LTE RRC Messages – Complete E-UTRA RRC Message List & Procedures

LTE RRC, or Radio Resource Control, is the control-plane protocol between the UE and the eNodeB. Defined in 3GPP TS 36.331, LTE RRC controls connection establishment, system information, security activation, radio bearer configuration, measurements, mobility, reestablishment, release, MBMS, CSFB, sidelink, UE capability exchange, and radio-access troubleshooting procedures.

Use this page to search or browse LTE RRC messages by procedure category. Each message page explains the message direction, trigger, call-flow role, key fields, and practical troubleshooting notes.

Based on 3GPP TS 36.331

Broadcast & System Information

Broadcast messages and system information blocks used by the UE to acquire LTE cell access, common radio configuration, mobility information, warning information, and MBMS-related configuration.

27 messages
eNodeB -> UE MIB - Master Information Block

Essential broadcast anchor for LTE cell acquisition.

eNodeB -> UE System Information

Broadcast container for scheduled LTE SIB content.

Broadcast System Information BR-r13

Bandwidth-reduced system information for later LTE releases.

Broadcast System Information MBMS-r14

MBMS-specific system information broadcast.

eNodeB -> UE SIB1 - System Information Block Type 1

Cell access, identity, scheduling, and selection information.

eNodeB -> UE SIB2 - System Information Block Type 2

Common radio resource configuration for access and idle behavior.

eNodeB -> UE SIB3 - System Information Block Type 3

Intra-frequency cell reselection parameters.

eNodeB -> UE SIB4 - System Information Block Type 4

Intra-frequency neighboring cell information.

eNodeB -> UE SIB5 - System Information Block Type 5

Inter-frequency reselection and neighboring frequency information.

eNodeB -> UE SIB6 - System Information Block Type 6

UTRA inter-RAT reselection information.

eNodeB -> UE SIB7 - System Information Block Type 7

GERAN inter-RAT reselection information.

eNodeB -> UE SIB8 - System Information Block Type 8

CDMA2000 interworking and reselection information.

Coming soon SIB9 - System Information Block Type 9

Home eNodeB and cell identity related broadcast information.

Coming soon SIB10 - System Information Block Type 10

ETWS primary warning notification information.

Coming soon SIB11 - System Information Block Type 11

ETWS secondary warning notification information.

Coming soon SIB12 - System Information Block Type 12

CMAS warning notification information.

eNodeB -> UE SIB13 - System Information Block Type 13

MBMS and MBSFN service acquisition information.

Coming soon SIB14 - System Information Block Type 14

Extended access barring related information.

Coming soon SIB15 - System Information Block Type 15

MBMS service area and frequency information.

Coming soon SIB16 - System Information Block Type 16

GPS time and UTC related assistance information.

Coming soon SIB17 - System Information Block Type 17

WLAN interworking assistance information.

Coming soon SIB18 - System Information Block Type 18

LTE sidelink communication configuration.

Coming soon SIB19 - System Information Block Type 19

LTE sidelink discovery configuration.

Coming soon SIB20 - System Information Block Type 20

MBMS or special broadcast configuration for later releases.

Coming soon SIB21 - System Information Block Type 21

LTE V2X sidelink configuration.

Coming soon SIB24 - System Information Block Type 24

NR cell reselection information for LTE-to-NR idle mobility.

eNodeB -> UE Paging

Idle or connected paging notification for UE reachability and system information changes.

RRC Connection Setup

Messages used to establish an LTE RRC connection from idle mode or reject the attempt.

4 messages

Security

Messages used to activate or reject Access Stratum security in LTE connected mode.

3 messages

NAS / Information Transfer

RRC container messages used to carry NAS signalling between UE and eNodeB/MME.

4 messages

Reconfiguration & Bearers

Messages used to configure radio bearers, measurements, mobility, DRX, CA, dual connectivity, and connected-mode radio parameters.

5 messages

Measurements & Mobility

Messages used for measurement reporting, handover support, inter-RAT mobility, logged measurements, and positioning-related measurement handling.

8 messages

Reestablishment

Messages used when the UE attempts to recover the RRC connection after radio link failure, handover failure, reconfiguration failure, or other connection problems.

4 messages

Release

Messages used to release the LTE RRC connection or complete early data related procedures.

3 messages

UE Capability & Assistance

Messages used to request and report UE radio capabilities and UE-side assistance information.

6 messages

MBMS / MBSFN

Messages used for LTE MBMS, MBSFN area configuration, MBMS counting, and MBMS interest reporting.

6 messages

CSFB / CDMA2000

Messages used for cdma2000 interworking and CS fallback related LTE RRC procedures.

5 messages

Failure & Diagnostics

Messages used to report failures, diagnostics, radio link failure context, random access information, and release-specific failure details.

5 messages

Release-Specific / Advanced

Additional LTE RRC messages introduced for later releases, segmentation, bandwidth-reduced operation, application-layer measurements, and special procedures.

22 messages
Broadcast System Information BR-r13

Bandwidth-reduced system information.

eNodeB -> UE DL Dedicated Message Segment-r16

Downlink segmentation container for dedicated messages.

UE -> eNodeB UL Dedicated Message Segment-r16

Uplink segmentation container for dedicated messages.

UE -> eNodeB MeasReportAppLayer-r15

Application-layer measurement report.

UE -> eNodeB Early Data Request-r15

Early data request message.

eNodeB -> UE Early Data Complete-r15

Early data completion message.

UE -> eNodeB Connection Resume Complete-r13

Uplink LTE RRC message sent by the UE to confirm that the resume branch completed successfully and the suspended context was restored.

UE -> eNodeB Connection Resume Request-r13

Uplink LTE RRC message sent by the UE to request continuation of a suspended LTE context without starting a full fresh connection setup.

eNodeB -> UE Connection Resume-r13

Downlink LTE RRC message sent by the eNodeB to resume a suspended LTE connection context without starting a full fresh connection setup.

UE -> eNodeB Proximity Indication r9

Uplink LTE RRC message used by the UE to report proximity-related status relevant to network-controlled proximity services handling.

eNodeB -> UE PUR Configuration Request r16

Downlink LTE RRC message used to request or deliver PUR-related configuration handling.

RN -> Donor eNodeB RN Reconfiguration Complete-r10

Uplink LTE RRC message used by the relay node to acknowledge RNReconfiguration-r10.

Donor eNodeB -> RN RN Reconfiguration-r10

Downlink LTE RRC message used by a donor eNodeB to change relay-node specific configuration.

UE -> eNodeB SCG Failure Information NR r15

Uplink LTE RRC message used in E-UTRA master / NR secondary contexts when the UE reports failure affecting the NR-side secondary cell group.

UE -> eNodeB SCG Failure Information r12

Uplink LTE RRC message used by the UE to report secondary cell group failure in dual-connectivity related LTE contexts.

eNodeB -> UE SCPTM Configuration BR r14

Downlink LTE RRC message used to deliver SC-PTM configuration for bandwidth-reduced UE contexts.

eNodeB -> UE SCPTM Configuration r13

Downlink LTE RRC message used to deliver SC-PTM configuration to the UE.

Broadcast SIB1 BR r13

Broadcast LTE RRC message carrying the first BR-specific system-information block.

Broadcast SIB1 MBMS r14

Broadcast LTE RRC message carrying the first MBMS-specific system-information block.

UE -> eNodeB UL Information Transfer IRAT r16

Uplink LTE RRC message used to transfer dedicated information in inter-RAT related contexts.

UE -> eNodeB UL Information Transfer MRDC r15

Uplink LTE RRC message used to transfer dedicated information in MR-DC related contexts.

UE -> eNodeB WLAN Connection Status Report r13

Uplink LTE RRC message used by the UE to report WLAN connection status relevant to LTE and WLAN interworking handling.

Most Used LTE RRC Messages

Common LTE RRC Procedure Flows

FAQ

What are LTE RRC messages?

LTE RRC messages are Radio Resource Control messages exchanged between the UE and eNodeB to manage LTE radio access, connection setup, security, bearer configuration, measurements, mobility, release, MBMS, and UE capability procedures.

Which specification defines LTE RRC?

LTE RRC is defined in 3GPP TS 36.331.

What are the most important LTE RRC messages?

The most commonly analyzed LTE RRC messages include MIB, SIB1, System Information, Paging, RRC Connection Request, RRC Connection Setup, RRC Connection Setup Complete, RRC Connection Reconfiguration, Measurement Report, RRC Connection Release, UE Capability Enquiry, and UE Capability Information.

What is the difference between RRC Connection Setup and RRC Connection Reconfiguration?

RRC Connection Setup establishes the initial RRC connection, while RRC Connection Reconfiguration modifies connected-mode radio configuration, bearers, measurements, mobility, and advanced features.

What is the role of SIB messages in LTE?

SIB messages broadcast common system information such as cell access parameters, radio resource configuration, idle-mode mobility, inter-frequency and inter-RAT reselection, warning information, MBMS, and positioning-related information.

What is RRC Connection Reestablishment used for?

RRC Connection Reestablishment is used when the UE tries to recover an RRC connection after radio link failure, handover failure, reconfiguration failure, or other connection interruption.

What is the difference between LTE RRC and 5G NR RRC?

LTE RRC is used between UE and eNodeB in E-UTRA and is defined in TS 36.331. 5G NR RRC is used between UE and gNB in NR and is defined in TS 38.331.

References

  • 3GPP TS 36.331 – E-UTRA Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification
  • 3GPP TS 36.300 – E-UTRA and E-UTRAN overall description
  • 3GPP TS 36.304 – UE procedures in idle mode
  • 3GPP TS 36.306 – UE radio access capabilities