| Protocol | e1ap | Network | 5g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spec | 3GPP TS 37.483 | Spec Section | Bearer Context Release completion outcome and related IE definitions (Release 18 baseline) |
| Direction | gNB-CU-UP -> gNB-CU-CP successfulOutcome | Message Type | UE-associated bearer-context release completion |
| Full message name | 5G E1AP - Bearer Context Release Complete |
|---|---|
| Protocol | E1AP |
| Technology | 5G |
| Direction | gNB-CU-UP -> gNB-CU-CP successfulOutcome |
| Interface | E1 between gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP |
| Signaling bearer / channel | UE-associated E1AP signaling / SCTP carried E1AP successfulOutcome |
| Typical trigger | The CU-UP has finished processing Bearer Context Release Command or Bearer Context Release Request and can confirm that teardown is complete. |
| Main purpose | Confirms that the CU-UP finished the requested bearer-context teardown and that the targeted user-plane branch has been removed. |
| Main specification | 3GPP TS 37.483, Bearer Context Release completion outcome and related IE definitions (Release 18 baseline) |
| Release added | Release 17 |
| Procedures where used | Bearer Context Release, Bearer cleanup completion |
Bearer Context Release Complete is the E1AP successful outcome the gNB-CU-UP returns after bearer-context teardown has finished for the targeted UE branch.
Confirms that the CU-UP finished the requested bearer-context teardown and that the targeted user-plane branch has been removed.
Bearer Context Release Complete is the CU-UP telling the CU-CP that bearer teardown is finished.
Call flow position: The CU-UP has completed the requested bearer cleanup and reports final completion back to the CU-CP.
Typical state: The targeted bearer context is no longer active at the CU-UP.
Preconditions:
Next likely message: Later control-plane continuation on a fresh or different bearer branch
Call flow position: The completion outcome closes the release-side branch for the targeted bearer context.
Typical state: The CU-CP can now treat the old CU-UP bearer state as gone.
Preconditions:
Next likely message: Subsequent setup or no further action on the released branch
Previous message(s): Bearer Context Release Command, Bearer Context Release Request
Next message(s): Later bearer setup on a fresh branch
Security context: Bearer Context Release Complete does not change security. It confirms that the CU-UP finished removing the bearer branch.
BearerContextReleaseComplete ::= SEQUENCE {
protocolIEs ProtocolIE-Container { {BearerContextReleaseComplete-IEs} },
...
}
BearerContextReleaseComplete-IEs E1AP-PROTOCOL-IES ::= {
{ gNB-CU-CP UE E1AP ID, mandatory } |
{ gNB-CU-UP UE E1AP ID, mandatory } |
{ Criticality Diagnostics, optional },
...
}
Release Complete is intentionally small because its purpose is to confirm teardown completion rather than to describe a new bearer state.
E1AP-PDU
successfulOutcome
procedureCode: id-bearerContextRelease
criticality: reject
value: BearerContextReleaseComplete
protocolIEs:
- id: id-gNB-CU-CP-UE-E1AP-ID
value: 0x00004192
- id: id-gNB-CU-UP-UE-E1AP-ID
value: 0x00000087
| IE | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
gNB-CU-CP UE E1AP ID | Yes | Mandatory CU-CP side UE identifier used to correlate the release completion with the earlier release-side procedure. |
gNB-CU-UP UE E1AP ID | Yes | Mandatory CU-UP side UE identifier for the bearer context that was released. |
Criticality Diagnostics | Optional | Optional diagnostics if the CU-UP needs to expose protocol handling detail about the completed release. |
gNB-CU-CP UE E1AP IDMandatory CU-CP side UE identifier used to correlate the release completion with the earlier release-side procedure.
Presence: Required
In practice: In practice, compare this field with the original request and with any later release-dependent optional fields so you can see whether the network accepted the same service model the UE asked for.
gNB-CU-UP UE E1AP IDMandatory CU-UP side UE identifier for the bearer context that was released.
Presence: Required
In practice: In practice, compare this field with the original request and with any later release-dependent optional fields so you can see whether the network accepted the same service model the UE asked for.
Criticality DiagnosticsOptional diagnostics if the CU-UP needs to expose protocol handling detail about the completed release.
Presence: Optional
In practice: In practice, compare this field with the original request and with any later release-dependent optional fields so you can see whether the network accepted the same service model the UE asked for.
Likely cause: The release completion may be missing, late, or mis-correlated.
What to inspect: Check for Bearer Context Release Complete and match it to the earlier release-side procedure.
Next step: Treat completion as the authoritative point where the old CU-UP bearer branch is confirmed removed.
Release Command orders teardown. Release Complete confirms teardown finished.
It is the E1AP successful outcome the CU-UP sends when the requested bearer teardown has finished.
It matters because it is the explicit confirmation that the old CU-UP bearer branch was removed.
Decode this message with the 3GPP Decoder, inspect the related message database, or open the matching call flow to see where this signaling step fits in the full procedure.