LTE and Roaming

John Boggis, GSMA-IREG-RILTE Chair

Document Number

GSIF 2010

Meeting Date

29th Nov to 3rd Dec 2010,

Meeting Venue

Yokohama, Japan

For Approval

Non-Confidential

For Information

Version

1.0

Security Classification

Non- Confidential

Contents

LTE Data-Card Roaming

LTE IMS Voice Roaming
IPX Progress

Non-Confidential

LTE Data-Card Roaming

Vision for LTE

3GPP Standards
Trials at LSTI
Architecture for Data-Card Roaming
S6a Interface
Diameter Protocol
Impact on Carriers

Non-Confidential

From Requirements Setting to Standards

to Standards

From Vision

2005 Position Paper drafted by 4 operators.

White Paper 3.0 Next Generation Mobile Networks-Beyond HSPA &
EVDO published Dec 2006 by 7 operators
NGMN membership 2010 - 18 Operators-37 Manufacturers
March 2009- 3GPP Release 8 Specifications approved
March 2010- 3GPP Release 9 Specifications approved

Non-Confidential

The Standards
to Standards

From Vision

Mobile Broadband
100Mb/s Downlink; 50Mb/s Uplink ; 20Mhz bandwidth
3-5 times spectral efficiency of HSPA
30 ms end-to-end round trip latency
Always on

100+ new 3GPP R8 Specifications

150+ enhanced Specifications
50+ active companies

Non-Confidential

LTE SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI)

Becoming A Mature Technology For Mobile Broadband
to Commercial Rollout

From Standardisation
Concept

Proof of Concept completed

IOT: First results for Air Interface

and S1&X2 interface delivered

Interoperability

Friendly Customer Trials

Non-Confidential

Active Trials
delivering first results

LTE Initial Roaming Architecture (Datacard)

User plane
Control plane
Future scope

Services

H-PCRF

HSS

Home Network

S6a

H-PDN
G/W

S9

S8

Visited Network
V-PCRF

MME

SGW

V-PDN
G/W

E-UTRA

Non-Confidential

HSS
LTE
MME
PCRF
PGW
SGW

Home Subscriber Server

Long Term Evolution (Radio)
Mobility Management Entity
Policy and Charging Rules Function
PDN(Packet Data Network) Gateway
Serving Gateway

S6a
S8

Diameter (Mobility Mgmt) replaces MAP

GTP as used for GPRS & UMTS

S6a Interface

Interface between the HSS (Home Subscriber Server) and the MME
(Mobility Management Entity).
Enables transfer of subscription and authentication data for
authenticating/authorising user access to Evolved Packet Core. (E.g.
similar function to Gr Interface in 3GPP UMTS Packet Core between
HLR and SGSN).
Defined within 3GPP TS 29.272, based on the Diameter Protocol.
Why Diameter, instead of MAP:

Non-Confidential

Move away from SS7-signalling transport in the core network (e.g. MTPbased, SIGTRAN-based) towards a pure IP signalling transport (e.g.
TCP, SCTP).
Diameter protocols adopted within IMS architecture for HSS (Cx and Sh
Interfaces) and within PCC architecture.

What is Diameter?

Diameter Base Protocol is defined within IETF RFC 3588, published

in September 2003.
Originally developed as existing AAA protocols (e.g. RADIUS) did not
satisfy the requirements of evolving networks:

Non-Confidential

Failover Mechanisms application-layer acknowledgements

Transmission-level Security IPSec and TLS
Reliable Transport SCTP and TCP
Agent Support Proxies, Redirects, Relays
Server-Initiated messages
Capability Negotiation and Error Handling
Peer Discovery and Configuration Support of DNS
Roaming Support via support of proxies, transmission layer security,
and host/realm-based routing.

LTE Data Card Roaming - Impact on Carriers

All Roaming Interfaces are IP based

Increased usage of GRX/IPX due to higher user-data rates.
Additional IP protocols required
SCTP expects consistent latency and low packet loss.
SS7 not used for Authentication, Registration or Subscription
Management.
SS7 remains for SMS (SMS-over-SGs)

Non-Confidential

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Contents

LTE Data-Card Roaming

LTE IMS Voice Roaming
IPX Progress

Non-Confidential

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LTE IMS Voice Roaming

Background to AATF Commercial and Direct Media requirements

Routing cases
IMS-IMS NNI current architecture
Local Break out
Target Voice-over LTE High Level Roaming Architecture
Roaming and Interconnect interfaces
Impact on Carriers

Non-Confidential

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Design Requirements

Voice call routing for Voice over LTE when call originator is Roaming
should be at least as optimal as that of current CS Domain. This
means that the bearer path for a VoLTE call should be routed from
the Visited network of a Roaming call originator to the terminating
network.
The charging model for roaming used in CS Domain shall be
maintained in VoLTE.

Non-Confidential

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Current Data Roaming Architecture

VPMN (a)

HPMN (a)

Services

HPMN (b)

VPMN (b)
b

Non-Confidential

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Services

Current Voice Roaming Architecture

VPMN (a)

Mobilty Mgmt
And CAMEL

HPMN (a)

HPMN (b)

VPMN (b)
b

Non-Confidential

15

Target IMS Voice Roaming Architecture (minimum)

VPMN (a)

HPMN (a)

HPMN (b)

VPMN (b)
b

Non-Confidential

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Target IMS Voice Roaming Architecture (optimised)

VPMN (a)

HPMN (a)

Control

Media

HPMN (b)

VPMN (b)
b

Non-Confidential

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Simplified IMS-IMS NNI current architecture

VPMN of A party

HPMN of A party
P-CSCF
Mw

IBCF
P-GW

UE

Routing of
user plane

I-CSCF

S-CSCF

IBCF
HSS

IMS-AGW

TrGW

TAS

Routing of
control plane

Mb

VPMN of B party

HPMN of B party
IMS-AGW
HSS

TrGW
UE

P-GW

P-CSCF

Mw

IBCF

Non-Confidential

I-CSCF

IBCF

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TAS

S-CSCF

Mm

Glossary
HPMN
H-PCRF
HSS
IBCF
I-CSCF
IMS-AGW
P-CSCF
P-GW
TAS
TrGW
UE
V-PCRF
VPMN

Non-Confidential

Home Public Mobile Network

Home Network Policy and Charging Rules Function
Home Subscriber Server
Interconnection Border Control Function
Interrogating - Call Session Control Function
IMS Access Gateway
Proxy - Call Session Control Function
Packet Gateway
Telephony Application Server
Transition Gateway
User Equipment
Visited Network - Policy and Charging Rules Function
Visited Public Mobile Network

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VPMN Break-Out

Services

Non-Confidential

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Target Voice-over LTE High Level Roaming Architecture

Key:
Media plane
Control Plane

HSS

IMS
H-PCRF

S9

Home Network

AS

S-CSCF

Mw

IPX

Visited Network
V-PCRF

P-CSCF

Mb
SGW

UE

Non-Confidential

PDN
GW

IMS-AGW

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IP
Interconnect
Network

Interfaces
HPMN - VPMN


Mobility Mgmt

S6a

Diameter (supersedes MAP-SS7)

S9

Diameter

Policy and Charging Rules

HSS to MME
hPCRF to vPCRF

IMS Signalling

P-CSCF to S-CSCF Mw

SIP

HPMN Interconnect


IMS Signalling

S-CSCF(a) to S-CSCF(b)

Mm

SIP

Mb

RTCP/RTP

VPMN Interconnect


IMS Media

Non-Confidential

IMS AGW(a) to IMS AGW(b)

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LTE IMS Voice Roaming - Impact on Carriers

Local Break-out
Direct Media Routing
Separation of Signalling (SIP) and Media (RTP)

Non-Confidential

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Contents

LTE Data-Card Roaming

LTE IMS Voice Roaming
IPX Progress

Non-Confidential

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IPX Progress

Progress Summary

IPv6

Number of IPX in a chain

Peering Points Status

i3F Relationship

TDM Break-out

Non-Confidential

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IPX Progress- 1

IPv6

Increasing incorporation of IPv6 into IP design activities

Internal Reference Documents being enhanced
Address Management; Use same process as with v4 process
GSMA-EMC IPv6 Task Force concludes end 2010.

IPXs in a chain

Non-Confidential

Generally maximum of two

More than two allowed only for Packet Voice Interconnect (PVI), but
recommendation is that this be the exception rather than the norm.

QoS, SLA and security requirements also must still be met.

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IPX progress - 2

Peering points

Europe
Asia
N.America

Improving Regional Connectivity -> Improved Quality

Amsterdam
Singapore
Ashburn (VA)

23 members
14
8

IPX/i3F harmonisation

TDM/PSTN break-in and break-out

Non-Confidential

Allow IPX Provider to perform TDM/PSTN break-in and/or break-out

This is Work in progress

IREG is reviewing of i3F document "Technical Specification for Voice

over IPX service Release 1

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Thank You

Non-Confidential

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