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RAN - technical definition
- Radio Access Network. Referring to the wireless RF-based portion of a network providing access from a mobile terminal device (transmitter/receiver) to the core, or backbone, network of the radio service provider and ultimately to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or the Internet or other IP-based network. A RAN comprises a base station, a controller, and the radio links between them. A RAN may be in the form of a 2G TDM-based cellular service (e.g., D-AMPS or GSM), a 3G cellular service (e.g., EDGE, GPRS, and UMTS), or other licensed and unlicensed services (e.g., WiMAX). See also 2G, 3G, cellular radio, Internet, PSTN, and WiMAX.
- Radio Area Network. Synonymous with wireless radio area network (WRAN). See WRAN.
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