IP-based Access Network Infrastructure for Next Generation Wireless Data Networks

Next generation wireless network standards are currently being defined. The access network architectures have several specialized components tailored for their respective wireless link technologies even though the services provided by these different wireless networks are fairly similar. In this paper, we propose a homogeneous IPbased network as a common access network for the different wireless technologies. The IP-based access network uses the internet standard, Mobile IP, for supporting macro-mobility of mobile hosts and HAWAII for supporting micro-mobility and paging functionality of current wireless networks. We also illustrate how the proposed IPbased solution can interwork with existing infrastructure so that deployment can be incremental.