The following terms are used in this Technical Specification:
A/Gb mode:
mode of operation of the MS when connected to the Core Network via GERAN and the A and/or Gb interfaces.
Access Stratum (AS):
Active Transport Channel:
a transport channel is active during a TTI if it carries a transport block.
"channel set":
is used to identify TCHs that carry related user information flows, e.g., in a multislot configuration used to support circuit switched connection(s), which therefore need to be handled together.
Dynamic attributes:
for one transport channel, the values of the dynamic attributes are different among transport formats. They are configured by Layer 3 and can change on a TTI basis under the control of the MAC sublayer.
Empty Transport Format:
a transport format such that no transport block is carried over the transport channel (i.e. the transport channel is inactive).
Empty Transport Format Combination:
a transport format combination that is made up only of empty transport formats.
Inactive Transport Channel:
a transport channel is inactive during a TTI if it does not carry a transport block (i.e. the transport block size is zero).
Iu mode:
mode of operation of the MS when connected to the Core Network via GERAN or UTRAN and the Iu interface.
Non Access Stratum (NAS):
RR idle:
RR:
Radio Resource control plane protocol for radio resource management that is used when a mobile station is operating in A/Gb mode.
RRC:
Radio Resource control plane protocol for radio resource management that is used when a mobile station is operating in Iu mode.
RRC Connection:
A point-to-point bi-directional connection between RRC peer entities in the MS and the GERAN characterised by the allocation of a G-RNTI. An MS has either zero or one RRC connection.
RRC-Idle mode:
In RRC-Idle mode, the MS has no established RRC connection.
RRC-Connected mode:
In RRC-Connected mode, the MS has an established RRC connection.
Inter-RAT handover:
indicates the transfer of the connection, under the control of the network, between the MS and two different radio access technologies (e.g. UMTS to GERAN Iu mode).
Inter-mode handover:
indicates the transfer of the connection, under the control of the network, between the MS and GERAN Iu mode to/from GERAN A/Gb mode.
R:
Retransmission number (R = 0 for first transmission, R = 1 for first retransmission, …, R = n for the nth retransmission). When there is no retransmission, R = 0 always.
RR group receive mode:
RR dedicated mode:
RR group transmit mode:
RR packet idle mode:
RR packet transfer mode:
RR dual transfer mode:
RLC/MAC block:
A RLC/MAC block is the protocol data unit exchanged between RLC/MAC entities, see
TS 44.060.
Semi-static attributes:
for one transport channel, the values of the semi-static attributes are common to all transport formats. They are configured by Layer 3 and can only be changed by Layer 3 signalling.
Transport Block (TB):
block exchanged on a transport channel between the physical layer and the MAC sublayer.
Temporary block flow (TBF):
Transport Channel (TrCH):
a transport channel is offered by the physical layer to the MAC sublayer for exchange of transport blocks. A transport channel is used to carry with a certain quality of service, a data flow over the radio interface.
Transport Format (TF):
configuration of a transport channel, including for instance channel coding, CRC size, etc.
Transport Format Combination (TFC):
allowed combination of transport format(s) of the different transport channels that are multiplexed together on a basic physical subchannel.
Transport Format Combination Indicator (TFCI):
layer one header that indicates the transport channel combination that has been selected for each radio packet.
Transport Format Combination Set (TFCS):
set of allowed transport format combinations on a basic physical subchannel.
Transport Format Indicator (TFIN):
index identifying a particular transport format within the transport format set.
Transport Format Set (TFS):
set of all transport formats defined for a particular transport channel.
Transmission Time Interval (TTI):
rate at which transport blocks are exchanged between the physical layer and the MAC sublayer on a transport channel.
The network modes of operation for GERAN Iu mode are:
NMO I:
the network has a Gs interface. The network sends CS paging and PS paging messages for an attached MS via the SGSN and the Iu-ps interface to GERAN Iu. Paging co-ordination is achieved at the SGSN thanks to the Gs interface. GERAN Iu pages the MS on PACCH if available, else PCCCH. MS can initiate combined procedures according to its capabilities.
NMO II:
the network has no Gs interface. For an attached MS, the network sends CS paging messages, via the MSC plus the Iu-cs interface, and sends PS paging messages, via the SGSN plus the Iu-ps interface to GERAN Iu. GERAN Iu performs paging co-ordination and pages the MS on PACCH if available, else PCCCH. MSs cannot initiate combined procedures.
In a number of places in this Technical Specification, it is mentioned that some value must take a "random" value, in a given range, or more generally with some statistical distribution. Such cases interest only the Mobile Station.
It is required that there is a low probability that two MSs in the same conditions (including the case of two MSs of the same type from the same manufacturer) will choose the same value. Moreover, it is required that, if it happens that two MSs in similar conditions choose the same value, the probability of their choices being identical at the next occasion is the same as if their first choices had been different.
The meaning of such a specification is that any statistical test for these values, done on a series of similar events, will obtain a result statistically compatible with the specified distribution. This shall hold even in the cases where the tests are conducted with a subset of possible events, with some common parameters. Moreover, basic tests of independence of the values within the series shall pass.
Data against which correlation with the values shall not be found are the protocol state, or the IMSI, or identities or other unrelated information broadcast by the network, or the current TDMA frame number.
For the purposes of the present document, the following notations apply:
Procedure
When referring to an elementary procedure in the specification the Procedure Name is written with the first letters in each word in upper case characters followed by the word "procedure", e.g. RRC Estabilshment procedure.
Message
When referring to a message in the specification the MESSAGE NAME is written with all letters in upper case characters followed by the word "message", e.g. CELL UPDATE message.
IE
When referring to an information element (IE) in the specification the Information Element Name is written with the first letters in each word in upper case characters and all letters in Italic font precedeed by the abbreviation "IE", e.g. IE "Initial MS Identity".
Value of an IE
When referring to the value of an information element (IE) in the specification the "Value" is written as it is specified in sub-
clause 9.2 enclosed by quotation marks, e.g. "Abstract Syntax Error (Reject)" or "Geographical Coordinates"