MAN stands for “Metropolitan Area Network” and describes a computer network that connects users in a region or geographical area. This can be, for example, a large city, several cities or an area with several buildings.
A MAN consists of several interconnected LANs and is therefore larger than a single LAN (Local Area Network), but smaller than a WAN (Wide Area Network). The latter enables greater efficiency because the distance of the transmitted data is not great. The connection between the LANs is established using fiber optic cables.
The aim of a MAN is to enable fast and reliable communication between different locations in a city or metropolis. MANs have a higher bandwidth and lower latency than LANs to meet the communication requirements of companies and organizations that have multiple geographically dispersed locations.