Logical macrocells of mobile multimedia metropolitan area network

This paper presents a logical macrocell configuration in a microcellular network in which the capacity is larger than a conventional macrocellular network. And the network provides high-bit-rate communications to fast-terminals with smooth soft-handover. The application used in the network is mobile multimedia metropolitan area network (MM-MAN) which offers high-bit-rate IP communications for high-mobility terminals in metropolitan areas. We present a combination of wireless and wired network technologies to implement MM-MAN. Secure virtual private network (VPN) tunnel and seamless continuous services in microcellular network are basic requirements of MM-MAN. Passive optical network (PON) is adopted as the access network to support a great deal of optical network units (ONU) which controls each microcell. To reduce packet loss of high-mobility terminal caused by frequent handovers in the microcells, we configure logical macrocell (LMC). The LMC also makes use of IP packet multicast to support micromobility of the VPN tunnels. Through replacing the traditional macrocells with both microcells and LMC's which aims at fast-moving terminals, we increase the available spectral capacity which can be used to provide up to 80 times increase in bandwidth compared to macrocells, even if 30 % of the users are fast movers.