Deploying IPv6 in 3GPP networks : evolving mobile broadband from 2G to LTE and beyond

The most widely used cellular mobile broadband network technology is based on the 3GPP standards. The history and background of the 3GPP technology is in the Global Mobile Service (GSM) technology and the work done in European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). This primary voice service network has evolved to be the dominant mobile Internet access technology.

Deploying IPv6 in 3GPP Networks covers how Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is currently defined in the industry standards for cellular mobile broadband, why and how this route was taken in the technology, and what is the current reality of the deployment. Furthermore, it offers the authors' views on how some possible IPv6 related advances 3GPP networks may be improved during the coming years. It gives guidance how to implement and deploy IPv6 correctly in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) mobile broadband environment, and what issues one may face when doing so. The book covers 3GPP technologies from 2G to LTE, and offers some ideas for the future.

Key features

written by highly respected and experienced authors from the IPv6 / mobile world Provides an explanation of the technical background for some not-so-obvious design choices, what to concentrate on, and what transition strategies should be used by the vendors and the operators Offers a useful reference guide for operators and vendors entering into IPv6 business

Author Notes

Jouni Korhonen , formerly Nokia Siemens Networks, now Renesas Mobile, Finland
Teemu Savolainen , Nokia Research Center, Finland
Jonne Soininen , Renesas Mobile, Finland

Foreword	p. xvii
Preface	p. xix
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
Acronyms	p. xxiii
Glossary	p. xxxiii
1 Introduction	p. 1
1.1 Introduction to Internet and the Internet Protocol	p. 2
1.2 Internet Principles	p. 2
1.3 The Internet Protocol	p. 4
1.3.1 Networks of Networks	p. 6
1.3.2 Routing and Forwarding	p. 7
1.4 Internet Protocol Addresses	p. 9
1.4.1 IPv4 Addresses	p. 9
1.4.2 IPv6 Addresses	p. 11
1.5 Transport Protocols	p. 12
1.5.1 User Datagram Protocol	p. 13
1.5.2 Transmission Control Protocol	p. 13
1.5.3 Port Numbers and Services	p. 14
1.6 Domain Name Service	p. 14
1.6.1 DNS Structure	p. 14
1.6.2 DNS Operation	p. 15
1.6.3 Top Level Domain	p. 16
1.6.4 Internationalized Domain Names	p. 17
1.7 IPv4 Address Exhaustion	p. 17
1.7.1 IP Address Allocation	p. 18
7.7.2 History of IPv4 Address Exhaustion	p. 19
1.8 IPv6 History Thus Far	p. 21
1.8.1 IPv6 Technology Maturity	p. 21
1.8.2 IPv6 Network Deployments	p. 22
1.9 Ongoing Cellular Deployments	p. 23
1.10 Chapter Summary	p. 24
1.11 Suggested Reading	p. 24
References	p. 24
2 Basics of the 3GPP Technologies	p. 27
2.1 Standardization and Specifications	p. 27
2.1.1 3GPP Standardization Process	p. 28
2.1.2 IETF Standardization Process	p. 31
2.1.3 Other Important Organizations in the 3GPP-Ecosystem	p. 33
2.2 Introduction to 3GPP Network Architecture and Protocols	p. 34
2.2.1 GSM System	p. 34
2.2.2 General Packet Radio Service	p. 36
2.2.3 Evolved Packet System	p. 41
2.2.4 Control and User Planes, and Transport and User Layer Separation	p. 44
2.3 3GPP Protocols	p. 45
2.3.1 Control-Plane Protocols	p. 46
2.3.2 User-Plane Protocols	p. 53
2.3.3 GPRS Tunneling Protocol Versions	p. 55
2.3.4 PMIP Based EPS Architecture	p. 56
2.4 Mobility and Roaming	p. 58
2.4.1 Mobility Management	p. 59
2.4.2 Roaming	p. 60
2.4.3 Mobility Management Beyond 3GPP	p. 60
2.5 Central Concepts for IP Connectivity	p. 61
2.5.1 PDP Contexts and EPS Bearers	p. 61
2.5.2 Access Point Name	p. 63
2.5.3 Traffic Flow Template	p. 64
2.5.4 3GPP Link Model Principles	p. 65
2.5.5 Multiple Packet Data Network Connections	p. 67
2.6 User Equipment 68
2.6.1 Traditional 3GPP UE Model	p. 69
2.6.2 Split-UE	p. 69
2.7 Subscription Management Databases and Other Backend Systems	p. 70
2.7.1 Home Location Register and Authentication Center	p. 70
2.7.2 Home Subscriber Server	p. 71
2.7.3 Equipment Identity Register	p. 71
2.7.4 Other Backend Systems	p. 71
2.8 End-to-end View from the User Equipment to the Internet	p. 72
2.8.1 GPRS	p. 72
2.8.2 EPS	p. 73
2.9 Chapter Summary	p. 75
2.10 Suggested Reading	p. 75
References	p. 76
3 Introduction to IPv6	p. 79
3.1 IPv6 Addressing Architecture	p. 80
3.1.1 IPv6 Address Format	p. 80
3.1.2 IPv6 Address Types	p. 81
3.1.3 IPv6 Address Scopes	p. 81
3.1.4 IPv6 Addressing Zones	p. 82
3.1.5 IPv6 Addresses on Network Interfaces	p. 82
3.1.6 Interface Identifier and the Modified EUI-64	p. 83
3.1.7 IPv6 Address Space Allocations	p. 84
3.1.8 Special IPv6 Address Formats	p. 84
3.1.9 Textual Presentations of IPv6 Addresses	p. 86
3.2 IPv6 Packet Header Structure and Extensibility	p. 87
3.2.1 Traffic Class and Flow Label	p. 88
3.2.2 IPv6 Extension Headers	p. 90
3.2.3 MTU and Fragmentation	p. 92
3.2.4 Multicast	p. 94
3.3 Internet Control Message Protocol Version 6	p. 97
3.3.1 Error Messages	p. 98
3.3.2 Informational Messages	p. 100
3.4 Neighbor Discovery Protocol	p. 101
3.4.1 Router Discovery	p. 101
3.4.2 Parameter Discovery	p. 102
3.4.3 On-link Determination	p. 104
3.4.4 Link-layer Address Resolution	p. 104
3.4.5 Neighbor Unreachability Detection	p. 105
3.4.6 Next-hop Determination	p. 106
3.4.7 Duplicate Address Detection	p. 106
3.4.8 Redirect	p. 107
3.4.9 Secure Neighbor Discovery	p. 107
3.4.10 Neighbor Discovery Proxies	p. 108
3.5 Address Configuration and Selection Approaches	p. 109
3.5.1 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration	p. 110
3.5.2 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Version 6	p. 112
3.5.3 IKEv2	p. 117
3.5.4 Address Selection	p. 118
3.5.5 Privacy and Cryptographically Generated Addresses	p. 120
3.5.6 Router Selection	p. 121
3.6 IPv6 Link Types and Models	p. 122
3.6.1 IPv6 over Point-to-point Links	p. 123
3.6.2 IPv6 over Shared Media	p. 124
3.6.3 Link Numbering	p. 125
3.6.4 Bridging of Link Types	p. 126
3.7 Mobile IP	p. 126
3.7.1 Detecting Network Attachment	p. 126
3.7.2 Host-based Mobile IP	p. 127
3.7.3 Network-based Mobile IP	p. 128
3.8 IP Security	p. 130
3.8.1 Security Protocols	p. 131
3.8.2 Security Associations	p. 131
3.8.3 Key Management	p. 132
3.8.4 Cryptographic Algorithms	p. 132
3.8.5 MOBIKE	p. 132
3.9 Application Programming Interfaces	p. 133
3.9.1 Socket APIs	p. 133
3.9.2 Address Family Agnostic APIs	p. 133
3.9.3 IP Address Literals and Unique Resource Identifiers	p. 134
3.9.4 Happy Eyeballs	p. 134
3.10 Implications of IPv6 for Other Protocols	p. 136
3.10.1 Transport Layer Protocols	p. 136
3.10.2 Domain Name System	p. 137
3.10.3 Applications	p. 141
3.10.4 Internet Routing	p. 141
3.10.5 Management Information Base	p. 143
3.11 Validation and Certification	p. 144
3.11.1 Test Suites	p. 144
3.11.2 IPv6 Ready Logo	p. 144
3.12 Example IPv6 Packet Flows	p. 145
3.12.1 IPv6 on Ethernet	p. 146
3.12.2 IPv6 with DNS and TCP	p. 153
3.13 Chapter Summary	p. 155
References	p. 156
4 IPv6 in 3GPP Networks	p. 163
4.1 PDN Connectivity Service	p. 163
4.1.1 Bearer Concept	p. 164
4.7.2 PDP and PDN Types	p. 166
4.1.3 Link Models in 3GPP	p. 168
4.2 End User IPv6 Service Impact on the 3GPP System	p. 172
4.2.7 User, Control and Transport Planes	p. 172
4.2.2 Affected Networking Elements	p. 173
4.2.3 Charging and Billing	p. 180
4.2.4 External PDN Access and the (S)Gi Interface	p. 182
4.2.5 Roaming Challenges	p. 187
4.3 End User IPv6 Service Impact on GTP and PMIPv6 Protocols	p. 189
4.3.1 GTP Control Plane Version 1	p. 189
4.3.2 GTP Control Plane Version 2	p. 191
4.3.3 GTP User Plane	p. 194
4.3.4 PMIPv6	p. 194
4.4 IP Address Assignment, Configuration, and Management	p. 195
4.4.1 Addressing Assumptions	p. 195
4.4.2 Stateless IPv6 Address Autoconfiguration	p. 197
4.4.3 Stateful IPv6 Address Configuration	p. 200
4.4.4 Deferred Address Allocation	p. 200
4.4.5 Static IPv6 Addressing	p. 201
4.4.6 IPv6 Prefix Delegation	p. 204
4.4.7 NAS Protocol Signaling and PCO Options	p. 207
4.4.8 Initial E-UTRAN Attach Example with IPv4 and IPv6 Address Configuration	p. 211
4.5 Bearer Establishment and Fallback Scenarios	p. 214
4.5.1 Initial Connection Establishment	p. 214
4.5.2 Backward Compatibility with Earlier Releases	p. 215
4.5.3 Dual Address Bearer Flag	p. 215
4.5.4 Requested PDN Type Handling in a PGW	p. 216
4.5.5 Fallback Scenarios and Rules	p. 217
4.5.6 Inter-RAT Handovers and Inter-SGSN Routing Area Updates	p. 218
4.6 Signaling Interfaces	p. 219
4.6.1 IPv6 as Transport	p. 219
4.6.2 IPv6 in Information Element Level	p. 219
4.7 User Equipment Specific Considerations	p. 220
4.7.1 IPv6 and Impacted Layers	p. 220
4.7.2 Required RFCs for Host UEs	p. 222
4.7.3 DNS Issues	p. 223
4.7.4 Provisioning	p. 224
4.7.5 IPv6 Tethering	p. 225
4.7.6 IPv6 Application Support	p. 227
4.8 Multicast	p. 227
4.9 Known IPv6 Issues and Anomalies	p. 228
4.9.1 IPv6 Neighbor Discovery Considerations	p. 229
4.9.2 PDN Connection Model and Multiple IPv6 Prefixes	p. 233
4.10 IPv6 Specific Security Considerations	p. 233
4.10.1 IPv6 Addressing Threats	p. 234
4.10.2 IPv6 First-hop Security	p. 236
4.10.3 IPv6 Extension Header Exploits	p. 237
4.11 Chapter Summary	p. 239
References	p. 240
5 IPv6 Transition Mechanisms for 3GPP Networks	p. 248
5.1 Motivation for Transition Mechanisms	p. 248
5.7.7 Phasing the Transition	p. 250
5.2 Technology Overview	p. 251
5.2.7 Translation	p. 251
5.2.2 Encapsulation	p. 253
5.2.3 Mesh or Hub-and-spoke	p. 254
5.2.4 Scalability Concerns	p. 255
5.3 Transition Toolbox	p. 255
5.3.1 Transition Solutions Not Included	p. 256
5.3.2 Dual-stack	p. 257
5.3.3 NAT64 and DNS64	p. 258
5.3.4 464XLAT	p. 269
5.3.5 Bump-In-the-Host	p. 271
5.3.6 Mapping Address and Port Number	p. 272
5.3.7 Other Tunneling or Translation Based Transition Mechanisms	p. 275
5.4 Transition Scenarios for 3GPP	p. 277
5.4.1 Transition Scenario Evolution	p. 278
5.4.2 Dual-stack	p. 280
5.4.3 IPv6-only	p. 281
5.4.4 Double Translation	p. 281
5.5 Transition Impacts on 3GPP Architecture	p. 282
5.5.1 Transition Impact on the Supporting Infrastructure	p. 282
5.5.2 IP Network Support Systems	p. 283
5.5.3 Tools to Divide Subscribers Per IP Capability	p. 285
5.5.4 Translation Implications	p. 286
5.5.5 Transition Support in the Transport Plane	p. 287
5.5.6 Roaming	p. 287
5.5.7 Impact of Delayed Transition to IPv6	p. 288
5.6 Transitioning to IPv6	p. 289
5.6.1 Application Developer's Transition Plan	p. 290
5.6.2 Phone Vendor's Transition Plan	p. 290
5.6.3 Network Operator's Transition Checklist	p. 290
5.7 Chapter Summary	p. 292
References	p. 293
6 Future of IPv6 in 3GPP Networks	p. 296
6.1 IPv6-based Traffic Offloading Solutions	p. 296
6.1.1 Motivations in Cellular Networks	p. 297
6.1.2 Benefits of IPv6-based Offloading Approaches	p. 299
6.1.3 IP-friendly Offloading Solutions	p. 299
6.1.4 Concluding Remarks	p. 303
6.2 Evolving 3GPP Bearers to Multiple Prefixes and Next-hop Routers	p. 304
6.2.1 Background and Motivation	p. 304
6.2.2 Multi-prefix Bearer Solution Proposal	p. 305
6.2.3 Overall Impact Analysis	p. 311
6.2.4 Open Issues and Future Work	p. 313
6.3 LTE as the Uplink Access for Home Networks	p. 313
6.3.1 Homenet at IETF	p. 313
6.3.2 Homenet and 3GPP Architecture	p. 314
6.3.3 Additional 3GPP Deployment Options	p. 315
6.4 Port Control Protocol	p. 316
6.4.1 Deployment Scenarios	p. 317
6.4.2 Protocol Features	p. 318
6.4.3 PCP Server Discovery	p. 319
6.4.4 Protocol Messages	p. 319
6.4.5 Cascaded NATs	p. 320
6.4.6 Relation to IPv6 Transition	p. 320
6.5 Internet of Things	p. 321
6.5.1 Typical Use Cases	p. 321
6.5.2 Standardization Organizations Working with IoT	p. 322
6.5.3 IoT Domain from the 3GPP Point of View	p. 327
6.5.4 Implications to UEs	p. 328
6.5.5 Implications to 3GPP Networks	p. 329
6.6 Chapter Summary	p. 331
References	p. 332
Index	p. 337

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Author Notes

Table of Contents