Networking

5G brings the need to support different kinds of UEs (e.g., for the Internet of Things (IoT), services, and technologies is driving the technology revolution to a high-performance and highly efficient 3GPP system. The drivers include IoT, Virtual Reality (VR), industrial control, ubiquitous on-demand coverage, as well as the opportunity to meet customized market needs. These drivers require enhancements to the devices, services, and technologies well established by 3GPP. The key objective with the 5G system is to be able to support new deployment scenarios across diverse market segments.

• Technical Report Focus

TR 22.261 compiles requirements that define a 5G system. The 5G system is characterised, for example, by:

• Support for multiple access technologies.
• Scalable and customizable network.
• Advanced Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (e.g., availability, latency, reliability, user experienced data rates, area traffic capacity).
• Flexibility and programmability (e.g., network slicing, diverse mobility management, Network Function Virtualization).
• Resource efficiency (both user plane and control plane).
• Seamless mobility in densely populated and heterogeneous environment.
• Support for real time and non-real time multimedia services and applications with advanced Quality of Experience (QoE).

• Latest update:

June 2019

3GPP TR 22.866, Enhanced relays for energy efficiency and extensive coverage (FS_REFEC), is a building block for Release 17 under SA1 (services) Working Group. 

This Technical Report examines several use cases and their respective KPIs in diverse market sectors, e.g. smart cities, smart farming, energy, public safety and logistics. It describes potential new requirements for energy efficiency and extensive coverage. Use cases include:

• enhancing coverage in industrial environments.
• container use cases.
• wagon use cases.
• indoor coverage for firefighters. 
• elderly healthcare.
• connected ambulance. 
• rural areas connected health.
• traffic scenarios (e.g. coverage in houses, smart factories and utilities - metering, containers stored in a port, wagons. 

Its unique identifier is WI #810018 (SP-180785), falling under WI #840048 - Enhanced Relays for Energy eFficiency and Extensive Coverage (REFEC).

Latest update: May 2019.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the primary body for developing technology specifications for cellular networks. It self-organises through its Working Groups coordinated by the Chairs of the Technical Specifications Groups (TSGs).

3GPP TSG SA WG6 - Mission-critical applications is in charge of:

• Defining, evolving and maintaining Stage 2 technical specification(s) for application layer functional elements and interfaces supporting critical communications and other applications (at the application layer), based on Stage 1 service requirements from SA1.
• The application layer aspects in 1), with emphasis on the following.
• Work with relevant groups from other SDOs to make use of expertise available to support the development of specifications under the responsibility of SA6.

A Focus Group on Vehicular Multimedia (FG-VM) has been established to identify the need for new vehicular multimedia standards based on space and terrestrial networks integration. The study will analyze and identify gaps in the vehicular multimedia standardization landscape and eventually draft technical reports and specifications covering, among others, vehicular multimedia use cases, requirements, applications, interfaces, protocols, architectures, and security, leveraging from previous work done by ITU in this field. See more details in the FG-VM terms of reference below.

We are responsible for the standardization of access, terminals, transmission and multiplexing. This includes cabling, installations, signal transmission and other forms of signal treatment up to digitalization, in the private and public domains, focusing on the specific technology, equipment, installations and regulatory aspects of the physical layer.

We are developing tools for ICT users to monitor deployment of sustainable smart cities and the sustainable efficiency, including eco-efficiency and energy management, of their sites and networks. This also offers the means of implementing the most efficient broadband systems and physical networks.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the primary body for developing technology specifications for cellular networks. It self-organises through its Working Groups coordinated by the Chairs of the Technical Specifications Groups (TSGs).

RAN WG1 (Radio layer 1) is responsible for the development of specifications dealing with Evolved UTRA. Beyond RAN WG1, it is responsible for specification of the physical layer of the Uu radio Interface for UE, Evolved UTRAN, and beyond, covering both FDD and TDD modes, as well as the physical layer of the Un Interface for Relay Nodes.

The work in RAN WG1 includes especially:

• Specification of physical channel structures
• Specification of the mapping of the transport channels onto physical channels
• Specification of the physical layer multiplexing, and channel coding and error detection
• Specification of the spreading and modulation
• Specification of the physical layer procedures
• Specification of definition of measurements and their provision by the physical layer to the upper layers

RAN WG1 also carries out work related to handling of the physical layer related UE capabilities and to physical layer related parameters used in UE tests developed in TSG RAN.

We are responsible for the standardization of Broadband Radio Access Networks. ETSI’s Broadband Radio Access Networks committee produces standards and specifications for present and future Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) technologies in different frequency ranges.

This includes ETSI Reports for new spectrum demand (System Reference Documents), technical specifications, harmonised standards produced under standardization requests from the European Commission as well as conformance test specifications (radio and protocol testing).

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the primary body for developing technology specifications for cellular networks. It self-organises through its Working Groups coordinated by the Chairs of the Technical Specifications Groups (TSGs).

Within the scope of TSG-RAN, RAN WG2 (Radio Layer 2 and Radio Layer 3 RR)  is responsible for the development of specifications dealing with Evolved UTRA, and beyond. 

RAN WG2 is responsible for:

• Specification of the radio interface architecture and protocol termination.
• Specification of radio interface protocols between UE and RAN as well as between relay node and eNodeB.
• Specification of radio interface protocols common to RAN and GERAN.
• For EUTRAN, specification of the radio interface parameters to be exchanged between eNodeBs in case of inter eNodeB handover, and between eNodeB and RNC/BSC in case of inter-RAT handovers.
• Stage 2 Specifications of the services offered by the physical layer to upper layers.
• Specification of Cell selection and re-selection procedures.
• Specification of UE capabilities for UE - RAN interface (in collaboration with RAN WG1 for Layer 1 capabilities).
• Definition of RRM strategies to be supported by RAN.
• Definition of protocol methodology in RAN specifications.
• Identification of the requirements for UE protocol tests to be defined by TSG RAN WG5, for new functions under RAN WG2 responsibility.
• For EUTRAN, specification of radio interface protocols between UE and positioning server.
• Specification of radio measurements reported to the OAM domain and the radio interface protocols used to collect them.

The Focus Group, intends to study the capabilities of networks for the year 2030 and beyond, when it is expected to support novel forward-looking scenarios, such as holographic type communications, extremely fast response in critical situations and high-precision communication demands of emerging market verticals. The study aims to answer specific questions on what kinds of network architecture and the enabling mechanisms are suitable for such novel scenarios.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the primary body for developing technology specifications for cellular networks. It self-organises through its Working Groups coordinated by the Chairs of the Technical Specifications Groups (TSGs).

RAN WG3 (Iu, Iub, Iur, S1, X2 and UTRAN/E-UTRAN) is responsible for the development of specifications dealing with UTRA, Evolved UTRA, and beyond, and in particular for:

• Overall UTRAN and E-UTRAN architecture.
• Synchronisation in UTRAN and E-UTRAN.
• Stage 2 work of Work Items allocated by TSG RAN to RAN WG3.
• UTRAN and E-UTRAN O&M requirements.
• Iu interface protocol specifications, i.e. access stratum protocols over the Iu reference point.
• Iur and Iub interface protocol specifications.
• Iupc interface protocol specifications.
• Iubc interface protocol specifications.
• Transport of implementation specific O&M between the Management System and Node B.
• Application of the RANAP on the E-interface.
• Iu-ant interface protocol specifications (RF-parts of the layer 1 specification are under the responsibility of RAN4).
• Parts of Iu and Iur protocols common to GERAN and UTRAN (Iu-g and Iur-g).
• S1 and X2 interface protocol specifications.
• M1, M2 and M3 interface protocol specifications.
• Iuh, and Iurh interface protocols specification.
• LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa).
• Xw interface protocol specifications.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the primary body for developing technology specifications for cellular networks. It self-organises through its Working Groups coordinated by the Chairs of the Technical Specifications Groups (TSGs).

RAN WG4 (Radio Performance and Protocol Aspects) is responsible for the development of specifications dealing with UTRA, Evolved UTRA, and beyond.
RAN WG4 responsibilities include:

• Radio specification for the Base Station and evolved Base Station, Repeater and Evolved Repeater, Terminal and evolved Terminal.
• Base Station and evolved Base Station, Repeater and Evolved Repeater Radio Conformance test specifications.
• Base Station and evolved Base Station, Repeater and Evolved Repeater EMC specification.
• Terminal and evolved terminal EMC specification.
• Radio Link requirement specification.
• Cell selection/reselection performance requirement specifications.
• Performance requirements in support of Radio Resource Management.
• Specification of the accuracy of measurements offered by the physical layer to the upper layers Radio system scenario analysis and simulation.

Requirements for UE and evolved UE tests as defined in TSG RAN WG5 for functions under RAN WG4 responsibility.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the primary body for developing technology specifications for cellular networks. It self-organises through its Working Groups coordinated by the Chairs of the Technical Specifications Groups (TSGs).

RAN WG5 (Mobile Terminal Conformance Testing) and is responsible for the development of UE conformance test specifications dealing with GERAN, UTRA, Evolved UTRA, and beyond.

Specifically RAN WG5 is responsible for:

• RF conformance tests in coordination with the other relevant RAN working groups.
• RRM conformance tests in coordination with the other relevant RAN working groups.
• GERAN, UTRA, evolved UTRA and beyond, IMS and NAS Protocol tests in coordination with the other relevant RAN and CT working groups respectively.
• Tests to cover Inter RAT procedures (GERAN, UTRA, and evolved UTRA).
• The formal description (prose) of protocol test cases for UTRA, evolved UTRA and beyond, Inter RAT, IMS and NAS using TTCN in coordination with MCC TF 1

RAN5 is also responsible for:

• Providing guidance to MCC TF 160 on its work priorities based on the anticipated needs of the wider test industry.
• For the delivery of UE conformance test specifications to meet the needs of the GERAN, UTRA, evolved UTRA and beyond related test industry in so far as resources allow. Therefore RAN5 will need to liaise directly with the relevant industry fora in order to determine its priorities and overall work plan.