Chapter 7 outline

▪ Introduction

Wireless
▪Wireless links and network
characteristics
▪CDMA: code division multiple
access
▪WiFi: 802.11 wireless LANs
▪Bluetooth
Class 22: 1
2G architecture
• Base Station Transceiver Station (BTS)
• Base Station Controller (BSC):
• Mobile Switching Center (MSC)
• Home Location Register (HLR)
• Visitor Location Register (VLR)
• Gateway Mobile Switching Center
(GMSC)
• The Um interface is responsible for
communication between the mobile device
and the base station, while the Abis
interface is responsible for communication
between the base station and the base station
controller.

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 2

3G architecture
• Radio Network Controllers (RNC)

• UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access

Network (UTRAN)

• Core Network (CN)

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 3

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
▪ A multiple access method used in wireless communication (used
in 3G cellular networks).

▪ Instead of dividing bandwidth by time (like TDMA) or frequency (like

FDMA), CDMA uses codes to separate users.
▪ Each user gets a special code (called a chipping sequence).
▪ This code is used to encode the user's data.
▪ encoding: inner product: (original data) X (chipping sequence)
▪ decoding: summed inner-product: (encoded data) X (chipping
sequence)

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 4

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 5
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 6
4G/5G cellular networks
▪ the solution for wide-area mobile Internet
▪ widespread deployment/use:
• more mobile-broadband-connected devices than fixed-
broadband-connected devices devices (5-1 in 2019)!
• 4G availability: 97% of time in Korea (90% in US)
▪ transmission rates up to 100’s Mbps
▪ technical standards: 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
• wwww.3gpp.org
• 4G: Long-Term Evolution (LTE)standard

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 7

4G/5G cellular networks
similarities to wired Internet differences from wired Internet
▪ edge/core distinction, but both ▪ different wireless link layer
belong to same carrier ▪ mobility as a 1st class service
▪ global cellular network: a ▪ user “identity” (via SIM card)
network of networks ▪ business model: users
▪ widespread use of protocols subscribe to a cellular provider
we’ve studied: HTTP, DNS, TCP, • strong notion of “home network”
UDP, IP, NAT, separation of versus roaming on visited nets
data/control planes, SDN, • global access, with authentication
Ethernet, tunneling infrastructure, and inter-carrier
▪ interconnected to wired settlements
Internet
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 8
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 9
Elements of 4G LTE architecture

Mobile device:
Mobility
▪ smartphone, tablet, laptop, Mobile device
(UE)
Management
Entity (MME)
Home Subscriber
Service (HSS)

IoT, ... with 4G LTE radio Base station

(eNode-B)

▪ 64-bit International Mobile to

Internet
Subscriber Identity (IMSI),
stored on SIM (Subscriber PDN gateway (P-GW)

Identity Module) card Serving Gateway (S-GW)

…
▪ LTE jargon: User Equipment
(UE)
radio access
network all-IP Enhanced Packet Core (EPC)

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 10

 Elements of 4G LTE architecture
Base station:
▪ at “edge” of carrier’s network
▪ manages wireless radio Mobile device
Mobility
Management Home Subscriber
resources, mobile devices in its (UE)
Base station
Entity (MME) Service (HSS)

coverage area (“cell”) (eNode-B)

▪ coordinates device to
Internet
authentication with other PDN gateway (P-GW)
elements
▪ similar to WiFi AP but: …
Serving Gateway (S-GW)

• active role in user mobility

• coordinates with nearly base
stations to optimize radio
use
▪ LTE jargon: eNode-B
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 11
Radio Access Network: 4G radio
Mobile device
(UE)
Base

▪connects device (UE) to a base station (eNode-B) station

(eNode-B)

• multiple devices connected to each base station

▪many different possible frequencies bands, multiple channels in each
band
• popular bands: 600, 700, 850, 1500, 1700, 1900, 2100, 2600, 3500 MHz
• separate upstream and downstream channels
▪sharing 4G radio channel among users:
• OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
• combination of FDM, TDM
▪100’s Mbps possible per user/device

Class 23: 12
Elements of 4G LTE architecture
Home Subscriber Service
▪ stores info about mobile Mobility
Home Subscriber
devices for which the HSS’s Mobile device
(UE)
Management
Entity (MME) Service (HSS)
Base station
network is their “home (eNode-B)

network” to
Internet
▪ works with MME in device PDN gateway (P-GW)
authentication
Serving Gateway (S-GW)
…

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 13

Elements of 4G LTE architecture
Serving Gateway (S-GW),
PDN Gateway (P-GW) Mobility
Management Home Subscriber
▪ lie on data path from mobile Mobile device
(UE)
Base station
Entity (MME) Service (HSS)

to/from Internet (eNode-B)

to
▪ P-GW Internet
• gateway to mobile cellular PDN gateway (P-GW)
network
• Looks like nay other …
Serving Gateway (S-GW)

internet gateway router

• provides NAT services
▪ other routers:
• extensive use of tunneling
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 14
Elements of 4G LTE architecture
Mobility Management
Entity Mobility
Management Home Subscriber
Mobile device Service (HSS)
▪ device authentication (UE) Entity (MME)
Base station
(eNode-B)
(device-to-network, network-
to
to-device) coordinated with Internet
mobile home network HSS PDN gateway (P-GW)

▪ mobile device management: Serving Gateway (S-GW)

…
• device handover between cells
• tracking/paging device location
▪ path (tunneling) setup from mobile
device to P-GW
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 15
LTE: data plane control plane separation
HSS control plane
▪ new protocols for mobility
management , security,
base station
MME
P-GW authentication (later)
S-GW

data plane
▪ new protocols at link,
base station S-GW P-GW
physical layers
▪ extensive use of tunneling to
IP tunnels facilitate mobility

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 16

 LTE data plane protocol stack: first hop
Application LTE link layer protocols:
Transpor ▪ Packet Data Convergence: header
t IP IP compression, encryption
Packet Data
Convergence
Packet Data
Convergence ▪ Radio Link Control (RLC) Protocol:
fragmentation/reassembly, reliable data
Link

Radio Link Radio Link

Medium Access Medium Access transfer
Physical Physical ▪ Medium Access: requesting, use of radio
transmission slots (OFDM)

data
plane
base station S-GW P-GW

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 17

LTE data plane protocol stack: packet core
tunneling:
▪ mobile datagram
GTP GTP GTP
-U
UD -U
UD -U
UD encapsulated using GPRS
I PI PI PI Tunneling Protocol (GTP),
PData
Packet
Convergence
P P P sent inside UDP
Radio Link lin lin lin
Medium Access k k k
datagram to S-GW
Physi Physi Physi Physi ▪ S-GW re-tunnels
cal cal cal cal datagrams to P-GW
▪ supporting mobility: only
\
tunneling endpoints
base station S-GW P-GW
change when mobile
user moves
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 18
LTE data plane: associating with a BS
1
2
3 data
plane
base station S-GW P-GW

1 BS broadcasts primary synch signal every 5 ms on all frequencies

▪ BSs from multiple carriers may be broadcasting synch signals
2 mobile finds a primary synch signal, then locates 2nd synch signal on this freq.
▪ mobile then finds info broadcast by BS: channel bandwidth, configurations;
BS’s cellular carrier info
▪ mobile may get info from multiple base stations, multiple cellular networks
3 mobile selects which BS to associate with (e.g., preference for home carrier)
4 more steps still needed to authenticate, establish state, set up data plane
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 19
LTE mobiles: sleep modes
ZZZZ...

data
plane

as in WiFi, Bluetooth: LTE mobile may put radio to “sleep” to conserve

battery:
▪ light sleep: after 100’s msec of inactivity
▪ wake up periodically (100’s msec) to check for downstream transmissions
▪ deep sleep: after 5-10 secs of inactivity
▪ mobile may change cells while deep sleeping – need to re-establish association

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 20

 On to 5G: motivation

From Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMS) alliance: 2020 white paper

Hype/wishes need to be separated from reality or likely nearer-term

reality Class 23: 21
On to 5G: motivation
“initial standards and
launches have mostly
focused on enhanced
Mobile Broadband, 5G is
expected to increasingly
enable new business
models and countless new
use cases, in particular
those of massive Machine
Type Communications and
Ultra-reliable and Low
Latency Communications.”
Figure: from Recommendation ITU-R M.2083-0 (2015)
Class 23: 22
On to 5G: motivation

eMBB Industry verticals:

▪ Manufacturing
▪ Constructions
▪ Transport
▪ Health
▪ Smart
communities
▪ Education
mMTC URLLC ▪ Tourism
▪ Agriculture
▪ Finance
K. Schwab, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution,” World Economic Forum.
Class 23: 23
On to 5G: Radio
▪ goal: 10x increase in peak bitrate, 10x decrease in latency, 100x increase
in traffic capacity over 4G
▪ 5G NR (new radio):
▪ two frequency bands: FR1 (450 MHz–6 GHz) and FR2 (24 GHz–52 GHz): millimeter wave
frequencies
▪ not backwards-compatible with 4G
▪ MIMO: multiple directional antennae
▪ millimeter wave frequencies: much higher data rates, but over shorter
distances
▪ pico-cells: cells diameters: 10-100 m
▪ massive, dense deployment of new base stations required
Class 23: 24
On to 5G: SDN-like architecture
Serving gateway (S-GW) PDN gateway (P-GW)
public Internet
and
inter-carrier
IPX

4G mobile core:
boxes and protocols

Mobility
Management Home Subscriber
Entity (MME) Service (HSS) public Internet
and
inter-carrier
IPX

5G: microservice-like architecture

Class 23: 25
On beyond 5G?
▪ “6G” not obviously next: “NextG” and “Beyond 5G” heard more
often than “6G”
▪ 5G on an evolutionary path (like the Internet)
• agility: cloud technologies (SDN) mean new features can be introduced
rapidly, deployed continuously
• customization: change can be introduced bottom-up (e.g., by enterprises and
edge cloud partners with Private 5G)
• No need to wait for standardization
• No need to reach agreement (among all incumbent stakeholders)

Class 23: 26
What is mobility?
▪ spectrum of mobility, from the network perspective:
no mobility high mobility

device moves device moves device moves device moves

between within same AP in among APs in among multiple
networks, but one provider one provider provider networks,
powers down network network while maintaining
while moving ongoing
We’re interested in these!
connections
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 27
Mobility challenge:
content
provider
If a device moves from network datacenter
network
Verizo
one network another: n
▪ How will the public Internet
“network” know to
forward packets to
the new network?
client moves from
Verizon to AT&T
AT&T

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 28

Mobility approaches
▪ let network (routers) handle it:
• routers advertise well-known name, address (e.g., permanent 32-
bit IP address), or number (e.g., cell #) of visiting mobile node via
usual routing table exchange
• Internet routing could do this already with no changes! Routing
tables indicate where each mobile located via longest prefix match!

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 29

Mobility approaches
▪ let network (routers) handle it:
• routers advertise well-known not name, address (e.g., permanent 32-
bit IP address), or number (e.g., cell #) of visiting mobile node via
scalable
usual routing table exchange
to billions of
mobiles
• Internet routing could do this already with no changes! Routing
tables indicate where each mobile located via longest prefix match!
▪ let end-systems handle it: functionality at the “edge”
• indirect routing: communication from correspondent to mobile
goes through home network, then forwarded to remote mobile
• direct routing: correspondent gets foreign address of mobile, send
directly to mobile
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 30
Contacting a mobile friend: I wonder where
Alice moved to?
Consider friend frequently changing
locations, how do you find him/her?
▪search all phone books?
▪expect her to let you know
where he/she is?
▪call his/her parents?
▪Facebook!

The importance of having a “home”:

▪ a definitive source of information about you
▪ a place where people can find out where you are
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 31
 Home network, visited network: 4G/5G
Home
home network:
Subscriber
Server
▪ (paid) service plan with
cellular provider, e.g.,
home mobile
carrier network P-GW
Verizon, Orange
public Internet
and ▪ home network HSS stores
inter-carrier identify & services info
in home network IPX

visited network:
▪ any network other than
P-GW your home network
SIM card: global visited mobile
identify info carrier network ▪ service agreement with
including home other networks: to provide
network roaming in
visited network access to visiting mobile
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 32
 Home network, visited network: ISP/WiFi
ISP/WiFi: no notion of global “home”
authentication ▪ credentials from ISP (e.g.,
access
server
username, password) stored
on device or with user
public ▪ ISPs may have national,
Internet
attach
international presence
▪ different networks: different
credentials
• some exceptions (e.g.,
authentication
eduroam)
access
server
• architectures exist (mobile
IP) for 4G-like mobility, but
attach
not used
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 33
Home network, visited network: generic
Home Network Visited Network
e.g.,: 128.119/16 e.g.,: 79.129/16

Permanent IP: Home NAT IP:

128.119.40.186 Subscriber 10.0.0.99
IMSI Server IMSI Mobility
78:4f:43:98:d9:27 manager
78:4f:43:98:d9:27

Mobility Visited
manager Home network
network
Home gateway gateway
gateway
public or private
Internet

Correspondent

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 34

Registration: home needs to know where you are!
Home Network Visited Network
e.g.,: 128.119/16 e.g.,: 79.129/16
1 mobile associates
Home
Permanent IP:
128.119.40.186 Subscriber
2
NAT IP:
10.0.0.99
with visited
IMSI Mobility
78:4f:43:98:d9:27
Server IMSI
78:4f:43:98:d9:27 manager mobility manager
Mobility
Home
Visited visited mobility
manager network
network
Home gateway
gateway
gateway manager registers
public or private mobile’s location
Internet with home HSS
end result:
▪ visited mobility manager knows about mobile
▪ home HSS knows location of mobile

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 35

 Mobility with indirect routing
Home Network Visited Network
e.g.,: 128.119/16 e.g.,: 79.129/16

Permanent IP: Home NAT IP:

128.119.40.186 Subscriber 10.0.0.99 3
IMSI Server IMSI Mobility
78:4f:43:98:d9:27 manager
78:4f:43:98:d9:27
visited gateway router
2
Mobility Visited forwards to mobile
manager Home 4a network
network
Home gateway gateway
gateway
home gateway receives public or private
Internet
datagram, forwards (tunnels) 1
4b visited gateway router forwards
to remote gateway reply to correspondent via home
correspondent uses home network (4a) or directly (4b)
address as datagram Correspondent
destination address
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 36
Mobility with indirect routing: comments
▪triangle routing:
• inefficient when correspondent
and mobile are in same network
▪mobile moves among visited networks: transparent to correspondent!
• registers in new visited network
• new visited network registers with home HSS
• datagrams continue to be forwarded from home network to mobile
in new network
• on-going (e.g., TCP) connections between correspondent and mobile
can be maintained!
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 37
Mobility with direct routing
Home Network Visited Network
e.g.,: 128.119/16 e.g.,: 79.129/16

Permanent IP: Home NAT IP:

128.119.40.186 Subscriber 10.0.0.99 4
IMSI Server IMSI Mobility
78:4f:43:98:d9:27 manager
78:4f:43:98:d9:27
visited gateway router
Mobility Visited forwards to mobile
manager network
gateway
Home gateway
2
public or private 3
Internet
correspondent contacts 1
home HSS, gets mobile’s Correspondent
visited network addresses datagram
to visited network
Correspondent
address

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 38

Mobility with direct routing: comments
▪ overcomes triangle routing inefficiencies
▪ non-transparent to correspondent: correspondent must get care-of-
address from home agent
▪ what if mobile changes visited network?
• can be handled, but with additional complexity

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 39

Chapter 7 outline

▪ Introduction

Wireless Mobility
▪Wireless links and network ▪ Mobility management: principles
characteristics ▪ Mobility management: practice
▪WiFi: 802.11 wireless LANs • 4G/5G networks
▪Cellular networks: 4G and 5G • Mobile IP
▪ Mobility: impact on higher-layer
protocols
Link Layer: 6-40
Mobility in 4G networks: major mobility tasks
Mobility 1 base station association:
Home
manager
▪ covered earlier
2 1
Subscribe
r
MME ▪ mobile provides IMSI –
Server identifying itself, home network
Home 3 base station
network P-GW S-GW 4
2 control-plane configuration:
Internet ▪ MME, home HSS establish
P-GW
Visited network control-plane state - mobile
is in visited network
Streaming
server 3 data-plane configuration:
▪ MME configures forwarding tunnels for mobile
▪ visited, home network establish tunnels from
4 mobile handover:
home P-GW to mobile
▪ mobile device changes its point of attachment to visited network
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 41
Configuring LTE control-plane elements
Mobility
manager
Home
Subscribe MME
2
r
Server
Home base station
network P-GW P-GW S-GW
Visited network

▪Mobile communicates with local MME via BS control-plane channel

▪MME uses mobile’s IMSI info to contact mobile’s home HSS
• retrieve authentication, encryption, network service information
• home HHS knows mobile now resident in visited network
▪BS, mobile select parameters for BS-mobile data-plane radio channel
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 42
Configuring data-plane tunnels for mobile
Mobility
▪S-GW to BS tunnel: when Home
manager
Subscribe
mobile changes base r
Server
MME

stations, simply change Home

network P-GW S-GW
base station

endpoint IP address of
tunnel Internet
P-GW
Visited network
▪S-GW to home P-GW
tunnel: implementation Streaming
of indirect routing server

▪tunneling via GTP (GPRS tunneling protocol): mobile’s datagram to

streaming server encapsulated using GTP inside UDP, inside datagram

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 43

Handover between BSs in same cellular network

data path before handover

source BS
1 current (source) BS selects
S-GW 3 target BS, sends Handover
1 4 Request message to target BS
2
P-GW
2 target BS pre-allocates radio
data path after
time slots, responds with HR
handover MME target BS ACK with info for mobile

3 source BS informs mobile of new BS

▪ mobile can now send via new BS - handover
looks complete to mobile
4 source BS stops sending datagrams to mobile, instead forwards to new BS
(who forwards to mobile over radio channel)
Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 44
Handover between BSs in same cellular network
source BS

S-GW 3
1 4 5 target BS informs MME that it is
2 6
P-GW new BS for mobile
5 7 ▪ MME instructs S-GW to
5 change tunnel endpoint to be
MME target BS (new) target BS

6 target BS ACKs back to source BS: handover complete, source BS can

release resources
7 mobile’s datagrams now flow through new tunnel from target BS to S-GW

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 45

Mobile IP
▪mobile IP architecture standardized ~20 years ago [RFC 5944]
• long before ubiquitous smartphones, 4G support for Internet protocols
• did not see wide deployment/use
• perhaps WiFi for Internet, and 2G/3G phones for voice were “good enough” at
the time
▪ mobile IP architecture:
• indirect routing to node (via home network) using tunnels
• mobile IP home agent: combined roles of 4G HSS and home P-GW
• mobile IP foreign agent: combined roles of 4G MME and S-GW
• protocols for agent discovery in visited network, registration of visited location in
home network via ICMP extensions

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 46

Wireless, mobility: impact on higher layer
protocols
▪logically, impact should be minimal …
• best effort service model remains unchanged
• TCP and UDP can (and do) run over wireless, mobile
▪… but performance-wise:
• packet loss/delay due to bit-errors (discarded packets, delays for link-layer
retransmissions), and handover loss
• TCP interprets loss as congestion, will decrease congestion window un-
necessarily
• delay impairments for real-time traffic
• bandwidth a scare resource for wireless links

Wireless and Mobile Networks: 7- 47