Patent ID: 7720050

Claim:
A SONET network infrastructure including at least one non-hardline link configured to have the ability to provide multiuser, multinetwork, and multiservice connectivity over a wide geographic area comprising: a combination hardline and non-hardline network backbone connected in a SONET configuration to create a telecommunications network configured to utilize predetermined communications protocols, the backbone comprising a plurality of interconnected transponder nodes arranged in a predetermined topological configuration, each node having at least one SONET add/drop multiplexer configured to communicate with at least one adjacent node and each node having the ability to add and drop communications services to that node; a data link layer communicably connected to the backbone through the add-drop multiplexer and forming a switched circuit hierarchy, the data link layer comprising at least one switch having at least one permanent virtual circuit, each virtual circuit enabling a discrete communication channel accessible by a bridge, the bridge being configured with at least one connection to the switch; at least one of the virtual circuits acting as a master virtual circuit for managing and controlling equipment and communications on the network infrastructure from a central network management console; and at least one virtual local area network that maps to the virtual circuit to enable a discrete communication channel that is accessible by at least one end user; a wireless layer including at least one access point connected to the data link layer through the bridge, each access point operating on a predetermined frequency and being configured to provide network connectivity to a predetermined geographical area, each access point comprising at least one radio transceiver and antenna for bi-directional communication with a virtual local area network compatible wireless network device; a network management console configured for monitoring communications within and between the backbone, the data link layers, and the access points using the master virtual circuit to receive information about communications across the network infrastructure and to allow centralized management and provisioning while maintaining interoperability among the layers, the access points, and the telecommunications network to which the backbone is connected, the console comprising: a database to store and manage information pertaining to operation of the network infrastructure; and a translation utility to communicate between the database and predetermined network management utilities that are configured to monitor and manage network security and performance.