top button
Flag Notify
    Connect to us
      Site Registration

Site Registration

LTE: what is the use of SN and HFN at PDCP layer and why it is required ?

+8 votes
5,410 views
LTE: what is the use of SN and HFN at PDCP layer and why it is required ?
posted Nov 18, 2013 by Vimal Kumar Mishra

Share this question
Facebook Share Button Twitter Share Button LinkedIn Share Button

2 Answers

+1 vote

It is an overflow counter mechanism used in the eNB and UE in order to limit the actual number of sequence number bits that is needed to be sent over the radio. The HFN needs to be synchronized between the UE and eNB, i.e. when the PDCP SN has reach its maximum value (which in turn depends on number of bits used for PDCP SN (5, 7 or 12 bits), PDCP SN will be restarted from 0 AND HFN will be increased by one. COUNT (32 bits) is made up of PDCP SN together with HFN, and is used in the security process.

answer Nov 19, 2013 by Vikram Singh
Nice explanation
0 votes

so can we say that if we set 12 bits instead 7 bits then it is easier for UE to decode packets correctly ? what is the advantage and disadvantage of setting 12 bits instead of 7 bits?

answer May 21, 2017 by Eray Madrid
...