4.3.10 Functionality for Connection of eNodeBs to Multiple MMEs

23.4013GPPGeneral Packet Radio Service (GPRS) enhancements for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) accessRelease 18TS

An eNodeB may connect to several MMEs. This implies that an eNodeB must be able to determine which of the MMEs, covering the area where an UE is located, should receive the signalling sent from a UE. To avoid unnecessary signalling in the core network, a UE that has attached to one MME should generally continue to be served by this MME as long as the UE is in the radio coverage of the pool area to which the MME is associated. The concept of pool area is a RAN based definition that comprises one or more TA(s) that, from a RAN perspective, are served by a certain group of MMEs. This does not exclude that one or more of the MMEs in this group serve TAs outside the pool area. This group of MMEs is also referred to as an MME pool.

To enable the eNodeB to determine which MME to select when forwarding messages from an UE, this functionality defines a routing mechanism (and other related mechanism). A routing mechanism (and other related mechanism) is defined for the MMEs. The routing mechanism is required to find the correct old MME (from the multiple MMEs that are associated with a pool area). When a UE roams out of the pool area and into the area of one or more MMEs that do not know about the internal structure of the pool area where the UE roamed from, the new MME will send the Identification Request message or the Context Request message to the old MME using the GUTI. The routing mechanism in both the MMEs and the eNodeB utilises the fact that every MME that serves a pool area must have its own unique value range of the GUTI parameter within the pool area.