An addressing scheme for a packet-based multiaccess mobile communications system,
which includes a plurality of mobile user stations and a plurality of network nodes,
is provided. In such addressing scheme, each mobile station is assigned an address
which is a combination (preferably, a concatenation) of a unique identifier of
a network node with which the mobile station is currently associated and an identifier
of the mobile station. The network node identifiers may be uniquely assigned by
a network administrator, while the identifiers of the mobile stations may, for
example, be set to a universal MAC address assigned to the station. The address
may also include a port identifier which indicates the particular application flow
associated with the accompanying packets. Similarly, each network node is assigned
an address which is a combination (preferably, a concatenation) of its network
node identifier and, preferably, an interface identifier. The address may also
include a port identifier.