On Architectures for Broadband Wireless Systems

The growing popularity of portable and mobile computing and communication devices along with the introduction of wireline broadband networks is fueling demand for wireless broadband networks. Since ATM has been accepted as the standard for broadband integrated service networks we consider the problem of providing \ATM-like services" to mobile devices. In this paper, we discuss the fundamental issues that have to be tackled in order to provide broadband services that are currently available (or will very shortly be) to wireline hosts. We compare and contrast the architectures that have been proposed for extending the broadband wireline network infrastructure to the wireless environment. We argue that transporting small ATM cells over the air leads to ineecient utilization of the already scarce transmission capacity. Subsequently, we propose an architecture for integrated wireless and wireline broadband networks. The proposed architecture allows us to design the wireline and the wireless parts of the network independently, therefore allowing each to be optimized for the environment they operate in. Yet, the proposed architecture also permits a simple and eecient interconnection between the wireline and wireless infrastructures.