The Radio Network Controller (RNC) is a governing element in the
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...
radio access network (
UTRAN
UTRAN (short for "UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network''") is a collective term for the network and equipment that connects mobile handsets to the public telephone network or the Internet. It contains the base stations, which are called Node B's ...
) and is responsible for controlling the
Node B
{{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
Node B is the telecommunications node in particular mobile communication networks, namely those that adhere to the UMTS standard. The Node B provides the connection between mobile phones ( UEs) ...
s that are connected to it. The RNC carries out
radio resource management Radio resource management (RRM) is the system level management of co-channel interference, radio resources, and other radio transmission characteristics in wireless communication systems, for example cellular networks, wireless local area networks, ...
, some of the
mobility management
Mobility management is one of the major functions of a GSM or
a UMTS network that allows mobile phones to work. The aim of mobility management is to track where the subscribers are, allowing calls, SMS and other mobile phone services to be deli ...
functions and is the point where encryption is done before user data is sent to and from the mobile. The RNC connects to the Circuit Switched Core Network through Media Gateway ( MGW) and to the
SGSN
The GPRS core network is the central part of the general packet radio service (GPRS) which allows 2G, 3G and WCDMA mobile networks to transmit IP packets to external networks such as the Internet. The GPRS system is an integrated part of the G ...
The logical connections between the network elements are known as interfaces. The interface between the RNC and the Circuit Switched Core Network (CS-CN) is called Iu-CS and between the RNC and the Packet Switched Core Network is called Iu-PS. Other interfaces include Iub (between the RNC and the Node B) and Iur (between RNCs in the same network). Iu interfaces carry user traffic (such as voice or data) as well as control information (see ), and Iur interface is mainly needed for
soft handover Soft handover or soft handoff refers to a feature used by the CDMA and W-CDMA standards, where a cell phone is simultaneously connected to two or more cells (or cell sectors) during a call. If the sectors are from the same physical cell site (a sec ...
s involving 2 RNCs though not required as the absence of Iur will cause these handovers to become hard handovers.
Until 3gpp R4, all the interfaces in the
UTRAN
UTRAN (short for "UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network''") is a collective term for the network and equipment that connects mobile handsets to the public telephone network or the Internet. It contains the base stations, which are called Node B's ...
WCDMA
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...
technology. Starting R5, IP bearers can be used over
Ethernet
Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...
instead. Physically, these interfaces can be carried over
SDH SDH may refer to:
Science, medicine and technology
* Serine dehydratase, an enzyme
* L-sorbose 1-dehydrogenase, an enzyme
* Succinate dehydrogenase, an enzyme
* Shubnikov–de Haas effect
* Social Determinants of Health, economic and social condi ...
over optical fiber, E1 (sometimes referred to as PDH) - over a copper wire or
microwave radio
Microwave transmission is the transmission of information by electromagnetic waves with wavelengths in the microwave frequency range of 300MHz to 300GHz(1 m - 1 mm wavelength) of the electromagnetic spectrum. Microwave signals are normally limi ...
. Several E1s can be bundled to form an IMA Group. Since the interfaces are ''logical'', many interfaces can be multiplexed onto the same transmission line. The actual implementation depends on the
network topology
Network topology is the arrangement of the elements ( links, nodes, etc.) of a communication network. Network topology can be used to define or describe the arrangement of various types of telecommunication networks, including command and contro ...
; examples are chain, distant star, mesh and loop configurations.
Protocols
Iub, Iu and Iur protocols all carry both user data and signalling (that is, control plane).
* Signalling protocol responsible for the control of the Node B by the RNC is called NBAP (Node-B Application Part). NBAP is subdivided into Common and Dedicated NBAP (C-NBAP and D-NBAP), where Common NBAP controls overall Node B functionality and Dedicated NBAP controls separate cells or sectors of the Node B. NBAP is carried over Iub. In order for NBAP to handle common and dedicated procedures, it is divided into: NodeB Control Port (NCP) which handles common NBAP procedures and Communication Control Port (CCP) which handles dedicated NBAP procedures.
* Control plane protocol for the
transport layer
In computer networking, the transport layer is a conceptual division of methods in the layered architecture of protocols in the network stack in the Internet protocol suite and the OSI model. The protocols of this layer provide end-to-end ...
is called
ALCAP
ALCAP ("Access Link Control Application Part") within a 3rd Generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network is the control plane protocol for the transport layer.
Description
ALCAP is defined by 3GPP as equivalent of ITU re ...
(Access Link Control Application Protocol). Basic functionality of ALCAP is multiplexing of different users onto one AAL2 transmission path using channel IDs (CIDs). ALCAP is carried over Iub and Iu-CS interfaces.
* Signalling protocol responsible for communication between RNC and the core network is called
RANAP
In telecommunications networks, RANAP (Radio Access Network Application Part) is a protocol specified by 3GPP in TS 25.413
and used in UMTS for signaling between the Core Network, which can be a MSC or SGSN, and the UTRAN. RANAP is carried over ...
(Radio Access Network Application Part), and is carried over Iu interface.
* Signalling protocol responsible for communications between RNCs is called
RNSAP RNSAP (Radio Network Subsystem Application Part) is a 3GPP signalling protocol responsible for communications between RNCs Radio Network Controllers defined in 3GPP specification TS 25.423.UE (in a
soft handover Soft handover or soft handoff refers to a feature used by the CDMA and W-CDMA standards, where a cell phone is simultaneously connected to two or more cells (or cell sectors) during a call. If the sectors are from the same physical cell site (a sec ...
situation) an RNC can play two different roles. These are:
* D-RNC: Drift RNC
* S-RNC: Serving RNC
However, as far as the NodeB is concerned, the RNC may play a third role:
* C-RNC: Controlling RNC
It is important to know that one RNC can assume more than one role at any time.
An RNC also controls the power of a NodeB.
Radio Resource Control
The Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol is used in UMTS, LTE and 5G on the Air interface. It is a layer 3 (Network Layer) protocol used between UE and Base Station. This protocol is specified by 3GPP in TS 25.331 for UMTS, in TS 36.331 for L ...
*
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...