IP in Wireless Network

The Internet Protocol (IP) has had a tremendous impact on network communications in the last decade. Although IP itself has been around for a much longer time, its relevance and impact on other networks have been felt the most since the 1990s. Before IP became the dominant protocol, a number of networking protocols proliferated. There was IBM's SNA, Appletalk from Apple Computers, Netware from Novell, Xerox Network System from Xerox and others from Digital Equipment Corporation and Microsoft. The success of the Internet and the internetworking protocols that make this possible has made IP the de-facto protocol for existing networks and also as the protocol to be used in the design and architecture of next-generation networks. Wireless networks, which hitherto have been built around protocols and architectures developed within the realms of ITU, ETSI, TIA and others, are now adopting the Internet model and protocols.

The 1990s also saw the rapid growth of wireless networks. Two major wireless technologies, GSM and CDMA, have taken center stage. The wide area cellular networks deployed so far provided primarily voice-based services. Data services were limited due to bandwidth constraints, and performance was poor due to the nature of the air interface designs, which have been built with emphasis on voice quality and capacity. However, with the evolution of cellular networks towards 3G, packet data services have been a major focus in terms of providing higher bandwidth and overall accessibility to the Internet. Vast improvements in radio technology, as well as the need to provide access to the Internet, has driven the evolution of cellular to support packet data. Since the 3G wireless networks are viewed as an extension to the Internet, there is significant emphasis in ensuring that IP operates in a manner very similar to the wired Internet today. Hence, protocols and network architectures for the wide area cellular networks are designed and built to support IP in as efficient a way as possible. Wireless networks are expected to become more data-centric in the next few years, rivaling voice as the "killer" application. The deployment of new data services will have a ripple effect on the wireless networks and the end user devices and terminals; they will change to better support these new applications. The wireless information society that is being created now will continue to grow. The technology enablers such as 3G-and-beyond packet data networks and services will allow this to thrive.


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