A wireless ATM oriented MAC protocol for high-speed wireless LAN

Developments in new frequency bands for wireless communications make it possible to provide a broadband channel for new services. In order to implement integrated multimedia transmissions in a wireless environment without losing the compatibility with wired network, the concept of wireless ATM (WATM) is proposed. Compared with wired ATM, wireless access and mobility management are two major R&D topics for implementation of WATM. In this paper, we focus on the topic of wireless access and propose an integrated multimedia transmission protocol, which is based on the MAC protocol RS-ISMA (slotted idle signal multiple access with reservation), to support CBR, VER, ABR and UBR transmissions as well as to provide immediate retransmissions. An RS-ISMA based prototype full-duplex high-speed wireless LAN in 60 GHz band is under development in our laboratory. The demonstration will be available in December 1997.