Patent ID: 7647072

Claim:
A radio network controller comprising: a plurality of functional modules, including an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) interface module having at least an Iu interface module configured to provide a connection with an external core network, an Iub interface module configured to provide a connection with an external node B element, and an Iur interface module configured to provide a connection with a second radio network controller, each respective interface module being configured to convert a received ATM cell to an Internet Protocol (IP) packet; an interface management module having at least an Iu management module, an Iub management module, and an Iur management module, each respective management module being configured to manage connections of each of the respective interface modules; a radio signaling management module configured to manage broadcast signaling data received by the ATM interface module; a radio bearer processing module configured to process data received by the ATM interface module over a dedicated transmission channel; and an IP switching network to achieve data and signaling exchange among the functional modules.