Wireless wide area network (WWAN), is a form ofwireless network. The larger size of awide area network compared to alocal area network requires differences in technology.Wireless networks of different sizes deliver data in the form of telephone calls, web pages, and video streaming.
A WWAN often differs fromwireless local area network (WLAN) by usingmobile telecommunicationcellular network technologies such as2G,3G,4GLTE, and5G to transfer data. It is sometimes referred asMobile Broadband. These technologies are offered regionally, nationwide, or even globally and are provided by awireless service provider. WWAN connectivity allows a user with a laptop and a WWAN card to surf the web, check email, or connect to avirtual private network (VPN) from anywhere within the regional boundaries of cellular service. Various computers can have integrated WWAN capabilities.
A WWAN may also be a closed network that covers a large geographic area. For example, amesh network orMANET with nodes on buildings, towers, trucks, and planes could also be considered a WWAN.
A WWAN may also be a low-power, low-bit-rate wireless WAN, (LPWAN), intended to carry small packets of information betweenthings, often in the form of battery operated sensors.
Sinceradio communications systems do not provide a physically secure connection path, WWANs typically incorporate encryption andauthentication methods to make them more secure. Some of the early GSM encryption techniques were flawed, and security experts have issued warnings that cellular communication, including WWAN, is no longer secure.[1] UMTS (3G) encryption was developed later and has yet to be broken.[citation needed]