What is ciphering in GSM?

GSM makes use of a ciphering key to protect both user data and signaling on the vulnerable air interface . Once the user is authenticated, the RAND (delivered from the network) together with the KI (from the SIM) is sent through the A8 ciphering key generating algorithm, to produce a ciphering key (KC).

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What does PDCP do in LTE?

From UMTS, the main function of the PDCP layer has been the header compression of IP packets – this is the reason why it is called the Packet Data Convergence Protocol. In LTE, the PDCP layer has evolved to support a security function; that is, integrity protection and ciphering .

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