Also known as: BSS
Base Station Subsystem / System (BSS) refers to a segment of a GSM system, comprising a Base Station Controller (BSC) and the one or more Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) that are associated with it.
The Base Station Controller manages the Base Transceiver Stations, and at a higher level a Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) controls one or more of these Base Station Subsystems. The BSS is the interface between the Mobile Station (MS) and the Mobile Switching Centre (MSC).