Towards a better support of Machine Type Communication in LTE-networks: Analysis of random access mechanisms

Machine Type Communication (MTC) is an essential service for next generation cellular networks. Because of the massive number of communicating devices, MTC poses great challenges for Radio Access Network (RAN). This is mainly caused by the overloading problem that has been aggressively addressed by 3GPP as an essential working item. Because of this overloading problem, classical Human to Human (H2H) communications may be negatively affected. In this paper we first introduce the MTC and its challenges with a focus on its use in the healthcare domain. The Random Access procedure (RACH) used in Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networks will be then explained in order to address the issue of RACH overload coming from massive number of MTC devices. To resolve RAN overload, 3GPP and others have proposed several RAN solutions. We evaluate and compare these solutions and conclude finally with their advantages and weaknesses in order to select the best solution for an operator.