Analysis of the evolution to an IP-based UMTS terrestrial radio access network

This article provides an overview of the various issues - and their solutions - the researchers faced when looking into the matter of introducing IP transport in the UMTS terrestrial radio access network. Starting with a synopsis of the framework provided by standardization (3GPP), we present more detailed solutions for several topics that were addressed in 3GPP such as the definition of an efficient protocol stack, the provisioning of QoS, and strategies for IP-ATM interworking. As a special case of the latter, the application of pseudo-wires as an innovative solution is put forward to allow interworking with dual-stacked nodes over an IP-only backbone.