WAN

Wide Area Network. These are large bandwidth links that connect different sites (LANS). A number of these put together form the Internet. As some sites have multiple WAN links the integrity of the Internet as one large "cloud" (as is often used in Internet Architecting) is protected. The Internet values "oneness" as compared to multiple seperates. WAN's connect these together. A WAN may span across an entire continent such as New York to Los Angeles (Palo Alto).

Smaller WAN's that cover an entire Metropolitan Area are called MANS.

WAN's are often controlled by large corporations such as telephone companies, media conglomerates, blue chip giants.