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Wireless: CSFB Lte -> WCDMA

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CSFB Lte -> WCDMA

CSFB: Lte is a packet only network and handles packet only data traffic. But if UE is registered on LTE and service user
make a CS call (circuit switched or voice call) or UE has to receive an MT CS call (mobile terminating call or incoming CS
call) from the existing CS domain through EPC, what will happen??
Well, there are few options (VoIP, IMS, CSFB etc) to handle the CS call (Mobile Originating & Mobile Terminating) in LTE
and one of them is CS fall back which uses existing technologies which support CS traffic like GSM, WCDMA to make
voice call happen. CSFB makes UE to move to the CS supported RATs using redirect or handover and perform the CS
call. Now you know why we need CSFB and what it does, we should be moving to nitty-gritties of this CSFB procedure.
In-order to perform CSFB, UE should support multiple radio access (Lte & Utran or Geran) and EPC should support
CSFB. When I say EPC should support CSFB, it means co-ordination should be there at the network end between Lte
and other CS enabled RAT (Utran or Geran). It's not very simple to make these two RATs with different protocol stack,
work together !! specially at the network end. I will try to explain the network architecture for CSFB in short as the focus of
this post is remain on the communication between UE and network.
The network architecture for CSFB is as follows:

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EPC supporting CS Fallback means Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and Visited Location Register (VLR) in the CS
domain connects with the Mobility Management Entity (MME), which provides EPC mobility management functionality. The
interface connecting MSC/VLR and MME is called a SGs reference point. This SGs interface is based on the concept of
the Gs reference point that exchanges signaling with MSC, which connects to the Serving General Packet Radio Service
Support Node (SGSN), a 3G packet switch. The SGs provides nearly all the functions provided by the existing Gs. You can
also check link understanding-cs-fallback-lte if you want more info regarding this.
Now lets have an example of CSFB and see the signalling sequence between UE & network !!
CSFB Lte -> WCDMA (Using Redirection): This procedure comes into picture for two kind of scenarios:
1. Mobile Originated Call: Message Sequence or Call flow diagram:

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Wireless: CSFB Lte -> WCDMA

Let discuss step 1 to 5 of message sequence in detail as these are the steps which constitutes CSFB procedure:
STEP 1: UE should be combined attached on LTE cell. This is pre-requisite or you can say necessary condition for CSFB
to happen. When I say combined attached, means EPS attach type should be Combined EPS/IMSI attach. You can check
this by decoding the attach accept message sent from the network during registration on Lte.
Attach_Accept
.... .010 = Attach result: Combined EPS/IMSI attach
STEP2: Now service user will initiate a voice call or say CS call. This will make UE to send
EMM_Extended_Service_Request (with CSFB Indicator) to MME. When MME see CSFB Indicator in Extended Service
Request, it will perform CS Fallback. The UE only transmits this Extended Service Request with CSFB indicator only if it is
attached to CS domain (means combined attached as explained in previous step).
EMM_Extended_Service_Request <---------Service type: Mobile originating CS fallback or 1xCS fallback (0)
STEP3: After getting Extended Service Request, Network will trigger Rrc Connection Release with redirected carrier
information which contains Target RAT and frequency as follows:
Rrc_Connection_Release ---------->
c1: rrcConnectionRelease-r8 (0)
rrcConnectionRelease-r8
releaseCause: other (1)
redirectedCarrierInfo: utra-FDD (2)
utra-FDD: 10700
STEP4: After getting the Target RAT information, UE will find a suitable cell, read system information and establish radio
connection on the Target RAT by initiating Routing Area Update Procedure.

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STEP5: UE will followup RAU procedure initiation by MO Call Setup by sending CM_Service_Request with following
cause:
CM_Service_Request <---------.... ..1. = CSMO: CS fallback mobile originating call
Signalling for CS call establishment procedure follows CM_Service_Request.
That is all :) !!!
2. Mobile Terminated Call:
This will be same as above procedure except in step 2, UE will receive CS_Service_Notification with Paging Identity for
incoming CS call and send EMM_Extended_Service_Request (with CSFB Indicator).
CSFB Lte -> WCDMA (Using handover):
Stay Tuned, Coming UP!!
Reference: Docomo Technical Journal
Labels: CSFB, IRAT

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