Development and evolution of 3GPP Core Network

1
Development and evolution of 3GPP Core Network

• Hannu Hietalahti, CT chairman

2
CT officials

• Chairman
• Hannu Hietalahti / Nokia (ETSI)
• Vice Chairs
• Gary Jones / T-Mobile (ATIS)
• Steve Mecrow / O2 (ETSI)
• Akishige Noda / Fujitsu (TTC)
• MCC Support
• Kimmo Kymalainen (MCC)

3
CT ToR

• At discontinuation of TSG-T and TSG-CN the new
  TSG-CT became the core network and terminal
  group
• Technical tasks
• Cellular and IMS protocols
• CS and PS domain
• UE L3 protocols (CT1)
• Interworking with external networks (CT3)
• Network interfaces (CT4)
• Open Service Architecture, OSA (CT5)
• Smart card applications (CT6)

4
3GPP TSG CT

• CT mission services via any access network !

Common CN
GSM 1900
3G
HSxPA
GSM 1800
?
GSM 900
LTE
GPRS
WLAN
EDGE
GSM ph.1
Rel-5/6
Rel-6/7
Rel-8 and onwards
R97
R98
R99
...and lets make it IP all the way to the
terminal !
5
IMS
SIP
Packet-switched network (2G or 3G GPRS or WLAN)

• IP Multimedia Subsystem
• PS domain services only
• Bearer agnostic
• GSM, UMTS, WLAN, fixed xDSL, HSxPA, 3.9G
• SIP / SDP driven sessions on whatever media
• Endpoint-to-endpoint or endpoint-to-service
• Multimedia, Messaging, Presence, etc
• The protocol is there, what are your application
  needs?
• IETF defined protocols re-used by 3GPP
• Initial version was frozen in Rel-5
• Improvements with more functionality in Rel-6
• Presence, messaging, multiple registration,
  forking,...
• Still more optimisations new functionality in
  Rel-7
• Voice call continuity (between CS PS),
  Combinational services (in CS PS domain)
• Adaptation to TISPAN fixed network
• IMS emergency calls

6
WLAN interworking

• Currently specified for IEEE 802.11, but not
  restricted to that version
• Re-use of IEEE WLAN specifications
• Definition of the architecture
• Functionality
• Detection of the APs
• Associating with AP
• Detection of HPLMN connection
• Authentication
• Establishment of tunnel to HPLMN packet gateway
• Voice call continuity in Rel-7
• WLAN VPN access in Rel-7

7
Some of the main Rel-7 work items

• CSI (CS and IMS combinational service)
• Requires both CS and PS connectivity at the same
  time
• CS domain voice call with additional information
  e.g. video clip via IMS
• VCC (Voice Call Continuity)
• Voice call continuity between CS domain and PS
  domain
• Transition between CS and PS cells without losing
  the call
• IMS evolution
• NGN, IMS over fixed access
• IMS emergency calls based on SIP emergency
  sessions
• IMS multimedia telephony
• Conferencing and messaging enhancements (DM and
  BFCP)
• ...and several WLAN and traditional cellular
  protocol evolution work items

8
Whats next...
Stabilising Rel-7
Rel-8 Long Term Evolution network architecture
adapted via SAE to LTE radio
Migration from CS domain voice services to PS
domain IMS multimedia services