1. A communications network for collecting a plurality of network service module (NSM) data generated by a plurality of physical devices located within a geographic area, comprising: a plurality of network service modules, with each network service module coupled to a respective physical device generating respective NSM data, with each network service module including an NSM receiver for receiving a command signal, an NSM controller responsive to the received command signal for setting a carrier frequency, and an NSM transmitter for transmitting by wireless radio at the carrier frequency the respective NSM data from the respective physical device as an NSM-packet signal at a time pseudorandomly selected within a predetermined time period; a plurality of remote cell nodes (RCN) located within the geographic area and spaced, with each network service module of said plurality of network service modules within a range of at least two remote cell nodes of said plurality of remote cell nodes, for simultaneously receiving the transmitted NSM-packet signal by said at least two remote cell nodes of said plurality of remote cell nodes, with each remote cell node including an RCN transmitter for transmitting by wireless radio the command signal; an RCN receiver for receiving a multiplicity of NSM-packet signals transmitted from a multiplicity of network service modules, respectively, with the multiplicity of network service modules including a subset of said plurality of network service modules; and an RCN memory for storing the received multiplicity of NSM-packet signals, with said RCN transmitter responsive to a first polling signal for transmitting by wireless radio the stored multiplicity of NSM-packet signals as an RCN-packet signal; a plurality of intermediate data terminals (IDT), with each intermediate data terminal including a first IDT transmitter for transmitting by wireless radio the first polling signal using a first polling-access protocol to each of said plurality of remote cell nodes; a first IDT receiver for receiving a multiplicity of RCN-packet signals transmitted from a multiplicity of remote cell nodes, respectively, with the multiplicity of remote cell nodes including a subset of said plurality of remote cell nodes; an IDT memory for storing the received multiplicity of RCN-packet signals; a second IDT receiver for receiving a second polling signal; and a second IDT transmitter, responsive to the second polling signal, for transmitting the stored multiplicity of RCN-packet signals as an IDT-packet signal; and a central data terminal (CDT) having a CDT transmitter for transmitting the second polling signal using a second polling access protocol to said plurality of intermediate data terminals, a CDT receiver for receiving a plurality of IDT-packet signals, a CDT processor for decoding the plurality of IDT-packet signals as the plurality of NSM data, and a CDT memory for storing the plurality of NSM data in a data base.