UMTS - the mobile part of broadband communications for the next century

This paper outlines the path from developing broadband ISDN/ATM systems towards the European vision of the next generation mobile system - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The capabilities of UMTS in terms of services and features compared to the second generation mobile system GSM, and the network technologies behind N-ISDN and B-ISDN, are discussed with proposals for technical developments to satisfy the UMTS requirements. The UMTS radio interface aspects ave described and considerations on the network requirements to support these radio aspects are discussed. The requirements within the network for control, switching and transport to support the mobility, service and interconnecting network aspects of UMTS are outlined in conjunction with the technical solutions currently under discussion and some latest thoughts on a potential high-level architecture.