Abstract
Virtual Private Networks have evolved considerably over the last few years, reaching their full maturity in fixed networks such as ATM, frame relay and the Internet. Wireless and cellular networks pose, however, more stringent requirements that have not yet been fully addressed. In order to assess the suitability of state-of-the-art technologies for the realization of mobile VPNs over the Internet, we have built a prototype based on Mobile IPv6 and IPsec. We report here the most significant findings on IP-based MVPNs over wireless LAN, GPRS and UMTS, highlighting capabilities and limitations. Our results indicate that we are just a step away from seeing commercially viable products, although there is still space for improvement as far as standardization and performance are concerned.