A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a network designed to provide communication within a large area. It is larger than a Local Area Network (LAN) and smaller than a Wide Area Network (WAN).
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): definition and usage
By Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) we mean a network that connects computers in a geographic area. The area covered by this network is larger than that of a Local Area Network (LAN) and smaller than that of a Wide Area Network (WAN). The goal is to create, from different individual resources, a complete network capable of meeting the demands of all the devices that would otherwise depend on many local networks. This network can serve a single city, several neighboring cities, a municipality, different branches of a company (if they are close to each other) or certain specific buildings.
So the name does not necessarily indicate that the Metropolitan Area Network is located in a (large) city. Rather, it refers to the reach of the network. MANs can span up to 100 kilometers and are therefore in principle also conceivable in rural areas. Internationally active telecommunications companies in particular have been relying on this basic principle since the 1990s and have installed such networks in many large cities as an alternative to traditional telephone networks. MANs can in turn be grouped nationally in a Wide Area Network (WAN) or internationally in a Global Area Network (GAN).
IONOS Cloud Compute Engine
Medium and large companies choose Cloud Made in Germany. IaaS and PaaS from the hidden champion to the hidden champions.
Typically, Metropolitan Area Networks are a grouping of different Local Area Networksconnected to each other using fiber optic backbone lines. Often, dark fiber lines are used for this purpose, i.e. fiber optic cables that were not used until now, but are able to carry data traffic. This allows high data rates to be achieved. In addition to telecommunications companies, there are more and more municipal providers who are implementing this technology and renting it to private Internet service providers for a fee. Many universities are now connecting their campuses to this technology and can thus connect buildings scattered throughout the city.
The technique not only ensures better networking, but is also considered significantly more sustainable than alternative options. In addition, it offers high-speed data traffic. Metropolitan networks are generally more cost-effective than using many different local area networks, especially for high data volumes.
