GSM Features transposed to UMTS and “Features” not bringing any additional service

I.GSM Features Transposed to UMTS

1.Cell Broadcast Service

This work item refers to the applicability of the Cell Broadcast Service (as defined for GSM network) to 3G networks.

2.GSM Mobile Number Portability EURO MNP / North American MNP

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) refers to the ability for a mobile subscriber to change of PLMN operator within the same country whilst retaining his/her original MS ISDN number (MSISDN). Note that the IMSI is changed, only MSISDN is kept.

This feature was introduced in Release 98. The only value added by Release 99 is the addition of requirements for North American Service Provider Number Portability: North American GSM Number Portability (NAGNP) is the ability for a subscriber to change subscription between North American GSM networks and other subscription networks within an FCC regulated geographical area within North-America.

3.Automatic Establishment of Roaming Relations

This feature consists of a framework for commercial and technical interworking between UMTS Home Environments and Serving Networks who have no direct prior commercial agreements with each other. This avoids the 2 to 4 weeks which were previously needed to perform a standard set of tests written by MoU committees SERG and TADIG to checke the functions of basic operation and billing record formats.

The work in R99 was based on TS 22.71 and some semantic changes to the wording were made; e.g. changing Service Provider to Home Environment. In the event, the report concluded that no special standardisation work was required to facilitate Automatic Establishment of Roaming Relationships because these can be implemented with existing standards and procedures.

4.Advanced addressing

This feature consists of the UMTS advanced addressing scheme for numbering and addressing for UMTS, and example directory, application and translation mechanisms which could be used to enhance the service to the customer.

The work in R99 was based on the R98 TS 22.75U v 3.0.0. The only value added information was the deletion of the term International Mobile User Identifier (IMUI) and the change from International Mobile Station Identifier to International Mobile Subscriber Identity.

5.UMTS Numbering, Addressing and Identities

The work was done on this WI in R99 in SA resulting in three CRs to 22.101. The output from the work was included in the numbering section of 22.01 (19r1). Also new requirements for Single and Multiple Numbering scheme was added (CR 20 and 21).

6.Lawful Interception

The aim of this feature is to define an interception system in UMTS that supports a number of regional interception regulations. Regional interception requirements shall be met in using specific (regional) mediation functions allowing only required information to be transported.

II.“Features” not bringing any additional service

1.Quality of Service

This feature introduces a complete set of terms related to the transport of application data (or “user information”): the different types of “bearers” used in UMTS are defined. It also specifies the Quality of Service (QoS) attributes for some of the bearer types, in particular for the "GPRS Bearer Service" (also called “UMTS Bearer”).

This feature is not a service offered to the end user nor to the network operator but is a framework to organise the work related to Quality of Service. A guaranteed end-to-end Quality of Service in the PS domain will not be provided before Release 5.

The terms introduced by this feature are shown in the following figure.

Four different classes of QoS are defined:

Conversational class: a bearer of this QoS class guarantees the time variation between the incoming and the outgoing packets transported by the bearer, and offers stringent and low delay. It is typically used for conversational services (hence the name…), like (multimedia) telephony.
Streaming class: the time variation is still guaranteed, but the delay is not as low as in the conversational class, and is typically used for streaming video.
Interactive class: the request and response are guaranteed within a certain period, while the payload content is preserved. It is to be used e.g. for Web browsing.
Background class, to be used when the destination is not expecting the data within a certain time, but where the payload content has to be preserved. It has to be used e.g. for background download of e-mail.

For each class, a given set of attributes applies. This set is chosen from a full list of attributes defined for each type of bearer, e.g. the attributes are different for the “GPRS/UMTS Bearer” and for the “Iu Bearer”. The attributes applicable to the “GPRS/UMTS Bearer” and to the “Radio Access Bearer”, defined extensively in this Release, are e.g.: the maximum and guaranteed bit rates, the delivery order, the residual BER, the transfer delay, the traffic handling priority, the allocation/retention priority, etc.

Further definitions can be found in TS 23.107.

The mapping between attributes of different bearer types is partly defined in the standard, e.g. the mapping from GPRS/UMTS Bearer attributes to Radio Access Bearer attributes is defined, whereas the mapping from end-to-end (application) attributes to GPRS/UMTS Bearer attributes is not defined in this Release (not until Release 5). Also the mapping from GPRS/UMTS Bearer attributes to CN Bearer attributes is an operator's choice.

2.Noise Suppression for AMR

The scope of this feature was to introduce an algorithm to cancel the noise in UMTS telephony service. After an extensive selection phase, described in TR 06.78 "Results of the AMR Noise Suppression Selection Phase", no candidate algorithm fulfilled all the quality requirements set for this exercise, hence no standard Noise Suppresser Application to the AMR Speech Encoder was selected.

Nevertheless, TS 06.77 "Minimum Performance Requirements for Noise Suppresser Application to the AMR Speech Encoder" was approved, and can be utilised by the suppliers wishing to provide evidence that their product fulfils a "minimum set of requirements". Results from subjective and/or objective tests conducted by professional labs on behalf of an aspiring supplier can be provided to 3GPP SA4 group for endorsement of a proprietary AMR-NS algorithm. The endorsement means that, based on the test results presented to the WG, SA4 acknowledges that the proposed proprietary algorithm meets the recommended minimum performance requirements as set out in TS 06.77. A statement of this acknowledgement is then included in the following TSG SA meeting report. No AMR-NS algorithm itself is specified nor standardised in 3GPP, i.e. it must be stressed that the “endorsement” does not have such meaning. See TS 06.77 for details.

3.User Equipment Capability Requirements

The Requirements for UE Capability have been brought together from other Working Groups, to provide an assessment of the necessary capabilities for a UE to “exist” in a 3GPP network, and also to provide certain services (e.g. speech, fax, SMS).

This document defines a baseline set of capability requirements that enable all terminals to "register" with all applicable 3GPP networks (depending on the availability of a appropriate subscription). It describes all the functions that a terminal must perform in order to "exist" within a 3GPP network. These functions are used to derive requirements for all aspects of terminal baseline capability. This document also identifies different service capabilities and the functions that a terminal must perform in order to access a service. The actual capabilities that a terminal must posses to meet these requirements are listed in the Annexes and described in the referenced implementation specifications. This document introduces the concept of "service-less terminal" which can exist in the network but provides no user service. Although this is not a marketable terminal type, it describes from the standardisation viewpoint a baseline set of capabilities to which specific service-related terminal capabilities can then be added.

4.Electrical safety requirements and regulations

A Technical Report was produced providing information on electrical safety requirements and regulations covering 3G mobile phones in each country and region. The document summarizes the difference between international standards and national standards relevant to IEC60950 and also refers to regulations for conformity assessment due to the different regulatory environments in different countries / regions. The document does not define any new electrical safety requirements.

5.Specific Absorbtion Rate (SAR) requirements and regulations in different regions

A Technical Report was produced identifying existing Specific Absorbtion Rate (SAR) requirements and regulations for different countries and regions. The document does not define any new requirements, it does just list the existing ones.

6.Multi-mode UE issues

The concept of Multi Mode UEs was discussed, and proposals developed in other Working Groups were brought together and analysed in two Technical Reports.

Multi-mode User Equipments categories are identified. The TRs describe the consequences on roaming capabilities and service availability (e.g. handover) of such multi-mode UEs while roaming in various regions with various network configurations. This is achieved by means of case studies for each of the possible scenarios covered by existing specifications. In these studies care was taken that no duplication of text was made and that no inconsistencies were created between specifications.

7.QoS for Speech and Multimedia Codec

The scope of this feature is to define the requirements on quality, bit rates, bit error rates, frame erasure rate, delay, etc. for speech and multimedia services.

Successful provision of speech and multimedia services in UMTS requires knowledge of the requirements that intended applications and codecs set for the PLMN (bearers, network architecture, etc.). The aim was to produce a Technical Report discussing the end-to-end quality of service (QoS) requirements and proposed solutions to provide adequate QoS for circuit switched and packet switched multimedia services within third generation mobile networks, and a Technical Specification for transmission planning aspects of speech (and multimedia) services on 3G networks, which was finally not completed and withdrawn of Release 99.

Changes to developing 3GPP specifications were felt possible depending upon the output of the study. In particular, the evaluation of requirements on quality, bitrates, bit error rates, frame erasure rate, delay etc. for speech and multimedia services were felt of relevance.

The output of the work item could be used by other 3GPP groups as guidance for setting requirements for satisfactory user-to-user service.

The technical requirements of speech and multimedia codecs outlined in the Technical Report should be satisfied by the related QoS parameters and other system implications, and by the speech and/or multimedia codec implementations in mobile terminals. The scope includes speech and multimedia services both in circuit switched and packet switched environments.