Confidentiality in the UMTS Radio Access Network Simulation approach under OPNET

The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) offers a panoply of 3G services. In addition to delivery of images, graphics and video communications, UMTS is used for such applications as banking and e-commerce and hence security is a critical concern. In the present paper, we are interested in the confidentiality feature in the UMTS Network Access. Ciphering when applied is performed in the RNC and the UE either in the RLC sub-layer or in the MAC sub-layer. Our current research aims to examine exactly where the encryption/decryption occurs in the protocol stack of an UMTS network. And then introduce this security feature in the OPNET Modeler which is used to give a simulation approach of the use of the UTRAN confidentiality feature between RNC and UE. This paper is organized as follows. First, a brief description of the UMTS confidentiality mechanism. Then, We will be interested in the UMTS stack layers where the ciphering and deciphering of data would be performed. After, we will describe our simulation approach by exposing the changes made to mobile station and RNC node models in order to implement the confidentiality feature.