radio link control (UMTS) (RLC)

The Radio Link Control Protocol (RLC) is a radio link control protocol that supports segmentation and backhaul of payload and signaling data in UMTS.

RLC instances are configured to operate in either transparent or non- transparent mode. RLC functions include mapping with protocol data unit( PDU) and logical channel partitioning. In addition, encryption and segmentation. Segmentation involves packaging larger protocol data units into smaller user data units.

RLC services include data transfer, quality of service( QoS) setting, and error reporting, where the RLC protocol informs the higher layers of errors that it cannot correct.