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TThe WiMAX Forum has defined an architecture that defines how a WiMAX network connects with other networks, and a variety of other aspects of operating such a network, including address allocation, authentication, etc. An overview of the architecture is given in the illustration. This defines the following components: SS/MS: the Subscriber Station/Mobile Station ASN: the Access Service Network CSN: the Connectivity Service Network NAP: a Network Access Provider NSP: a Network Service Provider plus a number of interconnections (or reference points) between these, labeled R1 to R5 and R8. It's important to note that the functional architecture can be designed into various hardware configurations rather than fixed configurations. For example, the architecture is flexible to allow various scale and functionality of remote/mobile stations and collaborative aggregations of femto, pico, and mini RS/MS.