{{Short description|Term used in telecommunications standards}} thumb | right | alt=UMTS Radio Access Network | UMTS Radio Access NetworkIn the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), '''user equipment''' ('''UE''') is any device used directly by an end-user to communicate. It can be a hand-held telephone, a laptop computer equipped with a mobile broadband adapter, or any other device. It connects to the base station Node B/eNodeB as specified in the ETSI 125/136-series and 3GPP 25/36-series of specifications. It roughly corresponds to the mobile station (MS) in GSM systems.
The radio interface between the UE and the Node B is called ''Uu''. In the context of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), Uu stands for the interface between UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) and the UE (User Equipment).
== Functionality == UE handles the following tasks towards the core network: * Mobility management * Call control * Session management * Identity management
The corresponding protocols are transmitted transparently via a Node B, that is, Node B does not change, use or understand the information. These protocols are also referred to as ''Non Access Stratum'' protocols.
The UE is a device which initiates all the calls and it is the terminal device in a network.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/25-series.htm 3GPP 25-series of specifications] * [http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/36-series.htm 3GPP 36-series of specifications]
Category:Mobile telecommunications user equipment Category:UMTS Category:Mobile telecommunications standards Category:3GPP standards
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