LTE Architecture and Protocols course description

This course provides a comprehensive tour of the LTE architecture along with services provided and the protocols used.

What will you learn

• Describe the overall architecture of LTE.
• Explain the information flows through LTE.
• Describe the LTE security.
• Describe LTE mobility management.
• Recognise the next steps for LTE.

LTE Architecture and Protocols course details

LTE Architecture and Protocols course contents

• Introduction

History, LTE key features. The 4G ITU process. The LTE 3GPP specifications. Specifications.

• System Architecture

LTE hardware architecture. UE architecture and capabilities. E-UTRAN and eNB. EPC, MME functions, SGW, PGW and PCRF. System interfaces and protocol stacks. Example information flows. Dedicated and default bearers. EMM, ECM, RRC state diagrams.

• Radio transmission and reception

OFDMA, SC-FDMA, MIMO antennas. Air interface protocol stack. Logical, transport and physical channels. Frame and slot structure, the resource grid. Resource element mapping of the physical channels and signals. Cell acquisition, data transmission and random access. MAC, RLC, PDCP protocols. LTE spectrum allocation.

• Power-on procedures

Network and cell selection. RRC connection establishment. Attach procedure, including IP address allocation and default bearer activation. LTE detach procedure.

• Security in LTE networks

LTE security features, identity confidentiality, ciphering and integrity protection. Architecture of network access security in LTE. Secure key hierarchy. Authentication and key agreement procedure. Security mode command procedure. Network domain security architecture. Security associations using IKE and IPSec.

• Mobility management

RRC_IDLE, RRC_CONNECTED. Cell reselection, tracking area updates. Measurement reporting. X2 and S1 based handovers. Interoperation with UMTS, GSM and non-3GPP technologies such as cdma2000.

• QoS, policy control and charging

QoS in LTE, EPS bearers, service data flows and packet flows. The architecture and signalling procedures for policy and charging control. Data transport using GPRS, differentiated services and MPLS. Offline and online charging in LTE.

• Delivery of voice and text messages over LTE

Difficulties and solutions for Voice over LTE. Architecture and call setup procedures for circuit switched fallback. Architecture, protocols and call setup procedures in IP multimedia subsystem.

• Enhancements in release 9

LTE location services. Multimedia broadcast / multicast service and MBSFN. Cell selection, commercial mobile alert service.

• LTE Advanced and release 10

Impact of carrier aggregation on LTE air interface. Enhanced MIMO processing on uplink and downlink. Relaying. Release 11 and beyond.

• OAM and self organising networks

Operation, administration, maintenance and provisioning for LTE. Self-configuration of base station parameters. Fractional frequency re-use, inter-cell interference co-ordination. Self-optimisation of base station procedures. Self-healing to detect and recover from faults.

Learning path

Reviews