Bearer Concept
What is a bearer? Definition of parameters
That of Bearer is a virtual concept: it carries elements from one point to another.
What does a bearer do? In LTE networks, a bearer is a set of parameters that defines how data is treated. It is needed to implement and provide QoS to subscribers.
A bearer identifies a data packet flow between:
- The terminal (User Equipment, UE) and
- The gateway (Packet Data Network Gateway or PDN-GW)
More specific, the packet gets mapped and linked to the bearer and any other packet of the same type will receive the same packet-forwarding treatment. The special treatment can be related to
- Scheduling,
- queue management,
- traffic sharing,
- link layer configuration and so on.
All the above elements are prioritised accordingly to reflect the quality of service.
The decision to establish or modify a dedicated bearer can only be taken by the network – the admission control is done per bearer and the operator has full control over it.
Architecture
Bearer can be used to cover several roles– generally bearers in an LTE network cover 11 different types of traffic, such as voice, video, or data.
They can be split into two types:
- Default bearer and
- Dedicated bearer
A default bearer gets established when user equipment is connected to an LTE network for the first time. A default bearer has always a NON Guaranteed bit rate (NON GBR).
On the other hand, a dedicated bearer is established when there is need for Quality of Service for a specific function/service, like VoIP or Video. A dedicated bearer can have both Guaranteed Bit Rate and Non Guaranteed Bit Rate, depending on the Quality of Service class identifier assigned for the service provided.
Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) vs Non Guaranteed Bit Rate (Non-GBR)
The internet speed is calculated in bit rate. It can be split in two: it could be
- guaranteed or
- non-guaranteed.
Minimum guaranteed bit rate is allocated by the network operator for applications like VoIP. For this kind of apps, a GBR value is associated, allocating permanent resources to it.
If resources are available, a higher bit rate than the GBR could be allocated.
On the other hand, in a case of Non-GBR, the network operator does not guarantee any particular speed to this bearer. Normally, this treatment is allocated to web browsing or FTP.
RugGear and LTE networks
For over 15 years, RugGear has been developing mobile devices to work on LTE networks.
Devices such as RG880i are designed with dual SIM functionality and allow to switch to the stronger network available, assuring the best possible communication.
Do you want to find out more about our technology and how we can help your team improve communication? Get in touch and our representatives will be happy to assist you.