Modeling an ATM-based access network for 3rd generation mobile communication networks

In this paper we present a simulation model of an ATM-based access network for third generation mobile communication systems (UMTS/IMT-2000). As these systems will offer a variety of services (voice, data, video, WWW, etc.) with flexible, on-demand bandwidth requirements, ATM is proposed as transport medium for the access network. Additionally to the standardized ATM adaptation layers (AAL 1, 3/4, and 5), which are mainly used for high bit rate services like multimedia or video, the shortly standardized AAL 2 is considered for efficient transport of low bit rate delay sensitive traffic (e.g. speech). For the design of the access network, we propose detailed models of its components. These models will be used in future to dimension the functional elements (e.g. buffers, switch capacity, timer) and to compare different implementation options by performance analysis through computer simulations or theoretical analysis.