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SAE and the Evolved Packet Core: Driving The Mobile Broadband Revolution

C. The UE initiates the secondary PDP context activation procedure. The appropriate RAN procedures are performed and the S4-SGSN responds to the UE.
D. The S4-SGSN also responds to the Serving GW when the dedicated bearer
(i.e. the secondary PDP context) has been activated.
E. For GTP-based S5/S8, the Serving GW forwards the response to the PDN
GW that in turn may inform the PCRF. For PMIP-based S5/S8, the Serving
GW responds to the PCRF directly.

12.5.4 Interworking with dynamic QoS mechanisms in

other accesses
 .ETWORK INITIATEDRESOURCEPROVISION
The QoS procedures in the non-3GPP access network depend on the particular
access technology being used. EPS denes generic procedures that can be used
to interwork with different non-3GPP accesses. In this section, we illustrate a
network-initiated QoS reservation procedure, similar to the network-initiated
dedicated bearer and PDP context activation procedures illustrated above. The
interface between the UE and the access network is however not described since
it varies between the accesses (Figure 12.5.4.1.1).

Trusted Non-3GPP
IP Access

UE

PDN GW

hPCRF

Gateway Control and QoS Policy Rules

Mechanisms to
enforce the QoS
policy and set up
any resources
depend on access
type.

2. Access specific
mechanism to
enforce the policy

Gateway Control and QoS Policy Rules Provision, end

4. PCC Rules Provision Procedure

Figure 12.5.4.1.1

Network-initiated resource provision.

12.6 Single radio voice call continuity

As described in Chapter 5, the SRVCC is a solution that addresses the problem
that there may not be full coverage for MMTel VoIP services used on E-UTRAN.

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393

SRVCC solves this problem by offering a mechanism where the UE performs a

coordinated radio level handover in combination with a change from IMS VoIP
to circuit-switched voice using IMS procedures for service continuity.
The details of SRVCC and the related procedures spans outside the EPS into
IMS and the CS core network. This chapter will outline the SRVCC procedure
and the impact on the EPC network on a high level without going too far into
the details of other parts of the system. The 3GPP TS 23.216 [23.216] elaborates
more on the SRVCC procedure and impacts the EPC while the 3GPP TS 23.237
[23.237] details how the IMS handles service continuity.
The solutions for SRVCC towards GERAN/UTRAN and SRVCC towards
CDMA are not exactly the same due to the differences in the interworking of
EPS with CDMA and GERAN/UTRAN, respectively.

12.6.1 SRVCC from E-UTRAN to GERAN or UTRAN

SRVCC impacts the eNodeB, the MME and the MSC Server and requires
service continuity support in the IMS. A new interface, Sv, has been specied
between the MME and the MSC to execute the actual handover. Prerequisites
for SRVCC are that both the UE and the EPS are SRVCC capable and that the
session is anchored in a Service Centralization and Continuity Application
Server (SCC AS) in the IMS. To illustrate the SRVCC functionality, we will
examine an example of a call between two UEs where UE-A will experience an
SRVCC. A simplied picture of the call path between two UEs before SRVCC
is performed is shown in Figure 12.6.1.1.
In the example, the UE-A and UE-B are using IMS voice telephony to communicate. Only the most relevant nodes are shown. The IMS signalling traverses
the IMS control nodes and is anchored in an SCC AS in UE-As network. The
IMS voice packets are sent end-to-end between the UEs using the EPS IP connectivity through eNodeB and Serving/PDN GW (the details on how the IMS
voice packets are sent to UE-B are note relevant for this discussion).
When UE-A moves in the network, it may reach a point where there the LTE
coverage will diminish and an SRVCC handover must be performed to GERAN
CS or UTRAN CS. When the LTE signal strength decreases, the UE will measure on neighbour cell to discover suitable HO candidates and report the measurements to the eNodeB. Based on the bearer QCI and congured knowledge of
to which cells SRVCC is necessary, the eNodeB can trigger an SR VCC HO if
PS handover is not possible.

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SAE and the Evolved Packet Core: Driving The Mobile Broadband Revolution
GERAN or
UTRAN
SGSN

MSC

Sv
IMS
SCC AS

MME

eNodeB
UE-A (CS)

Serving/
PDN GW

UE-B(IMS)
Signalling path
User data path

Figure 12.6.1.1

Before SRVCC execution.

The MME is informed by the eNodeB that SRVCC HO is needed via the handover request from eNodeB with the indication that this is for SRVCC handling.
The MME then triggers the SRVCC procedure with the MSC Server via the
Sv interface (the address of the MSC is provisioned to the MME). The MME
also passes a special routing number that allows the MSC Server to establish
a session with the IMS SCC AS. The MSC Server initiates the session transfer procedure to IMS and coordinates it with the CS handover procedure to the
target cell. The MSC Server sends a response to the MME, which includes the
necessary CS HO command information for the UE to access the target
UTRAN/GERAN cell. The MME sends a handover command to the eNodeB
that passes it to the UE. As a next step, the UE tunes into the GERAN/UTRAN
cell and in principle experience a CS HO in the target cell where the UE will
receive a CS telephony bearer. After the HO, the UE-A will be connected with
CS telephony to the MSC Server. The MSC Server interworks the CS telephony used by UE-A to the IMS MMTel voice service used by UE-B as shown in
Figure 12.6.1.2.
IMS voice telephony can also be supported on WCDMA/HSPA. Hence, a similar solution for SRVCC from IMS voice telephony to GERAN or UTRAN CS
telephony is also specied in 3GPP. The only differences are that the SGSN
takes the role of the MME and UTRAN performs the same functionality as the
eNodeB in E-UTRAN.
For more details on the SR VCC solutions see 3GPP TS 23.216 [23.216] and TS
23.237 [23.237].

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395
GERAN or
UTRAN

MSC

UE-A (CS)
Sv

SGSN

IMS
SCC AS

MME

Serving/
PDN GW

eNodeB

UE-B(IMS)
Signalling path
User data path

Figure 12.6.1.2 After SRVCC handover.

12.6.2 SRVCC from E-UTRAN to 1xRTT

The architecture for SRVCC between IMS voice telephony on E-UTRAN to CS
telephony on 1xRTT is shown in Figure 12.6.2.1.













 























Figure 12.6.2.1 SRVCC to 1xRTT architecture.

The architecture for SRVCC between IMS voice telephony on E-UTRAN to

CS telephony on 1xRTT looks similar to the one for SRVCC to GERAN and
UTRAN, but there are a few key differences. Instead of an Sv interface between
the MME and the interface to trigger handovers, there is a different type of
mechanism employed. The UE communicates directly with the 1xRTT MSC
using NAS message tunnelling. The MME is in principle just a signalling relay
and the interworking function tunnels the signalling messages and interworks
them towards the 1xRTT MSC. This allows the UE to communicate with the