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LTE Quick Reference: Idle Mode Procedure

The document discusses the idle mode procedure that occurs on a mobile device when it is powered on and connected to a cellular network. It explains that while the network side is relatively idle, transmitting basic information on a schedule, the mobile device is very busy during idle mode. The major procedures on the mobile device during idle mode include cell measurement, cell search/PLMN search to detect available networks, cell selection to choose a network, and cell reselection if a better network is available. Each procedure is complex and aims to optimize network selection and signal quality.

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76 views1 page

LTE Quick Reference: Idle Mode Procedure

The document discusses the idle mode procedure that occurs on a mobile device when it is powered on and connected to a cellular network. It explains that while the network side is relatively idle, transmitting basic information on a schedule, the mobile device is very busy during idle mode. The major procedures on the mobile device during idle mode include cell measurement, cell search/PLMN search to detect available networks, cell selection to choose a network, and cell reselection if a better network is available. Each procedure is complex and aims to optimize network selection and signal quality.

Uploaded by

Amir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2/17/2021 ShareTechnote

LTE Quick Reference Go Back To Index Home : www.sharetechnote.com

Idle Mode Procedure

I was lucky in terms of technology. I had experience in working with UE test equipment (Network Simulator) / looking
mostly into eNB side log and working with UE modem development team looking mostly into UE log.
When I first working in Network simulator side, the term 'Idle' made very clear sense to me. It is really as it sound.
In Network side, 'idle' is real 'idle' meaning 'doing almost nothing'. The only thing that Network is doing during the
idle mode is to keep transmitting MIB/SIBs based on predefined schedule and keep checking whether it is detecting
any PRACH from any UE. If you see the network side log, you woudn't see any meaningful event there.
However, when I switched to UE development team, the first thing that surprised me was 'Idle' would not mean
'doing almost nothing' on UE side. To put a little bit of exaggeration, 'Idle' is the states in which UE gets the busiest'.

Have you thought of what's happending within your mobile phone when you turn on the power of a mobile phone or
you just get off the plane and turn off 'Airplane mode'.

i) First, you would see a small text message usually at the top of the LCD screen saying "Searching for
Network"
ii) And then you would see Antenna Bars start showing up
iii) And then you may see what kind of access technology the UE get connected to (e.g, 3G, HSDPA, GSM etc)
iv) Finally you would see the name of the network operator displayed on top of the LCD.

Unless you make any phone call or browsing or somebody call you, your mobile phone stays as it is seemingly "Being
Idle".

In a sense, I would say the term 'Idle' in this title may be a little misleading because it may give you an impression of
"doing nothing". But in reality, this period is the time during which your mobile phone is in the busiest state. In short,
your device is doing all the procedure described in 3GPP TS 36.304 (TS 25.304 for UMTS). The power-on procedure
listed above is only a small fraction of 'idle mode procedure' and in reality a mobile phone is doing much more jobs
during the idle period.

In short, Idle Mode Procedure is the collective name of all the procedure which are happening during power-on and
'after power-on'. Major procedures for the idle mode can be described as follows :

i) Cell Measurement (Measure the signal quality of Neigbour cells)


ii) Cell Search/PLMN Search (Detect PLMN of cells and determine which cell it would camp on to)
iii) Cell Selection (Determine a cell and perform registration)
iv) Cell Reselection (Change cell from existing cells to another cell)

Each of these procedures are very complicated one and will be described in a separate pages in sharetechnote. To
understand these procedure, you have to have clear answers to the following questions.

a) What is the purpose of the procedure ?


b) What is the condition (trigger) to make the procedure happen ? (See Cell Selection Criteria)

You will get the answers to these questions for each procedure in separate pages which deals with the topics. The
related pages are listed below and this list will get longer.

Cell Search/Measurement
Cell Selection
Cell Selection Criterion

https://www.sharetechnote.com/html/Handbook_LTE_IdleModeProcedure.html 1/1

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