Wireless ATM is receiving a significant attention as a solution for wireles
s access. The integration of wireless access and ATM is an essential requir
ement for the future of telecommunications so that emerging wideband servic
es which embody multimedia applications can be made transparently available
to mobile terminals. There are many ongoing activities within the European
ACTS program (Advanced Communications Technologies and Services) which are
related to evolving ATM oriented wireless networks at various frequencies
such as 5, 17, 40 and 60 GHz. AWACS (ATM Wireless Access Communication Syst
em) is one of these projects and addresses the feasibility of low cost, hig
h-data-rate radio LAN systems based on ATM (both indoor and outdoor) at 19
GHz. This article overviews the AWACS project which has contributed to the
definition of emerging European radio LAN standards such as ETSI BRAN HIPER
LINK. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.