BTS (Base Transceiver Station)

A Base Transceiver Station is the radio equipment at a 2G GSM cell site, comprising transceivers, antennas, and supporting infrastructure that connect mobile devices to the network's core via a Base Station Controller. BTS is also used loosely for cell-site equipment in later generations. Vulnerabilities in BTS firmware or configuration have enabled documented interception and rogue-base-station scenarios.

Categories: Radio Access NetworkCore NetworkThreats and Attacks

BTS in context

The radio access network is where mobile devices attach to the operator's infrastructure. Attacks in this layer include IMSI catching, rogue base stations and downgrade attacks; defenses rest on mutual authentication, integrity-protected signaling and Open RAN supply-chain hygiene.

The mobile core carries subscriber sessions, mobility and policy. In 4G it is the EPC (MME, HSS, S/PGW); in 5G it is the Service-Based Architecture with AMF, SMF, UPF, AUSF, UDM and the NRF.

To place BTS in the wider telecom-security picture, review AMPS, Backhaul, Jamming, Open RAN, RAN and Slice Hopping — each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

Related terms

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