Home Node B
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A Home Node B, or HNB, is the 3GPP's term for a 3G femtocell.
A Node B is an element of a 3G macro Radio Access Network, or RAN. A femtocell performs many of the function of a Node B, but is optimized for deployment in the home.
[edit] Standard
Within the 3GPP, the RAN Working Group 3 (WG3) has been assigned the task of developing a standard interface between a 3G femtocell and the mobile core network.
Recently the WG3 group completed work on a feasibility study and reference architecture as the basis for a new HNB standard. This is an important milestone towards completion of a full HNB standard.
While the full standards documents (stage 2 and stage 3) are not complete, the plan of record is for completion in December, 2008.
[edit] Architecture
Within an HNB Access Network there are two new network elements. The first is the Home Node B (or femtocell), the second is the Home Node B Gateway, or HNB-GW.
Between the HNB and the HNB-GW is a new interface known as Iu-h.
Home NodeB (HNB) – Connected to an existing residential broadband service, an HNB provides 3G radio coverage for 3G handsets within a home. HNBs incorporate the capabilities of a standard Node B as well as the radio resource management functions of a standard Radio Network Controller RNC.
HNB Gateway (HNB-GW) - Installed within an operator’s network, the HNB Gateway aggregates traffic from a large number of HNBs back into an existing core service network through the standard Iu-cs and Iu-ps interfaces.
Iu-h Interface - Residing between an HNB and HNB-GW, the Iu-h interface defines the security architecture used to provide a secure, scalable communications over the Internet. The Iu-h interface also defines an efficient, reliable method for transporting Iu-based traffic as well as a new protocol (HNBAP) for enabling highly scalable ad-hoc HNB deployment.
 Home Node B Access Network |
