User plane architecture of 3/sup rd/ generation mobile telecommunication network

This paper presents modifications that are proposed to the 3rd-generation packet data network in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project). The scope of the paper is the user plane of the packet data network. The UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network architecture is based on the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). In this paper, the proposed UMTS packet data network is presented and compared to the GPRS. In the comparison, modifications are highlighted and tasks of different protocols and their differences are evaluated. The comparison of protocols concentrates on the user plane or parts that affect to the user plane data transfer. A comparison of the advantages and drawbacks is made. Finally, the paper concludes the network modifications and changes on functional split.