Abstract
Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or machine- type communication (MTC) is considered an integral part of the so-called Internet of Things. M2M provides ubiquitous connectivity among devices without human intervention. Using cellular networks to provide M2M connectivity presents numerous advantages (coverage, roaming support, interoperability, well developed charging, quality of service, and security solutions among others). However, a large number of devices, that may need to communicate over a short period of time, can cause problematic situations which hugely impacts the radio access and core networks of the cellular system. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey on random access procedure in the context of 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). Specifically, we give a complete description of the parameters and the information necessary to evaluate the random access procedure when the cellular network is subjected to M2M traffic. It will be useful for designing mechanisms and algorithms to efficiently manage the massive accesses on the air interface.
