Evolved Packet Systems (LTE/SAE) Technology Training

Who Should Attend?

The course is intended for technical GSM/UMTS staff and their management who plan to or already work on introducing LTE/SAE network.

Course Content

  1. Introduction (generations of the cellular systems, requirements for the evolved UMTS, multiple access, duplex division, frequency reuse and modulation technologies).
  2. Network architecture
    • EPC – Evolved Packet Core (MME -Mobility Management Entity, S-GW – Serving Gateway, P-GW – Packet Data Network Gateway, HSS - Home Subscriber Server, EIR - Equipment Identity Register, PCRF - Policy and Charging Rules Function),
    • E-UTRAN (UTRAN and E-UTRAN architecture comparison, evolved Node B – eNB, the need for eNB-eNB X2 interface),
    • Architecture for interworking with GERAN/UTRAN (Serving GPRS Support Node - SGSN, interfaces: S3, S4, S12 and one tunnel option),
    • Architecture for roaming (user traffic routed to the HPLMN, local breakout),
    • Architecture for interworking with non-3GPP IP access (WLAN, WiMax) (trusted and untrusted non-3GPP IP acces, evolved Packet Data Gateway – ePDG, Authentication Authorisation and Accounting – AAA),
    • Interfaces and protocol stacks,
    • Geographical network structure (Tracking Area – TA and TA list registration),
    • Identity numbers (IMSI, MSISDN, IMEI, PDP address, GUTI, S-TMSI, M-TMSI).
  3. OFDMA and SC-FDMA
    • Fourier Transform - FT and Discrete Fourier Transform - DFT,
    • orthogonality of frequencies,
    • channel separation in FDMA and OFDM,
    • transmission example,
    • implementation, advantages and disadvantages of OFDM, OFDMA, SC-FDMA.
  4. E-UTRAN
    • Frequency bands,
    • Inter-Cell Interference – ICI (ICI randomization, cancellation, co-ordination / avoidance),
    • Duplex mode (FDD and TDD),
    • Basic structures and parameters (resource grid, resource block, radio frame, reference symbols),
    • Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service – MBMS (single cell and multi-cell MBMS options),
    • Channels (radio, physical, transport, logical channels and their characteristics, UTRAN and E-UTRAN channel comparison),
    • Cell search, synchronization and initial access,
    • Transmission process (UL/DL scheduling, HARQ acknowledgements and retransmissions).
  5. Core network
    • MME in Pool (pool area, MME selection and addressing, load balancing, overload control),
    • Signalling Transport - SIGTRAN (SCTP, multihoming, streams, stream oriented / message oriented protocol – comparison, security, SIGTRAN in GSM/UMTS / SIGTRAN in EPS – comparison),
    • User data transfer (tunneling concept, eGTP, tunnel establishment, MIP and PMIP),
    • QoS (EPS default bearer, EPS dedicated bearer, bearer establishment, QoS parameters, exchange of QoS related parameters between EPS and service network).
  6. Policy Control and Charging - PCC
    • PCC in UMTS R5, R6 and UMTS/EPS R8,
    • Policy Decision Function - PDF,
    • Charging Rules Function – CRF,
    • Policy and Charging Rules Function – PCRF,
    • interaction with services,
    • flow based charging and policy control.
  7. Traffic Cases
    • EMM, ECM and RRC states,
    • attach procedure,
    • TA update,
    • UE/network triggered service request,
    • S1 release procedure,
    • dedicated bearer activation,
    • UE requested bearer resource allocation,
    • handover, intersystem handover,
    • Idle mode Signalling Reduction - ISR.
  8. Security
    • EPS Authentication & Key Agreement - EPS-AKA,
    • key hierarchy, ciphering, integrity protection.
  9. EPS Management
    • Self Organising Network – SON,
    • eNB establishment,
    • optimisation of the neighbourhood list,
    • coverage and capacity optimisation,
    • continuous optimisation due to dynamic changes,
    • handover optimisation,
    • MBMS optimisation.
  10. Services
    • IMS – IP Multimedia Subsystem,
    • network architecture,
    • identification,
    • QoS,
    • protocols,
    • IMS discovery,
    • registration, security procedures,
    • mobile-to-mobile call, mobile-to-PSTN call,
    • presence service,
    • push-to-talk over cellular,
    • instant messaging,
    • session based messaging,
    • SMS, voice call continuity, single radio voice call continuity.
  11. CS Fallback and SMSoSGs
    • MSC-MME interworking,
    • combined IMSI/EPS Attach,
    • combined LA/TA update,
    • CS call, SMS, other CS services.

Course Objectives

The 3GPP evolution for the 3G mobile system created the UTRAN Long Term Evolution (LTE) and System Architecture Evolution (SAE) network. Under these specifications a mobile phone gets access to higher bandwidth with low latency in an improved and more efficient network architecture. The standards define an all-IP network as a base for the LTE/SAE. The LTE/SAE does not have a separate PS data traffic and CS voice network, both communicate over the same new Evolved Packet System (EPS) network. EPS (LTE/SAE) Technology course is an intermediate technical course, which covers all aspects of architecture and functionality of the EPS.

Pre-requisites

The participants should have attended the following courses for better understanding:

  • UMTS Technology,
  • WCDMA Air Interface,

or have the equivalent knowledge on UMTS.

Training structure

Two days training divided into logical sessions.

Methodology

Lectures and theoretical exercises.