WMANs

A Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) is a wireless communications network designed to cover a metropolitan area, bridging the gap between local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). WMANs provide broadband connectivity to multiple subscribers, organizations, and sites within a city or region, offering an alternative or supplement to wired last-mile services.

The most widely deployed WMAN technology is IEEE 802.16, commonly known as WiMAX. This family includes fixed WiMAX implementations and mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e), with ongoing evolutions such as 802.16m. WMAN deployments can operate in licensed or unlicensed spectrum and typically employ point-to-multipoint architectures, where a central base station serves multiple subscriber stations. Some networks also use mesh-like topologies to improve resilience and capacity. In practice, WMANs connect subscriber premises equipment (CPE) to the core network via radio links, with backhaul support provided by fiber, microwave, or other wireless nodes.

Key considerations for WMAN deployment include spectrum availability and regulation, link budget and coverage planning, line-of-sight requirements, and environmental factors such as weather. Network performance depends on factors such as bandwidth, modulation schemes, and quality-of-service mechanisms to support data, voice, and video services. Security measures, including encryption and authentication, are typically implemented at multiple layers to protect user data and network integrity.

Applications of WMANs include urban broadband access for homes and businesses, providing backhaul for mobile networks, and disaster recovery or temporary connectivity in metropolitan areas. While newer generations of cellular and fixed wireless technologies have expanded options for city-wide connectivity, WMAN concepts remain relevant for configurable, scalable metropolitan coverage.