Chapter 3
3GPP Mobile Systems
The focus of this chapter is the mobile system. As 3GPP mobile systems, 2G, 3G, and LTE are covered. The intention is to review the functional division of the mobile system, by introducing mobile backhaul related characteristics. These characteristics mostly relate to the radio access network, so there is less emphasis on the core network in this text. An obvious topic is the logical interface definitions in specifications – what protocols has 3GPP standardized for the backhaul?
The goal of the mobile system as a whole is in delivering a service to the user over the air interface. For the mobile backhaul, it is thus useful to study the protocols and elements that are involved in this delivery at the radio network layer.
Section 3.1 consists of an introduction, which may help in reading the subsequent sections. 2G system (with evolution) is discussed in 3.2, 3G system (with HSPA and further evolution) in 3.3, and LTE in 3.4. Focus is on HSPA and LTE.
