Mobile IP/sup 2/

Internet traffic is growing at an exponential rate and more and more people's lives are tightly coupled with the Internet. The ability to keep connected with the Internet while on the move is highly desirable in an increasingly mobile environment. In this proposal, we present a mean for ubiquitous network access for consumers in both wired and wireless environments. We introduce the concept of multiple-interface/multiple-connection to support high-speed handoff and seamless roaming between different networks (wired and wireless). This is implemented by improving current mobile IP concept, extending existing IP (specifically CMIP and ARP) functions and enhancing current PC device drivers and software. The mobility that is supported by this proposal is based on layer 3 functionality under the OSI protocol layer definition (physical layer and link layer are assumed to be supported already).