Base stations are part of a mobile radio network that represents the **largest part of the overall mobile network**.
A fixed station that uses **radio waves** to communicate with mobile devices. It serves as **the link** between the user’s device and the carrier’s network.
Base stations range in size and area of coverage. Some may cover a radius of several kilometers while others cover only a few city blocks. Most stations transmit in all directions but there are also directional antennas aimed at a specific direction.
Usually base stations are owned by a single carrier but may offer roaming coverage for other networks.
**Node B** — radio base station for 3G UTMS networks (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service)
**eNodeB** — radio base station for 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks
**gNodeB** — radio base station for 5G NR (New Radio) networks
eNB = Evolved Node Base Station
![[Pasted image 20230214001108.png]]
eNodeB represents the 4G LTE radio access network E-UTRAN — Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network. It connects to the 4G LTE core network, the EPC — Evolved Packet Core.
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### Base Station Components:
- Power Amplifier (PA) - most energy consuming
- Main Supply
- DC-DC converter
- Radio Frequency (RF)
- Baseband Unit (BBU)
- Cooling System
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#### Radio Network
A mobile network consists of:
- radio network (largest part of it and consists of cell towers/base stations)
- core network
The radio network connects to the mobile core network which is like a telephone exchange or central office. The [core network](https://commsbrief.com/what-is-a-mobile-core-network/) connects the mobile users to external networks to make calls or to access the internet.
![[Pasted image 20230214001439.png]]