A
Radio Network Controller (RNC) provides the interface between the wireless devices
communicating through Node B transceivers and the network edge. This includes
controlling and managing the radio transceivers in the Node B equipment, as well
as management tasks like soft handoff.The
RNC performs tasks in a 3G wireless network analogous to those of the Base Station
Controller (BSC) in a 2G or 2.5G network. It interfaces with GPRS Service Nodes
(SGSNs) and Gateways (GGSNs) to mediate with the network service providers. A
radio network controller manages hundreds of Node B transceiver stations while
switching and provisioning services off the Mobile Switching Center and 3G data
network interfaces.
The connection from the RNC to a Node B is called the User
Plane Interface Layer and it uses T1/E1 transport to the RNC.Due
to the large number of Node B transceivers, a T1/E1 aggregator is used to deliver
the Node B data over channelized OC-3 optical transport to the RNC. The OC-3 pipe
can be a direct connection to the RNC or through traditional SONET/SDH transmission
networks. A typical Radio Network
Controller may be built on a PICMG or Advanced TCA chassis. It contains several
different kinds of cards specialized for performing the functions and interacting
with the various interfaces of the RNC.
