3GPP Work Item description

This page contains informal descriptive text only.  See master WID page for further details.

Feature: Support of SMS and MMS over generic 3GPP IP access

There is interest in providing 3GPP messaging services across WLAN, and, more generically across any form of IP access that is part of the 3GPP system.
Although some initial work has been documented within annex D of the WLAN interworking stage 2 (TS 23.234), there are many topics that cannot be tackled in isolation.

These include (but are not limited) to:

    §         the impact on existing SMS services and the HSS (e.g. the impact on SMS message waiting flags and on voice mail services.) If this is not studied, then there is a risk that existing operator services will be degraded by the introduction of “SMS over WLAN”;

    §         the investigation of the use of SS7 and/or IP protocols to communicate with the SMSC (actually its GMSC/IWMSC) and/or the HSS;

    §         providing SMS/MMS services over any 3GPP IP access needs authentication (e.g. specification of security mechanisms);

    §         potential synergies between solutions for SMS, MMS and IMS messaging (e.g. common (re)registration mechanisms);

    §         addressing mechanisms when multiple IP-SMS Gateways are in use;

    §         reliable deregistration mechanisms to cope with cases when the 3GPP IP access link is lost suddenly (e.g. when WLAN coverage is lost).

    §         mechanisms to handle SMS and MMS when there is more than one 3GPP IP connection active with the mobile (e.g. a WLAN/GPRS/UMTS card may be GPRS attached and/or CS attached while also having the WLAN connection active).

This Work Item aims to address these issues in a well documented fashion.

The overall objective is to enhance the 3GPP specifications to support delivery of SMS and MMS over WLAN and any other 3GPP IP access in a manner which guarantees existing SMS and MMS services are not degraded.

First, a technical report is produced to study the architectural aspects. The results of this study are then utilized to generate a stage-2 specification:

    §         Utilize IMS-registration, and IMS Immediate Message capabilities for transparently delivering originating and terminating SMS over IP access.

    §         For MMS, utilize SIP-based Push for notification (i.e. SIP would be used whenever SMS is used as transport), whilst continue using HTTP and SMTP for transfer of the MMS itself

Updates to stage 3 specifications are also expected.

Service Aspects:

To provide SMS and MMS over any 3GPP IP access without degrading existing services.