Release 99: - WCDMA instead of TDMA and FDMA - UTRAN - Bandwidth of single carrier was significantly increased, enabling

much faster data transfer (384kb/s down and 64128kb/s up) - Europe and Asia: 12 blocks of 5 MHz each have been assigned to UMTS (1920 MHz - 1980 MHz for uplink and 2110 MHz - 2170 MHz for downlink). North America: shared frequency band with 2G networks between 1850 MHz and 1910 MHz in uplink and between 1930 MHz and 1990 MHz in downlink, additional spectrum 1710 MHz - 1755 MHz for uplink and 2110 MHz - 2155 MHz for downlink. - Software enhancements in circuit core network to support the new Iu(cs) interface between MSC and the UTRAN. - Lower layers were redesigned and based on ATM instead of Frame Relay

Release 4: - New concept of Bearer-Independent Core Network (BICN): traffic is carried inside IP packets. MSC has been split into an MSC-Server (Call Control and Mobility Management) and a Media Gateway (handling actual bearer - user traffic and transcoding the user data for different transmission methods. - It is possible to receive voice calls via GSM A-Interface via E-1 64kb/s timeslots at MSC Media Gateway, which will then convert the digital voice data stream onto a packet-switched IP connection toward another MG in the network. The remote MG will then again convert the incoming user data packets to send it, for example, to a remote party via the UMTS radio access network (Iu(cs) interface) or back to a circuit-switched E-1 timeslot in case a connection is established to the fixed-line telephone network

Release 5: - IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) handles voice calls and other services via the packet-switched part of the network. The core of the IMS consists of a number of nodes that form the Call Session Control Function (CSCF). The CSCF is basically an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) architecture that was initially developed for the fixed-line world and is one of the core protocols for most VoIP telephony services available in the market today. The CSCF takes the concept one step further and enhances the SIP standard with a number of functionalities necessary for mobile networks. This way, the IMS can transport voice calls over IP not only in the core network but from end to end, that is, from mobile device to mobile device. While the CSCF is responsible for the call setup and call control, the user data packets which, for example, include voice or video conversations, are directly exchanged between the end-user devices. - The IMS is not only designed for voice calls but is intended as a general service platform for all kinds of new multimedia services such as video calling, picture exchange, instant messaging and presence. As a consequence, the system is very complex.

- Introduce High-Speed Downlink Packet Access to increase data transmission speed upto 14.4 Mb/s.

Release 6: - Introduce High-Speed Uplink Packet Access enabling uplink datarates of several megabits per second, increase the maximum number of users that can simultaneously send data via the same cell and thus further reduces the overall cost of the network.

IMPORTANT NEW CONCEPTS OF UMTS Radio Access Bearer