The introduction of space-division multiple access techniques into wireless
ATM systems is presented. The concepts are embedded in the framework of th
e HIPERLAN/2 system, which is currently under standardization by the ETSI p
roject BRAN. HIPERLAN/2 aims at the provision of broadband services with gu
aranteed QoS. Originally started as a WATM standardization initiative, its
scope has been broadened and now aims at core network independence. Essenti
al system functions, such as scheduling algorithms and random access, are r
eviewed in light of the spatial dimension. To give an impression of their p
erformance, some key results are briefly discussed. Although adopted for HI
PERLAN/2, the ideas are generally applicable and can be transferred to vari
ous systems.