Q. How can we use Metropolitan Area Network?

A MAN, essentially a bigger versions of a LAN is designed to extend over an entire city. It may be single network like a cable television network, or it may be a means of connecting a number of LANs into a large network so that resources can be shared for instance, a company can use a MAN to connect LANs in all of its offices throughout a city.

A MAN generally covers an area of between 5 and 50 km diameter. Many MANs cover an area of size of a city, however in some cases MANs can be as small as a group of buildings

MAN, its communications links and equipment are usually owned by either a consortium of users or by a single network provider who sells service to the users. This level of service provided to every user should therefore be negotiated with MAN operator, and some performance guarantees are generally specified. A MAN generally acts as a high-speed network to enable sharing of regional resources (same as a large LAN). It is also often used to provide a shared connection to other networks by using a link to a WAN.