Packet Core inside of the EPS (Basic Architecture of the EPS)

The EPS most widely used for LTE. Don't confuse about EPS and EPC, EPS is whole of system network (access network and packet core network). Access network in LTE is E-UTRAN, Packet core network in LTE is EPC. Released 2008 Q4, EPC was first introduced by 3GPP in Release 8 of the standard. The traffic is separated by two functional, the user data (the user plane) and the signalling (the control plane). This functional split have implemented from GPRS release.

This figure of basic architecture of the EPS, the UE (User Equipment) is connected to the EPC over E-UTRAN (access network) going to external networks. Simple .. right ?

Please refer to Packet Core Glossary for some term.

Packet Core (Packet-Switching) Glossary of Terms and Acronyms

Previous posting about Packet Core Overview, I forgot to write acronyms and terms.

• IP: Internet Protocol. A network layer protocol responsible for addressing, sending among others, TCP packets over the network.

• IP Address: Used to identify a node on a TCP/IP network and to specify routing information on an internetwork. An IP address consists of a network ID plus a unique host ID assigned by the network administrator. The network ID and the host ID can be separated from an IP address by the subnet mask.

• PS: Packet-Switching

• CS: Circuit-Switching is a way of communicating that requires the establishment of a dedicated path before data transfer can take place. The Public Switched Telephone Network is based on circuit switching.

• GPRS: General Packet Radio Service. GPRS has been standardized within ETSI and was the first valid standard for packet data communications in GSM-type radio networks. 3GPP today also maintains the 2G GPRS standards.

• UMTS: Universal Mobile Telephone System. The telecommunications system, incorporating mobile cellular and other functionality, that is the subject of standards produced by 3GPP.

• UMTS Network: Network operated by one or several network operators and consisting of WCDMA RAN.

• LTE: Long-Term Evolution, is the global standard for the fourth generation of mobile broadband (4G). The radio network in the EPS network. The LTE network consists of eNodeBs. In the 3GPP standard, the radio network is defined as E-UTRAN.

• EPC: Evolved Packet Core. The core network in the EPS network.

• EPS: Evolved Packet System. The EPS network consists of the LTE and EPC networks. It provides a basic solution for IP communication between UE and the Internet or corporate LANs.

• GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

Packet Core (Packet-Switching) Overview

Have been a long time, I didn't post here. From now I will share my experience related with IP network, Packet Core and social life on this blog.

For first time, I will describe about Packet Core or PS Core. Packet Core is part architecture of GPRS, UMTS or EPC. Any traffic of internet or private network is data. Data is transported in packets.

In GPRS, Packet-Switching is added to Circuit-Switching. Basicly voice and sms still transport in Circuit. But Data is transport in Packet. So the core network is composed in Circuit and Packet. In UMTS (3G), the concept still the same.

Different concept in EPC, it's designed for the evolution of the 3G system. IP as the key protocol to transport all services. The EPC would not have a circuit switch anymore. The EPC most widely used for LTE.

The old concept of cellular is GSM.  All services are transported over circuit-switches telephony principally.