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.

Figure 1. The RNC in its Context