottery and betting services would benefit in this. The deployment of m-commerce requires high-quality network. The deployment of LTE would enable the rapid processing and transaction of data across a large number of sites.

DATA NETWORKING Having access to the company intranet and databases is an essential tool used by companies who have remote workforces like marketing and sales staff. The LTE would provide the fast exchange of information and documentation between remote workers and their offices. The operators and third parties need to develop innovative services which are based on high speed networks. Some enhancements would include M2M communications, P2P file sharing and application sharing.

5. CONCLUSION LTE will provide a great deal of efficiency when it is deployed. Mobile Operators will provide a diverse range of service elements that would drive usage and revenue growth. The handsets will be developed with large screens, high quality resolution and long battery life when the LTE services are offered. LTE is well positioned to meet the requirements of the next generation mobile networks. The Network operators will be able to provide advanced broadband services using the high throughput and low latency of the system. Combination of OFDM and MIMO antennas on the LTE will provide an improved spectral efficiency and capacity to the system. The SAE architecture on the LTE reduces the number of nodes in the network and supports flexible configuration of the network.

6. REFERENCES [1]. Long-Term Evolution (LTE): The vision beyond 3G Nortel White Paper [2]. Long Tem Evolution (LTE) : an introduction Ericsson White Paper [3]. Towards Global Mobile Broadband: Standardizing the future of Mobile Communications with LTE (Long Term Evolution) A white Paper from the UMTS Forum [4]. Long Term Evolution (LTE) : A Technical overview - Motorola White Paper [5]. Global Mobile Broadband: Market potential for 3G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Final report for UMTS forum : www.analysys.com [6]. Video Messaging : The new heir to fingertip communications Huawei Magazine : NOV 2007 ISSUE 36 : http://www.huawei.com [7]. Creating the vision: IPTV Service Design and Delivery AXIOM Systems White Paper. [8]. 3GPP Long Term Evolution: System Overview, Product Development and Test Challenges Agilent White Paper. [9] The Role of 3GPPs Evolved Packet Core in Build-out of the Mobile Internet Cisco White Paper [10] Neil Kinder : IMS-IP Multimedia Subsystem IMS Overview and the Unified Carrier Network