What Is Base Station Controller (BSC)?

We've all heard the term "Base Station Controller (BSC)" before, but do you know what it does? A base station controller is a critical mobile network component that controls one or more base transceiver stations (BTS), also known as base stations or cell sites. Essential BSC functions include radio network management (such as radio frequency control), BTS handover management and call setup. The BSC is like the brain of your cell phone network—it keeps everything running smoothly by making sure that your calls go through and that your data is safe from hackers. A BSC for mobile telephony must offer adaptation to mobile network requirements and offer network capacity. As mobile network requirements change, such as an increase in traffic during a holiday season, a BSC must be capable of adjusting to the new environment. A BSC must be equipped with easy-to-use interfaces to allow network operators to change settings and parameters to meet current network requirements. The BSC is the brains behind the BTS, and it's sort of like a middleman between base stations and MSCs. Its job is to provide voice pathways for mobile phones and other compatible devices, such as landlines or the Internet. The BSC is the central hub of your cell phone network. It's like a conductor, keeping all the base stations and MSCs in line. When one of them gets out of line, the BSC knows how to bring it back into formation or, at least, get it playing the right song. When a mobile phone user moves from one cell site to another, there's often a handover procedure involved. It happens when a base station doesn't receive sufficient signaling power from a mobile phone or when it needs to be moved for optimal transmission power. During these handovers, the BSC takes over and makes sure that everything goes so that you can keep on listening to your favorite music without interruption!