LOW-SPEED DATA OVER THE PWT WIRELESS PHONE SYSTEM

Local area networks (LANs) allow computer users to access information on both local and remote servers. Increasingly, these users need acces s to their company's network continuously for such tasks as reading e- mail or retrieving and logging information. Wireless data networks can allow workers continuous connectivity, even when they are away from t heir desks. In some instances, a wireless network already may be in pl ace in the form of a personal wireless telecommunications (PWT) phone system that provides wireless voice access. Such wireless phone system s can be extended to serve also as low-speed data networks. In this pa per, we present a system architecture that provides wireless data acce ss using the same infrastructure as a PWT phone system. We describe th e system's design and present results from an implementation using Luc ent Technologies' DEFINITY(R) Wireless Business System (DWBS) with cus tom modifications.