Huawei Technologies

Practical Experiences in 2G/3G Interworking

By Liu Ping

billion in the next three and a half years. Also worth noting is the tremendous growth that 3G is experiencing worldwide. When one considers these circumstances, then it is easy to see why 2G/3G interworking is now a great issue that traditional GSM operators have to face.
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ccording to Informa Telecoms & Media, the total number of GSM subscribers worldwide topped 1.5 billion as of August 2005, and is expected to reach 2

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How to Operate
Practical Experiences in 2G/3G Interworking

Pioneers Track
In the early phases of 3G network deployment, when perfect nationwide coverage was hard to achieve, stable and mature 2G networks were able to make up for the insufficient coverage of 3G networks and were able to guarantee service continuity. In the middle and latter phases of deployment, when the 3G network was heavily loaded with users, who were rapidly switching from 2G to 3G networks, the 2G network that offered the same coverage could help to digest low-end 3G users, who were becoming redundant. Network planning experts suggest that fully capitalizing on the existing 2G infrastructure in 3G network construction can greatly enhance user satisfaction and further maximize network profitability. In order to achieve coverage extension and load balance, two key issues must be addressed, resident strategy during the idle mode for dual band terminal users, and inter-system handover strategy in the connected mode. As for the resident strategy, both PLMN reselection and cell reselection allow intersystem roaming for 3G users. As for the handover strategy, voice and data service must be processed differentially, with GSM to UMTS unidirectional handover for voice service, and cell reselection for GPRS and UMTS bidirectional handover for data services. How to decide which specific interworking strategy to adopt requires a case-by-case analysis. U.A.E. Etisalat and Hong Kong PCCW/SUNDAY selected different 2G/3G interworking strategies, based on a clear understanding of their own circumstances, and both achieved great success as a result.

U.A.E. Etisalat: GSM network update to gain the edge on the competition
Covering an area of 85.47 thousand square kilometers, U.A.E. is one of the richest countries in the Middle East, with a national average annual income of 88,000 Dirham (approx. USD 22000). As of June 2005, the country boasted of a mobile penetration rate of 95%, and a mobile subscriber base that exceeds 4 million people. Etisalat is the sole telecommunication operator in U.A.E. Etisalat launched its 3G network on Dec 24, 2003, which is basically the first commercial network worldwide with 2G/3G interworking. As early as the pre-commercial trial, 2G/3G interworking had become the most important test project that Etisalat was involved with, and the GSM network was upgraded before inviting bids on who would build its 3G network. The 2G/3G interworking strategy adopted by Etisalat can be summarized as follows: It should reside in the 3G with priority in idle mode, it should have bidirectional inter-system roaming (cell reselection) ability, 3G to 2G unidirectional handover for voice service, and bidirectional handover for data service. According to the network operational performance statistics in Fig.1, the success rate of inter-system handover was 98%, thus, subscribers hardly noticed t h e h a n d ov e r b e t w e e n t h e t w o n e t w o rk s . Consequently, the outstanding interworking performance of the network has made the Etisalat mode a perfect example for operators worldwide to follow.

Fig.1 Success rate of inter-system handover for eight consecutive months of Etisalat

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Huawei Technologies

Hong Kong PCCW/ SUNDAY: Maintain GSM network and strive for a harmonious operation
Hong Kong is situated at the southeastern tip of China with total land area of 1092 square kilometers. The mobile penetration currently reaches an amazingly high 106% of its 7 million total populations. PCCW/SUNDAY selected Huawei as its partner in building its 3G network at the end of 2003, and the network was officially launched at the beginning of 2005. Due to the investment limitation and the lack of supports from former supplier, PCCW/ SUNDAY did not upgrade its GSM network with R99 protocol. As matter of fact, PCCW/SUNDAY adopted a different 3G/2G interworking strategy than that of Etisalat. The strategy of PCCW/SUNDAY can be summarized as follows: It should reside in 3G networks with priority in idle mode, and supports the bidirectional inter-system roaming function (3G to 2G cell reselection and 2G to 3G PLMN reselection). It should also support 3G to 2G unidirectional handover for voice service, and 3G to 2G unidirectional handover for data service. The 3G/2G interworking strategy of PCCW/SUNDAY is a good example for any operators who opt not to update their existing 2G networks.

Three Practical Experiences for 2G/3G Interworking

Despite their different 2G/3G interworking approaches, both Etisalat and PCCW/SUNDAY have achieved great success with their network strategy. The three experiences summarized from two typical cases are highlighted below for reference.

Achieving a full adaptation from 3G network to 2G network

In the process of 2G/3G interworking, there are only signaling interactions on the MAP/E and GTP/GN interfaces. Thus, the 3G network is able to fully adapt to the 2G network, and avoid upgrading MSC/SGSN of GSM. In this case, compatibility of 3G equipment is the key factor for the realization of 2G/3G interworking. For the handover process of voice service, the 3G MSC, first, initiates a session request to the 2G MSC, with MAP AC3. If the 2G MSC supports the GSM R99 protocol, then the session will be successful, otherwise, 3G MSC will initiate a session negotiation process. (2G MSC acknowledge AC2 for supportive MAP AC, and then 3G MSC will initiate a second session request with MAP AC2.) In regards to the handover process of packet services, the target SGSN will contact the source SGSN. If both the source and target SGSN support 3GPP R99, then GTPV1 will be adopted, however, if GSM SGSN does not support 3GPP R99, then GTPV0 will be adopted. Under such circumstance, some services may be degraded, for example, GSM SGSN may degrade the PDP contexts, such as real-time PDP contexts.

modification of three system messages. First, the system message SI2ter needs to be modified. The GSM R99 protocol permits the SI2ter to define the frequency information and cell reselection parameter of the adjacent cell. Second, add the system message SI2quater: In the absence of a SI2quater definition in the GSM protocol, the GSM R99 04.18 protocol added the definition, including information on cell reselection, measuring and reporting. Third, the system message SI3 needs to be modified. Information as to whether there is a SI2tquater message, and whether the terminal should report a UTRAN CLASSMARK CHANGE message, is added to the Rest Octet IE, in GSM R99 04.18 protocol SI3. Modifying the protocol does not require much work and can be achieved by using a software patch. It is recommended that the operators patch the GSM network as early as possible, so as to avoid any negative impact on the selection of interworking strategies.

Loose-coupling enhances network performance

A Loose-coupling interworking strategy is commonly adopted by commercial networks. It has proven to be a very efficient strategy for improving network performance. Based on the theoretical analysis shown here, unidirectional handover for voice service and roaming through cell re s e l e c t i o n , c a n g re a t l y l ow e r t h e requirement for the GSM network, as well as enhance the QoS, boosting user satisfaction. In conclusion, the 3G/2G interworking strategy is currently the most critical issue in regards to the 3G commercialization process, and interworking between systems will remain an important issue for some time to come, during the evolution process, from 2G, to 3G. Obviously, the key factor of 2G/ 3G interworking lies in the compatibility of the 3G network element. To lower the requirements for 3G equipment, operators should initiate 2G networks upgrading to meet the requirements of the R99 protocol and adopt a loose-coupling interworking strategy. Editor: Xu Ping x.ping@huawei.com

Patch the GSM network, the sooner, the better

In order to support cell reselection from GSM to UMTS, the GSM element needs to be able to support relevant data configuration and the system message broadcast. This involves the adding, or

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