Wireless ATM: A Perspectzve on lssues and Prospects
Anthony S. Acampora · 1996
In this article the author examines several key issues in wireless ATM and even offers possible resolutions for some. The primary differences that distinguish wireless from wireline communications are presented, and a short summary of so-called second-generation digital cellular system concepts. The operation of a wireline ATM network, especially with regard to those aspects bearing on the feasibility of wireless extension, is briefly reviewed, as well as some key technologies which may be very important enablers for wireless ATM, and some possible approaches for enabling bandwidth on demand (the media access problem) and maintaining service quality guarantees (the cell handoff problem), respectively. Finally, a possible format for signaling and synchnonization, needed to “tie it all together,” is presented. ~ evelopments in modern telecommunications are proceeding-along two distinct and unrelated trajectories: the ongoing evolution of the worldwide wireline infrastructure toward increasing support for broadband multimedia services, and the proliferation of cellularbased radio access to support pedestrian and vehicular voice and data services. The first is characterized by bandwidth on demand at multimegabit-per-second peak rates, packetswitched transport, virtual circuit connections, and statistical sharing of collective network resources among groups of virtual connections, with resources consumed only when packets are generated [l-31. The second is characterized by fixedbandwidth circuit-switched connections; the bandwidth of each connection is equal to that needed to transport a compressed digital voice signal (that is, a few tens of kilobits per second), and each such connection is given exclusive use of a small portion of the network resources for the entire duration of that connection [4-61.