Networking Guide : Network Types

MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) is a city wide network. The coverage limitation is not strict, but real implementation may have range of up to 50 km in urban, suburban, or rural area. MAN is built to interconnect LANs, provide access to special contents and high speed Internet access. MAN is implemented using technologies such as ADSL or VDSL, HFC (CATV), FTTN or FTTH/FTTP, and WiMAX.

Figure: MAN. A network that covers a city.

WAN (Wide Area Network) is a network that spans larger geographical area. PSTN (fixed telephone network) and PLMN (mobile cellular telephone network such as GSM, CDMA, and 3G) are examples of WAN. The largest WAN is the Internet that has worldwide coverage.

Figure: WAN. Regional, national or international network