Method and apparatus for a data transmission rate of multiples of 100 MBPS in a terminal for a wireless metropolitan area network

A method of communicating data packets in a wireless network, wherein the method comprises steps of:

• a. receiving a first Fast Ethernet data packet into a first media access control (MAC) unit wherein the first Fast Ethernet data packet is received at a rate of 100 mega-bits per second (Mbps);
• b. receiving a second Fast Ethernet data packet into a second MAC unit wherein the second Fast Ethernet data packet is received at a rate of 100 Mbps and wherein the step of receiving the second Fast Ethernet data packet is performed simultaneously with the step of receiving the first Fast Ethernet data packet;
• c. providing the first Fast Ethernet data packet and the second Fast Ethernet data packet to a radio framer according to time division multiplexing thereby forming a time division multiplexed radio frame;
• e. communicating the time division multiplexed radio frame via a wireless link wherein the time division multiplexed radio frame is communicated at a rate of at least 200 Mbps;
• and
• f. encrypting the first Fast Ethernet data packet prior to performing the step of providing the first Fast Ethernet data packet to the radio framer.

A terminal for a wireless link in a metropolitan area, the terminal comprising:

• a. a first data packet receiver for receiving data packets for communication over a wireless link;
• b. a second data packet receiver for receiving data packets for communication over the wireless link;
• c. a multiplexer having a first input, a second input and an output wherein the first input is coupled to receive the data packets from the first data packet receiver and wherein the second input is coupled to receive the data packets from the second data packet receiver and wherein the output of the multiplexer provides time-division multiplexed data;
• d. a packet formatting apparatus coupled to the output of the multiplexer for formatting the time division multplexed data according to radio frames;
• and
• e. a wireless transceiver coupled to the packet formatting apparatus for communicating the radio frames over a wireless link,
• wherein the first data packet receiver is a first media access control (MAC) unit that comprises:
• i. a first rate control unit;
• and
• ii. a first rate buffer coupled to the first rate control unit for temporarily storing data packets received by the first MAC unit wherein the data packets are provided to the first input of the multiplexer from the first rate buffers.

A terminal for a wireless link in a metropolitan area, the terminal comprising:

• a. a first data packet receiver for receiving data packets for communication over a wireless link;
• b. a second data packet receiver for receiving data packets for communication over the wireless link;
• c. a multiplexer having a first input, a second input and an output wherein the first input is coupled to receive the data packets from the first data packet receiver and wherein the second input is coupled to receive the data packets from the second data packet receiver and wherein the output of the multiplexer provides time-division multiplexed data;
• d. a packet formatting apparatus coupled to the output of the multiplexer for formatting the time division multplexed data according to radio frames;
• and
• e. a wireless transceiver coupled to the packet formatting apparatus for communicating the radio frames over a wireless link,
• wherein the first data packet receiver is a first media access control (MAC) unit that comprises a first data packet switch having a 100 mega-bits per second (Mbps) port wherein the first data packet switch is coupled to the rate control unit.

A terminal for a wireless link in a metropolitan area, the terminal comprising:

• a. a first data packet receiver for receiving data packets for communication over a wireless link;
• b. a second data packet receiver for receiving data packets for communication over the wireless link;
• c. a multiplexer having a first input, a second input and an output wherein the first input is coupled to receive the data packets from the first data packet receiver and wherein the second input is coupled to receive the data packets from the second data packet receiver and wherein the output of the multiplexer provides time-division multiplexed data;
• d. a packet formatting apparatus coupled to the output of the multiplexer for formatting the time division multplexed data according to radio frames;
• and
• e. a wireless transceiver coupled to the packet formatting apparatus for communicating the radio frames over a wireless link,
• wherein the first data packet receiver is a first media access control (MAC) unit and the second data packet receiver is a second MAC unit.

A terminal for a wireless link in a metropolitan area, the terminal comprising:

• a. a first media access control (MAC) unit for receiving Fast Ethernet data packets at a rate of 100 mega-bits per second (Mbps) for communication over a wireless link;
• b. n−1 additional MAC units for receiving Fast Ethernet data packets at a rate of 100 Mbps for communication over the wireless link;
• c. a multiplexer having n inputs, wherein each input is coupled to receive the data packets from a corresponding one of the first MAC unit and the n−1 additional MAC units and wherein the output of the multiplexer provides time-division multiplexed data;
• d. a packet formatting apparatus coupled to the output of the multiplexer for formatting the time division multplexed data according to radio frames;
• and
• e. a wireless transceiver coupled to the packet formatting apparatus for communicating the radio frames over a wireless link wherein the wireless link has a maximum bandwidth capacity of at least n times 100 Mbps.