Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a type of network that spans a city or large campus, connecting multiple LANs within a metropolitan region. It provides higher data rates and interconnectivity between LANs located in different buildings or areas of a city.

🔹 Key Characteristics of MAN

• Geographical Scope: Covers 5–50 km (a city, industrial area, or university campus).
• Ownership: Usually maintained by governments, ISPs, or large enterprises.
• Speed: Medium to high (10 Mbps to 1 Gbps or more).
• Cost: Higher than LAN, but lower than WAN.
• Transmission Mediums: Fiber optics, coaxial cable, wireless microwave links.

🔹 Functions of a MAN

• Connect multiple LANs across a city (e.g., citywide library branches, hospitals).
• Acts as a high-speed backbone for regional communication.
• Provides internet access to LANs via a centralized gateway.
• Enables resource and data sharing between locations in the same city.

🖼️ Textual Diagram – MAN Connecting Multiple LANs

      +------------+       +------------+       +------------+
      |  Office 1  |       |  Office 2  |       |  Office 3  |
      |   (LAN)    |       |   (LAN)    |       |   (LAN)    |
      +------------+       +------------+       +------------+
             \                 |                    /
              \                |                   /
               +----------------------------------+
                       Metropolitan Area Network
                         (Fiber/Wireless Links)
                               |
                         [Internet Gateway]

🔹 Technologies Used in MAN

🔹 MAN vs LAN vs WAN

🔹 Advantages of MAN

• Efficient Citywide Connectivity: Connects multiple LANs across a region.
• High-Speed Data Transfer: Faster than WAN and suitable for regional operations.
• Cost Sharing: Often shared by multiple institutions or services.
• Supports Public and Private Use: Can be used by city governments, ISPs, or companies.

🔹