An IP-based triggering method for LTE MTC devices

In Release 11, the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced the ability for Service Capability Servers (SCS) / Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Servers to request that the Mobile Core Network (MCN) deliver a Short Message Service (SMS) device trigger to the User Equipment (UE). The ability to send a trigger avoids the need for the UE to maintain constant contact with the SCS via keep-alive messaging. Keep-alive messaging can be particularly wasteful when considering the nature of M2M Communications. The SMS based triggering solution requires that the UE support an application that listens on an SMS port for triggers. In this paper, we propose an IP-Based trigger delivery method. The proposed triggering method allows a UE to receive a trigger by simply listening on a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port. The solution also allows the UE to reply to the SCS with a small application specific response. We present the call flow for the new triggering method and the required enhancements to the 3GPP Machine-Type Communication Interworking Function (MTC-IWF). The paper concludes by presenting a demonstration platform that shows the IP-based trigger delivery method working with a commercially available Long Term Evolution (LTE) UE and a oneM2M compliant M2M Server.