Program

Day 1 - Tutorial, Room 0055/0054
October 14, 2010, 10:00 - 18:00

Understanding the Next Generation of Mobile Broadband Communications:
LTE and EPC Concepts, Architectures, Protocols and Applications
Presented by:
Dr. Thomas Haustein, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), Germany
Prof. Dr. Thomas Magedanz, TU Berlin/Fraunhofer FOKUS, Germany

Today the concept of Mobile Broadband Networks is gaining momentum and the related 3GPP Evolved Packet System (EPS) specifications are forming the technological foundation for their implementation. The EPS comprises both, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) / 3GPP Evolved UTRAN access network as well as the 3GPP Evolved Packet Core (EPC) as new core and control network.

LTE goes beyond High Speed Data Access (HSPA) networks in terms of spectrum efficiency and performance capabilities and will provide a new dimension of uplink and downlink bandwidth, but is only IP based, i.e. circuit switched services are not supported anymore. Looking at the challenges of LTE rollouts and the resulting need for seamless interworking with other existing and emerging broadband mobile access network technologies, such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX, 2/3G, etc, the 3GPP Evolved Packet Core (EPC) represents to the key control platform for providing seamless IP connectivity across different broadband radio access networks. Thereby, the EPC allows different operator service delivery platforms, such as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) or more native internet-based services platforms, to operate on top these networks. Similar to the early days of NGN and IMS also Mobile Broadband Networks and EPC deserve a deeper analysis and practical experimentations to maximize the commercial exploitation of their technological capabilities.

This full day interactive tutorial will introduce the drivers and design criteria for mobile broadband networks, will explain the mobile network evolution and related standard fora and also outlines potential mobile broadband applications.

Subsequently we will provide an overview of LTE radio and protocol standards, spectrum options, interfaces, protocols, roll out options and a comparison with other wireless broadband technologies.

Afterwards we will illustrate the key role of the EPC for seamless Mobile Broadband service provision and explain its major architecture and capabilities. Particularly, we will address the relationships between EPC and the different mobile broadband access network technologies (3GPP and non-3GPP networks) and illustrate their potential interworking in an overarching EPC architecture.

We will also look at potential applications on top of LTE/EPC, including particularly voice service provision options, such as Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB), VoLGA (Voice over LTE via Generic Access) and VoLTE (Voice over LTE). We will also look at other, likely IMS-based, operator services such as Rich Communications Services (RCS), as well mobile IPTV, etc. In addition, we also want to explore the Internet service domain above LTE/EPC and look at domain specific over the top (OTT) services, such as telematic services.

Finally, we will outline the major LTE and EPC challenges, which motivated the development of the HHI LTE advanced testbed and the FOKUS OpenEPC platform toolkit. Both form together the Future Seamless Communications (FUSECO) Playground, enabling the industry, namely network operators, equipment manufacturers, and service providers to investigate practically the technical potentialities of LTE/EPC and higher layer open service platforms within a realistic development and execution environments.

Tutorial Outline:

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Day 2 - Workshop, Room 0055/0054
October 15, 2010, 08:30 - 17:15

Workshop - Session 1, Room 0055/0054
October 15, 2010, 08:45 - 10:00

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Workshop - Session 2, Room 0055/0054
October 15, 2010, 10:30 - 11:45

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Workshop - Session 3, Room 0055/0054
October 15, 2010, 11:45 - 12:30

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Workshop - Session 4, Room 0055/0054
October 15, 2010, 13:30 - 15:00

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Workshop - Session 5, Room 0055/0054
October 15, 2010, 15:30 - 17:00