Which network category is most suitable for city-scale coverage?

• A. Local Area Network
• B. Metropolitan Area Network
• C. Personal Area Network
• D. Global Area Network

Answer: (B)

Geographic scope of networks determines which category fits city-scale coverage. City-scale coverage sits between a single building or campus and worldwide links, so the best fit is a Metropolitan Area Network. A MAN is designed to connect multiple local area networks across a city or metropolitan region, providing higher data capacity and longer reach than a LAN while focusing on a defined urban area. It typically uses fiber optic infrastructure and services like Metro Ethernet or DWDM to link different sites, municipal offices, business districts, or campuses within the city. This makes it ideal for interconnecting city services, ISPs, or enterprise networks that need fast, reliable connectivity across a metropolitan area. Local area networks stay confined to small spaces, personal area networks cover very short ranges for individual devices, and global area networks span vast distances beyond a city, which is why they don’t fit city-scale coverage.