Mobile Core Network Evolution

Udeeptha I. Senevirathna

The Department of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering,

University of Moratuwa,
Katubedda, Moratuwa 10400,
Sri Lanka
udeeptha@ent.mrt.ac.lk

Abstract. In this paper, I will investigate the mobile core network changes, and examine the motivation for the changes over the
different stages of the mobile networks, starting from GSM and then GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, IMS and finally LTE.

1 Introduction 3 GPRS

Mobile networks basically consist of two parts,
Core network (CN) and Radio Access network
(RAN). Radio access network bear the responsibility
of managing radio resources of Base Transceiver
station (BTS) with mobile user equipment (UE) by
the Base Station Controller (BSC). Core network is
responsible for switching and routing calls and data
connections to other network or within network itself.
In general, core network compose of circuit switch
(CS) and/or packet switch (PS) parts.
In section [2] explain the basic circuit switched
GSM network, section [3] describes the addition of
packet switch core network and later sections discuss
the improvement of packet network and diminishing
behavior of circuit switched network and different
changes and technological achievements over UMTS,
IMS and LTE networks. Finally conclude with beha-
vior of core networks over the new trends.
With General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), for
the first time, packet switched part adding to existing
GSM core network. Service GPRS Support Node
(SGSN) and Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)
are the two network nodes were added here. SGSN is
responsible for subscriber mobility management,
while GGSN is interworking with GPRS network
and external packet switched networks like Internet.
With this packet switched network, it was able
achieve 144 Kbps data rate.
Still there is a bottle-neck in access network to
achieve higher data rates. Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology for Radio
access network (RAN) was introduced to overcome
this bottle-neck.
4 UMTS

Universal Mobile Telecommunication System

2 GSM
Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)
has one of simplest mobile core network. It is only
consisting of circuit switched core. Major core net-
work nodes are Mobile switching Centre/Visitor
location register (MSC/VLR) and Gateway MSC
(GMSC). MSC connect with access network and
GMSC is interfacing other networks and both of
these nodes have interaction with Home location
register (HLR).
GSM alone doesn’t support packet data services.
GSM can only offer circuit switch data with a maxi-
mum rate of 56 Kbps as dialup services in Public
switched Telephone Network (PSTN). It was re-
quired packet switched core network to achieve
higher data rates. Then GPRS is coming to picture.
(UMTS) introduced by 3rd Generation Partnership
Project-Release 99, came up with WCDMA technol-
ogy to RAN while keeping existing core network of
GSM/GPRS. Here, it was required a software up-
grade and small hardware upgrade to existing CS and
PS core networks in order to interface Radio Net-
work Controller (RNC) [Similar to BSC in GSM]
and Node B [similar to BTS in GSM]. This is the
initial step of 3rd generation (3G) networks.
With this RAN, it can achieve the 386Kbps data
rate. This upgrade required higher extra capital. So
many operators were not much interest with this
solution. This is the time Enhanced Data Rate for
GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology came to picture.
This is an improvement on radio interface modula-
tion technique and achieved the same data rates as
WCDMA R99, alone with small hardware upgrade
plus software upgrade in PS core network and the
access network. So, this was much interactive than
3GPP-R99 implementation.
There is a considerable change to core network
part in 3GPP Release 4. Here, MSC function are
separated into user plane and control plane which
targets to implement new applications for mobile
terminals easily. So, most of the operators upgraded
from GSM/GPRS network directly to 3GPP-R4. In
this architecture MSC is divided into Media Gateway
(MGW) and Media Gateway Controller (MGC).
MGW is the network element which resides at the
boundary between radio access network and the core
network. MGW resource management, VLR func-
tions, routing decisions are made by MGC. Here, it
could achieve 2Mbps down link data rate through
improvement of downlink modulation techniques in
radio interface.
5 IMS
In 3GPP-R5 introduced IP Multimedia subsystem
(IMS) to co-operate with existing R4 core. This is a
promising solution for facilitating Multimedia ser-
vices over IP, interoperability and network conver-
gence while merging Cellular world and the Internet.
This can be considered as the first big step for move
towards all IP core network. In this step, introduce
new IMS domain in core network inaddition to CS
and PS domains. IMS domain consist of new func-
tional entities, Call Session Control Function (CSCF),
IMS-MGW, Media Gateway Control Function
(MGCF), Signaling Gateway (SGW), Home Sub-
scriber server (HSS) and IMS Application Servers
for different applications. CSCF has three main func-
tions. P-CSCF (Proxy) is the first contact point of
subscriber to network; S-CSCF (Serving) is the
CSCF which subscriber has attached like VLR. I-
CSCF (Interrogative) is the reference point to other
networks in order to query subscriber location in-
formation from HSS like GMSC. HSS play the role
of HLR plus managing IMS subscription information.
In this release, it achieved further high downlink
data rates (14.4Mbps) by improving downlink mod-
ulation schemes further and this is popular as High
Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA).
In 3GPP-R6 enhanced the Uplink modulation
techniques and have achieved 5.76Mbps uplink data
rate without changing the core network and this is
called High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).
This can achieved with small software upgrade in
RNC and Node Bs.
3GPP-R7 made some core network strategies to
achieve fast access time. This is a combination of
two techniques direct tunneling and Internet – High
Speed Packet Access (I-HSPA). I-HSPA introduce a
flat architectural solution by integrating RNC func-
tions in Node B (enhanced Node-B). Up to R6, user
plane data transfer from RNC to SGSN then GGSN
and finally to packet network and vice versa, but in
R7 direct tunneling and I-HSPA solution together by
pass both RNC and SGSN for fast user plane packet
access by eliminating capacity bottle-necks, while
signaling routed in old path.
6 LTE
The 3 GPP Release-8, defined UMTS Terrestrial
RAN (UTRAN) Long Term Evolution (LTE) and
System Architecture Evolution (SAE). These stan-
dards define all-IP network as the base for LTE/SAE.
In this architecture, there is no circuit switched voice
network. Both voice and data communicate over
same network called Evolved Packet System (EPS)
network. This includes many new network elements
like Mobility Management Entity (MME), SAE
Gateway, and Enhanced Node-B (eNode-B). There
are two kinds of SAEs, Serving SAE GW, which is
the contact point for this network subscribers and
Public Data Network (PDN) SAE, which is the ref-
erence point for external networks. The objective of
LTE project is to offer higher data rates and reduce
the packet latency for better Multimedia applications,
to improve responsiveness of gaming, video confe-
rencing, VoIP and other real time services are im-
proved greatly. With LTE can achieve downlink
speed of 300Mbps and uplink of 75Mbps.
7 Future Evolutions
While 3GPP Release 9 improves SAE and pro-
vide Wi-MAX and LTE interoperability. Release-10
is drafting, which will define LTE Advanced and
hope to be the milestone of 4G network.
8 Conclusions
Networks are moving towards flat architecture,
core network is converging and becoming all IP core
network to achieve low packet latency, higher data
rates, access to interactive multimedia services and
real-time applications from anywhere using any
device, easy service delivery, interoperability with
other networks, compact and power saving designs
and saving CAPEX and OPEX.
References
[1] IMS- IP Multimedia Subsystems – Erricson white
paper, October 2004
[2] Mobile Network Evolution- Broadband access Series,
Vriendt, Phillipe,Chritopher, Xiaofang-Alcatel.
[3] LTE Network Architecture Evolution-Ville Eerola,
Helsinki University, ville.eerola@tkk.fi
[4] The IP Multimedia Subsystem in Next Generation
Networks, Gilles Bertrand, May 30, 2007
[5] TISPAN, “TS 182 006 IP Multimedia subsystems;
Stage 2 description,” ETSI, Tech. Rep.,2005