Circuit Switch vs.

Packet Switch
Packet-switched networks move data in separate, small blocks -- packets -based on the destination address in each packet. When received, packets are
reassembled in the proper sequence to make up the message. In packetswitched networks, the route is not exclusively determined when the packets
hit the wire. Using routing algorithms, each packet may actually take a
different route through the network to arrive at the destination host. Circuitswitched networks require dedicated point-to-point connections during calls.
MME (Mobility Management Entity)
MME is the main signaling node in the EPC. According to LTE University, LTE
MME is responsible for initiating paging and authentication of the mobile
device. MME retains location information at the tracking area level for each
user and then selects the appropriate gateway during the initial registration
process. MME also plays a vital part in handover signaling between LTE and
2G/3G networks.
Serving Gateway (S-GW)
The serving gateway (S-GW) acts as a router, and forwards data between the
base station and the PDN gateway.
Home Subscriber Server (HSS)
HSS is a central database that contains information about all the network
operator's subscribers. g. It also holds information about the PDNs to which
the user can connect. In addition the HSS holds dynamic information such as
the identity of the MME to which the user is currently attached or registered.
Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF)
The Policy Control and Charging Rules Function are responsible for policy
control decision-making, as well as for controlling the flow-based charging
functionalities. The PCRF provides the QoS authorization (QoS class identifier
[QCI] and bit rates) that decides how a certain data flow will be treated and
ensures that this is in accordance with the users subscription profile.
Packet Data Network-Gateway
The PDN Gateway is responsible for IP address allocation for the UE, as well
as QoS enforcement and flow-based charging according to rules from the
PCRF. It is responsible for the filtering of downlink user IP packets into the
different QoS-based bearers. The Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) communicates with the outside world ie. Packet data networks PDN,
using SGi interface. Each packet data network is identified by an access point
name (APN). The PDN gateway has the same role as the GPRS support node
(GGSN) and the serving GPRS support node (SGSN) with UMTS and GSM.
Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA)

MME need to communicate with HSS which in turn communicate with AAA
server for authentication, authorization and accounting purposes.