(March 2009). A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a computer network larger than a local area network, covering an area of a few city blocks to the area of an entire city, possibly also including the surrounding areas.istributed-queue dual-bus (DQDB) refers to the metropolitan area network standard for data communication specified in the IEEE 802.6 standard. With DQDB, networks can extend up to 20 miles (30 km) long and operate at speeds of 34–155 Mbit/s.