A new network architecture for wireless communications

Current cellular systems are based on the concept of a cell. Although the cell allows channel reuse, it has also become a metaphor for channel confinement and leads to the thorny problem of handoff and call dropping. The problem will get much worse as cellular services move toward high-speed and multirate. This paper presents a new wireless network architecture: called MAWCC for its main characteristic-Macrodiversity Without Channel Confinement. In MAWCC, mobility equals capacity. The convertibility between the two (capacity and mobility) makes MAWCC a total departure from a conventional wireless network. It offers more options for tackling the issues of mobility, handoff, and call dropping.