What is the range of TAC in LTE?

What is the range of TAC in LTE?

Let me help you understand what TAC means in LTE and what its valid range is. You and I both know how important it is to keep track of subscriber mobility in a cellular network, and that’s exactly where TAC comes in.

TAC stands for Tracking Area Code. It’s a unique identifier that tells the network where your mobile device is currently located — not exact location like GPS, but which “tracking area” your phone is in. This is crucial for processes like paging (when the network wants to reach your phone for incoming calls or data) and tracking your mobility across the network.

In LTE, a TAC is part of the Tracking Area Identity (TAI), which also includes the PLMN ID (Public Land Mobile Network ID). Each TAC belongs to a set of cells grouped together, and the network uses this code to efficiently manage resources and signaling.

Now, let’s talk about the TAC range in LTE:

• The valid range for a TAC value is from 0x0001 to 0xFFFE in hexadecimal.
• In decimal, that means the range is from 1 to 65534.
• 0x0000 (or 0) and 0xFFFF (or 65535) are reserved and should not be used.

This means when you’re configuring or analyzing LTE network parameters, and you come across TAC values, they must fall within this valid range — otherwise, they won’t be accepted by the network or compliant with 3GPP standards.

Just like we discussed earlier when exploring topics like the Tracking Area or TAU (Tracking Area Update) procedure, TAC plays a crucial role in ensuring the network always knows approximately where you are. Without it, features like mobility management and efficient paging wouldn’t work correctly.

To summarize in a simple way: if your TAC is any number between 1 and 65534, it’s valid and usable in LTE. Anything outside this range is either reserved or invalid for normal network operations.