ATM cell transmission over the IEEE 802.11 wireless MAC protocol

The growing acceptance of the ATM as the transfer mechanism of the future B-ISDN, the increasing user requirements for portability and mobility and the increasing power of the portable devices, have led many researchers to investigate the transmission of ATM cells over a wireless medium. This paper discusses the necessary extensions to the B-ISDN protocol reference model, in order to support mobile applications. Finally, the IEEE 802.11 MAC layer protocol and its ability to transport ATM cells, preserving the delay requirements of the delay-sensitive applications, are investigated.