Abstract

The Evolved Packet Core (EPC), IP-based, as defined by 3GPP, is the core network for the 4th generation networks. Within the EPC there are two mobility protocols defined to use on the S5/S8 interface between the Serving Gateway (SGW) and the Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW). The architecture and functionalities of the two involved gateways are different either of GPRS Tunnelling Protocol (GTP) or Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6) is deployed as the mobility management protocol on the S5/S8 interface. This paper evaluates the signalling costs of the two mobility management protocols when dynamic QoS and policy control are applied. The two mobility protocols are functionally compared against each other in general as well as within the EPC architecture. The evaluation of the signalling effort of the two mobility protocols is done by means of handover with SGW relocation and shows that GTP performs better than the PMIPv6.