Mobile and multicast IP services in PACS: System architecture, prototype, and performance

Traditionally, wireless cellular communication systems have been engineered for voice. With the explosive growth of Internet applications and users. t hen is an increasing demand on providing Internet services to mobile users based on the voice-oriented cellular networks. However. Internet services a dd a set of radically different requirements on to the cellular wireless ne tworks, because the nature of communication is very different from voice. I t is a challenge to develop an adequate network architecture and necessary systems components to meet those requirements. This paper describes our experience on developing Internet services, in par ticular, mobile and multicast IP services, in PACS (Personal Access Communi cation Systems). Our major contributions are fit e-fold: (i) PACS system ar chitecture that provides wireless Internet and Intranet access by augmentin g the voice network with IP routers and backbone links to connect to the In ternet: (ii) simplified design of RPCU (Radio Port Controller Unit) for eas y service maintenance and migration to future IP standards such as IPv6: (i ii) native PACS multicast to efficiently support dynamic IP multicast and M Bone connectivity: (iv) optimization and incorporation of Mobile IP into PA CS handoff mechanism to efficiently support roaming within a PACS network a s well as global mobility between PACS networks and the Internet: (v) succe ssful prototype design of the new architecture and services verified by ext ensive performance measurements of IP applications. Our design experience a nd measurement results demonstrate that it is highly feasible to seamlessly integrate the PACS networks into the Internet with global IP mobility and IP multicast services.