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What is RRC and RAB?

PostedbyleopedriniMonday,May20,201311:21:00AMCategories:Course

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ToworkwithmodernwirelessnetworkssuchasUMTSandLTE,itis RatethisContent
122Votes
essential that the telecom professional has full understanding of its
basicconcepts,suchasthosethatcontrolthecallestablishmentandmaintenance,whetheritisvoice
(CS)ordata(PS).

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Inthisscenario,RABandRRCaretwoofthemostimportantconceptsbecausetheyareresponsiblefor
allthenegotiationinvolvedinthosecalls.

CSFB(1)
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LTE(3)
RFComponents(1)

SRVCC(1)
VoLTE(1)

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In addition to RAB and RRC, we still have some other terms directly involved in context, as RB, SRB,
TRB, among others. These terms are also important concepts, since without them RAB and RRC could
notexist.
SoletstrytounderstandtodaythesimplestpossiblewaywhatistheRRCandRABroleinthecalls
ofthesemobilenetworksinpractice.Asitbecomenecessary,wewillalsotalkaboutotherconcepts.
Note:AlltelecomHallarticlesareoriginallywritteninPortuguese.FollowingwetranslatetoEnglishand
Spanish. As our time is short, maybe you find some typos (sometimes we just use the automatic
translator, with only a final and 'quick' review). We apologize and we have an understanding of our
effort. If you want to contribute translating / correcting of these languages, or even creating and
publishingyourtutorials,pleasecontactus:contact.

WhatisCP(CyclicPrefix)in
LTE?
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Interference)inLTE?
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TimingAdvanceTA(GSM
WCDMALTE)
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andHARQ?
IPPacketswitchinginTelecom
Part4

Introduction
To start, we can divide a call into two parts: the signaling (or control) and data (or information).
Alreadyaheadofkeyconcepts,wecanunderstandtheRRCasresponsibleforthecontrol,andtheRAB
asresponsiblefortheinformationpart.
As mentioned, other auxiliary concepts are involved in calls, but our goal today is to learn the most
basicconceptsRRCandRAB,allowingustoevolveinourlearninglater.
Oddlyenough,evenprofessionalswhoalreadyworkwithUMTSWCDMAandLTEnetworkshavetrouble
to fully understand the concepts of RRC and RAB. And without this initial understanding, hardly they
canevolvewithclarityandefficiencyintheirdailywork.
Without further introduction, let's go straight to the point and then try to understand once and for all
thesesoimportantconcepts.

IPPacketswitchinginTelecom
Part3
IPPacketswitchinginTelecom
Part2
IPPacketswitchinginTelecom
Part1
GoodbyeIPv4...HelloIPv6!
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MechanicalTilt(andHowtouse
it)?
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(TipsandBestPractices)

Archives

Analogy

May,2015(1)
November,2014(2)

As always, and as usual the telecomHall, let's make an analogy that helps us to understand the
functioningoftheRRCandRABinpractice.
Let'sstartimaginingthefollowingscenario:twopeoplearecutoffbyacliff.Ontheleftside,aperson
(1) want to buy some things that are for sale in a store (2) or deposit on the right side. In the right
side, in addition to the deposit, we also have a seller (3), which will help the buyer to contact
(negotiable)withthedeposit.
As additional or auxiliary objects (4), we have some iron bars with different sizes, and some cars
someliketrainwagon,otherslikeremotecontrolcars.
Inshort,wehavethesituationoutlinedintheimagebelow.

October,2014(1)
February,2014(1)
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January,2012(1)
November,2011(1)
October,2011(1)
September,2011(1)
June,2011(1)
April,2011(2)
March,2011(3)
February,2011(5)
January,2011(1)
December,2010(2)

Andso,howthissituationcanbesolved?
Let'scontinuewithapossiblesolution:thebuyerontheleftwritehisrequestinanote,tieonasmall
stonethathefoundonthefloor,andsend(1)ittothesellerontheotherside.So,thestonecarrythe
informationorinitialrequest.

Thesellerreceivestherequest,butsheneedtosendittothedeposit,inorderfortheshoppingtobe
sent. She sends the request on a remote control car (1), which run a previously demarcated path to
thedeposit.


Sometimelater,thedepositresponsearrivestoseller(1),whichthencheckstoseewhethershewill
beabletosendthedataornot.

So that we can proceed with our call, let's consider a positive response. That is, what the buyer is
willing,orthe'resources'areavailable.
Seller realizes that to fulfill the request, and be able to send the purchases, she will need to build a
'path' (1) between the two ends of the cliff, so the wagons could carry over with the orders/receipts
andpurchases.Then,thesellerusessomeofitsironbarsandcreatesalinkbetweenthetwosides.

Onceestablishedallthewaybetweenthoseinvolved,requestscanbesentfrombothsidesaswellas
thepurchasesoranyotherinformationcanbetransferredbydifferentpathsandwagons/cars!

If you managed to understand how the above problem was solved, congratulations, you just
understandhowthemostcommonformofUMTSWCDMAandLTEcommunicationhappens!
Although analogies are not perfect, it help us a lot to understand the complex functioning of these
networks,especiallyinrelationtonewconceptssuchasRRCandRAB,butalsoaveryoftenused,the
'bearer'somuchthatit'sworthtalkingalittlebitaboutit.

What is Bearer?
If we search the word 'bearer' in the dictionary, we'll find something like trasnporter, or carrier. In a
simpleway:onewhocarriesorconveyssomethingfromsomepointtoanotherpoint.Inarestaurant,
wecancomparethe'bearer'toawaiter.


Butfromthetelecommunicationspointofview,'bearer'isbestunderstoodasa'pipe'thatconnectstwo
ormorepointsinacommunicationsystem,throughwhichthedataflows.

Technically speaking, it is a channel that carries Voice or Data, a logical connection between different
points (nodes) that ensures that the packets that are traveling have the same QoS attributes.
Explaining better: for each 'bearer' we have several associated parameters, such as the maximum
delay and packet loss limit and these attributes that make sure each packet going in the same
channelhavethesameQoSattributes.

General Flowchart RRC, RAB and Others

Nowthatweknowwhatisbearer,let'sgobacktotheanalogypresentedearlier,butnowbringingitto
thereal,moretechnicalside.
All that we'll talk can be summarized in a single figure, having all the concepts seen today, and that
willbedetailedfromnowon.
Note:Ifyoumanagetounderstandtheconceptsthatwillbeexplainedinthefigurebelow,youwillbe
with a great base for both WCDMA and LTE networks. This is because, in order to facilitate we use
WCDMA nomenclatures, but the principle is pretty much the same in LTE. Just do the equivalent
replaces,likeNodeBforeNB.


On that ficticious scenario, the seller is the UTRAN, responsible for creating and maintaining the
communication between the UE (buyer) and CN (deposit) so that the QoS requirements of each are
met.
UTRAN:UMTSTerrestrialRadioAccessNetwork
NodeB
RNC
UE:UserEquipment
CN:CoreNetwork
MSC:forswitchedvoiceservices
SGSN:forpacketswitchedservices

ThecliffistheUuInterfacebetweentheUEandtheUTRAN,andtheroadthroughtheremotecontrol
cargoesuntilthedepositistheIuInterface,betweentheUTRANandCN.
Sending requests and receipts is part of signaling, or the RRC. The shipment of purchases is the data
part, or the RAB. In our scenario, the RRC are the Rails, and RAB is the full service of sending data
betweentheUEandtheCN.
RRC:RadioResourceControl
RAB:RadioAccessBearer

Note:theRRCisinLayer3controlplane,whiletheRABoccursbetweentheUEandCN,intheuser
plane.
TherailcarsaretheRBs,andconveytheinformationintheradiopath.Thesewagonsdefinewhattype
ofthingwillbetransported,andinwhatquantity.Similarly,theRBsdefinewhattypeofdatawillinthe
RRC, which can be Data or Signaling. When the QoS attributes change, then the Rbs associated with
thatRRCconnectionneedtobereconfigured.
TheremotecontrolcarsaretheIubearer,andcarryinformationonIuInterface(betweentheUTRAN
andtheCN),eitherCSorPS.
RB:RadioBearer
Iubearer:IuBearerInterface

Note:RABisthecombinationofRBandIubearer.
AsexamplesofRABforsomeservicesanddifferentrateswehave:


TheConversationalRABandtheInteractiveRABcanbeusedtogether,andinthiscasewehaveacase
ofMultiRAB.
TheRBisalayer2connectionbetweentheUEandtheRNC,andcanbeusedforSignallingandcontrol
User Data. When it is used for Signalling or Control Messages is called SRB. And when it is used for
userdataiscalledTRB.
SRB:SignallingRadioBearer(ControlPlane)
TRB:TrafficRadioBearer(UserPlane)

Note: in an optimized network, we can find much of the traffic being handled by HSPA bearers, even
MultiRAB.ThisoptionfreesresourcesfromCE(ChannelElements),relievingtheloadonR99(thatcan
onlyusetheseresources).However,itshouldbedonewithcaution,becauseifimproperlyconfiguredit
candegradethePerformanceIndicatorswithBlockage(Congestion)andFailures.
Asyou'veprobablynoticed,we'retalkingaboutseveralnewtechnicalterms,butthesetermsarewhat
you'llfindforexamplewhenreadingUMTSorLTEcallflowcharts.Butifyoucanunderstandatleastin
parttheconceptspresentedtoday,everythingwillbemucheasier.
Letusthentakealookagainonourfigure,andcontinueouranalogy.

Aswesaw,intelecomweworkwiththeconceptoflayers.Andthiswayofseeingthenetworkbrings
us many advantages, mainly because we were able to 'wrap' physical access. In this way, any
modificationorreplacementcanbemadewithlesscomplexity.
We don't need to tell you how much the radio path is complex, continuously changing, right? This
structure using beares ensures this simplification: the RNC and CN bother with QoS requirements in
the path between them (Iu Interface) and only the RNC have to worry about meeting the complex
radiopathQoS.
Sure,butwhywehavetwotypesofcarrierswagonsandremotecontrolcars?Theanswertothisisin
the very characteristic of the two existing paths. Being the Iu a more robust interface, and also
because we have major changes in RABs during connections, it is normal that these bearers are also
different for the paths. it's like using a 4x4 pickup truck to climb a mountain, and a race car to an

asphaltrace.

Regardlessthecarriers,withtheRABtheelementsoftheCNhastheimpressionofaphysicalpathto
theUE,sodon'tneedtobeworryingaboutthecomplexaspectsofradiocommunication.
Forexample,aUEcanhave3RABsbetweenheandtheRNC,andtheseRABsmaybechanging,asin
thecaseofsofthandovers,whiletheRNChasonly1Iubearerforthisconnection.
Fromthepointofviewofthecarriers,themaintaskoftheUTRANismanagingtheseservicesonthese
interfaces. She controls the Uu interface, and along with the CN, controls the provision of services in
theIuinterface.
RememberthatinacommunicationbetweentheUEandtheCN,severalotherelementsareinvolved,
mainly to negotiate QoS requirements between both parties. These requirements are mapped in the
RABs, that are visible to both (UE and CN), where the UTRAN is responsible for creating and
maintainingtheseRABssothatallofthisisservedinallaspects.
Alittlebitmoredetails...

ARRCconnectionexistswhenanUEperformsthecallestablishmentprocedure,andgetresourcesfrom
theUTRAN.WhenaRRCconnectionisestablished,theUEwillalsogetsomeSRBs.(Ifforsomereason
theinitialrequestisnotaccepted,theUEcanmakeanewrequestaftersometime).
SincetheSRBwasestablishedbetweentheUEandtheCN,theRNCchecksaseriesofinformationsuch
as the UE identity, what is the reason for the request and whether the UE is able to handle the
requestedservice.
The RNC that maps the requested RABs into RBs, to transfer between the UE and the UTRAN. In
additionitisalsochecktheattributesoftheRABs:iftheycanbemetbytheavailableresources,and
even whether to activate or reset radio channels (reconfiguration of lower layers services ) based on
thenumberofSignalingConnectionsandRABstobetransferred.
This way, it creates the impression that there is a physical path between the UE and the CN.
Remembering again that no matter how many signaling and RABs connections there are between the
ueandtheCNthereisonlyasingleRRCconnectionusedbytheRNCtocontrolandtransferbetween
theUEandtheUTRAN.
NowthatwehaveseenalotaboutRRCandRAB,let'slearnonlyafewmoreconceptstodayafterall,
wealreadyhaveenoughinformationpresented.Let'stalkabouttheASandNAS.
ASAccessStratumisagroupofspecificprotocolsofaccessnetwork
NASNONAccessStratum:so,aretheotherprotocols,orthosethatarenotaccessnetwork

Atthispointofview,theASprovidestheRABtotheNAS,orinformationtransferservice.
TheUEandCNneedtocommunicate(events/messages)witheachothertoperformseveralprocedures
withmanypurposes.Andthe'language'ofthisconversationbetweenthemiscalledprotocols.
The protocols are then responsible for allowing this conversation between the UE and CN, and cause
the CN do not worry about the method of access (be it GSM/GPRS, UTRAN, LTE). In our case the RNC
actsasaprotocolbetweentheUTRANandCN.
Accordingtowhatwelearnedtoday,theRABiscarried:
Between the UE and the UTRAN: within the RRC connection. The RRC Protocol is responsible for negotiating the
(logical) channels of Uu and IuB interfaces, and for the establishment of signaling dedicated channels as SRBs and
RBsamongtheseinterfaces.
Between the RNC and the CN: after being negotiated and mapped, in the RANAP protocol connection, through Iu
interface(CS/PS).
RANAP:RadioAccessNetworkApplicationPart

Aswehaveseenabove,theRNCmapsrequestedRABsintoRBsusingcurrentradionetworkresources
information,andcontrolstheservicesoflowerlayers.Tooptimizetheuseoftheseresources,aswell
as the network band and physical resource sharing between different entities, the UTRAN can also
performthefunctionofCNmessagesdistribution.

For this, the RRC Protocol transparently transfers messages from CN to the access network through a
direct transfer procedure. When this occurs, a specific indicator of CN is inserted in these messages,
andtheentitieswiththedistributionfunctioninRNCusethissameindicatorfordirectmessagestothe
appropriateCN,andviceversa.
But now it started to get more complex, and we have already reached our goal today, which was to
learnthebasicsofRRCandRAB.
Everythingwejusttalkedaboutabovecanbeseenagaininthesamefigurebelow,thesamefromthe
beginningoftheexplanations.

RRC and RAB in GSM?

Okay,weunderstandhowRRCandRABworksinUMTSWCDMAandLTEnetworks.ButinGSM,doeswe
havetheseconceptsaswell?
Atfirst,theanswerisNO.However,withwhatwelearnedtoday,wecanmakeacomparisonwithsome
GSM'equivalent'parameters.
WecancomparetheSDCCHphaseandTCHphaseofaGSMcallwithRRCandRABinUMTS.
RRC is the Radio Resource Control that works as Control Plane in Layer 3. Is used primarily for
Signaling in UMTS. Then we can compare with the signaling in GSM, as the Immediate Assignment
processforSDCCHresourceallocation.
RAB is the radio access 'transporter' that works as the User Plane to provide data for the services
requestedbytheuser.ThenwecancomparewiththeuserpartinGSM,astheTCHAssignment.
Foreachservicerequestedbytheuserwehaveonly1RAB.Forexample,iftherequestedserviceisa
Voice Call (CSAMR), then 1 CS RAB will be generated and provided to the user. The same is true for
PS.
Soourequivalencetablewouldbe:

UMTS/LTE

GSM

Control

RRCConnection

ImmediateAssignment

User

RABAssignment(RNCCN)

Assignment(BSCMSC)

RRC Connection and RAB example

Tocompletefortoday,let'ssee(alwaysinsimplifiedform)asimpleRRCconnectionandRAB.
Whenever the UE needs the UTRAN resources, he asks. So that these resources are allocated, it
establishesaRRCconnectionwithsomeSRBs.
Inthiscase,aRABconnectioniscreatedtoenablethetransferofuserdata.Weremindyouthatthe
RABconsistsofRB+Iubearer.TheRABiscreatedbyCN,withaspecificQoSrequest.
ForasingleUE,theremaybemultipleRABforNASservice(CSorPS).
But let's just stick to the initial procedure, that is, how is performed the 'RRC Setup' procedure, from
theUE'srequest.
Thefollowingfigureshowsthismorestraightforward.

TheRRChasalways3steps:
1. TheUErequestsanewconnectionintheUplink(RRCCONNECTIONREQUEST)
2. With sufficient resources available, the 'RRC Downlink CONNECTION SETUP' message is sent, including the reason,
alongwiththeSRBconfiguration(Note:otherwise,iftheRRCconnectioncannotbeestablished,themessagesentis
'RRCCONNECTIONSETUPREJECT').
3. Ifallgoeswell,theUEsendsthemessageintheUplink:RRCCONNECTIONSETUPCOMPLETE.

And after this, the MEASUREMENT CONTROL message are being sent in the Downlink, for the
communicationcontinuity.
AftertheRRCconnectionisestablished,theUTRANmakesthechecksbetweentheCNandtheUE,for
exampletheauthenticationandsecurityoperations.
Andso,theCNinformstheRABtoUTRANinaccordancewithrequirementsoftheservicerequestedby
the UE. As we have seen, RAB occurs after the RRC, and without a RRC connection no RAB may be
established.

Conclusion
We have seen today a simplified explanation that covers a number of concepts involved in the
communicationofthemostmodernexistingmobilenetworks,primarilyrelatedtoRRCandRAB.
Withthisconceptualbase,wewillcontinuetoevolveinthenexttutorialswithexamplesthatmakethe
assimilationofthesecomplexconceptsinataskfarlessexhaustivethannormal.
We hope that you have enjoyed, and we count on your participation, which can be for example
suggestingnewtopics,orsharingoursitewithyourfriends.Ifpossible,leavealsoyourcommentsjust
below.
Untilthenexttutorial.

Dhara Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil

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40Comments

Addacomment...

IshratGul
CoreNetworkEngineeratKabul,Afghanistan

REallyappreciated
LikeReplyJul26,201511:34am

Sortby Newest

MukeshJatJakhar
RFEngineeratBhartiAirtel

veryeasyexplanation....
LikeReplyJul18,20151:02pm

MohsinAli
Rawalpindi,Pakistan

MultiRABmeansweareusingmultipleservicesCall,Videoetc??
andwhataboutRABCongestion??
LikeReply

1Mar31,20158:11pm

WellafellaGuta
UniversityofKwaZuluNatal(HowardCollege)

NumberoffailedRRCconnectionpreparation,DueTo
Trans(Times).........HavingthisalarmontheZTEnRNC.
Transmissioncapacityisenough.Whatcouldbethepossible
causes?
LikeReply

1Mar25,20151:54pm

SibroSibroSibro
Thankyoufortheexplanation.Thishelpmetohavebetter
understandingaboutcellularnetwork.
LikeReply

1Mar19,20151:42pm

HustiucAndrei
ColegiulNationaldeMedicinasiFarmaciedinChisinau

whichmaybethecauseofRRCconnectionreject?
LikeReply

1Mar11,20159:04pm

TatoRosales
HiyoucanfindthecausesforRRCconnectionrejectin
thefollowingpdf
http://www.etsi.org/.../03.06.00_60/ts_125331v030600p.p
df
LikeReply

1Mar22,20157:28am

RajeevYadav
Sr.EngineeratHuaweiTechnologiesCo.,Ltd

GreatArticle
LikeReply

1Feb13,20151:08pm

AzizMirzojonov

Great.Readingthisarticlewasinteresting.Onequestion.
NumberofRRCandRABmustbeequalorRABgreaterorless
thenRRC?
LikeReply

1Jan16,20159:32pm

TatoRosales
HiAziz,RABcanbegreaterthantheRRCbecausethe
RRCisthesignallingandyoucanhavemultipleRABs
fromoneUE,butyouwillonlyhaveoneRRC
LikeReply

4Jan29,20155:26am

ZainAbidi
UETTaxila

@TatoRosalesiobservedthatwhenmymobilereceives
callduringHSPAsessionthenHSPAsessionstopsduring
call.heremultiRABisnotworking.PSRABstopsandCS
RABrunsandaftercallPSRABrunswhy?????
LikeReply

1Mar13,201511:16pm

TatoRosales
HiZainAbidiifitisonlyyourphonethatishavingthis
problemitcouldbethatthefirmwarethatyouareusingin
yourphoneisnothomologatedbyyourserviceprovider,
trycheckingoutwiththemwichonesarehomologated,if
theproblemisforeveryonethenineedmoreinformation

theproblemisforeveryonethenineedmoreinformation
LikeReplyMar22,20157:22am

MakhloufiHocine
GREAT!
LikeReply

1Dec27,20142:50pm

MiCasaPropia
GREAT!
LikeReply

1Dec9,20141:51am

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