Integrated services over ATM/MAN-based personal communication networks

IEEE 802.6 metropolitan area networks (MANs) provide an efficient architecture for supporting wireless personal communication services (PCSs) over metropolitan areas by interconnecting wireless base stations into personal communication networks (PCNs). They also serve as peripheral gathering networks to transport PCS traffic over a wide area broadband integrated services digital network employing asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), enabling integration of PCNs in different cities into a global PCN. By combining the various access methods and employing a dynamic bandwidth integration scheme, a MAN can function as a powerful distributed switch for integrating different types of local traffic. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the advantages of the integration scheme. To provide ubiquitous PCS, we also propose a simple suffix-dialing method for integrating telephone, fax, paging and email services over the ATM/MAN-based PCNs using a single personal telecommunication number. With this method, the current practice of printing a long list of phone numbers on one's business card will no longer be necessary.