base station controller (mobile communications) (BSC)
The Base Station Controller(BSC) is a control unit for a base station in mobile radio systems. The control unit is connected between the base station( BS) and the associated mobile switching center( MSC) and links them by means of PCM connections.
User data for voice and data communication are transmitted between the various units, as is signaling information. The user data is inserted into the TDMA channel in a call-oriented manner, while the signaling data is transmitted in a packet-switched manner between the radio base control and the mobile switching centers.
The tasks of the Base Station Controller (BSC) include the control and supervision of radio resources and radio calls from the Base Transceiver Stations( BTS) the queue management, the optimization of the network configuration according to the traffic density and the establishment of the connection to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC). In addition, the radio base controller acts as the central control point for handover. In General Packet Radio Service( GPRS), each radio base control is complemented by a GPRS module called a packet control unit( PCU).