Network Access Security in Next-Generation 3GPP Systems: A Tutorial

The 3GPP Release 8 Long Term Evolution/System Architecture Evolution marks the advancement of mobile cellular technology after UMTS-3G. The evolved packet system (EPS) architecture proposed in Release 8 introduces fundamental changes on top of UNITS in several design areas, including security. This article provides a tutorial overview of the proposed security mechanism in EPS. It first gives the background, a brief overview of the overall EPS architecture. It goes on to list the various requirements to be met for EPS security. A description of the EPS security architecture and detailed security procedures are given subsequently. The innovations that have been introduced in EPS, on top of UNITS, are highlighted all through the article. The article concludes by listing some open security issues at the moment.