Introduction

Trends in the telecommunications and computer industries suggest that the network of the future will consist of a fiber-optic backbone with short-range wireless communication links providing network access to portable communicators and portable computers. In this vision of the future, users moving from room to room will have access to the same high-speed network services available to wired terminals. The technology base for implementing this concept does not yet exist, however. Radio technology, although well-suited for moderate-speed applications such as voice, may not be sufficient to support many high-speed applications.