Which term describes a network that covers a large geographic area, often using public or leased telecom lines?

• A. Local Area Network
• B. Personal Area Network
• C. Wide Area Network
• D. Campus Area Network

Answer: (C)

Scale and the type of links used to connect sites determine what kind of network you’re dealing with. A Wide Area Network is defined by its reach across large geographic areas and its use of public or leased telecom lines to connect distant locations. This describes networks that span cities, regions, or even countries and rely on these long-haul connections to move data between sites.

By contrast, a Local Area Network stays restricted to a small geographic area, such as a building or single campus, and doesn’t depend on long-distance telecom infrastructure. A Personal Area Network covers only a very short range around an individual, like Bluetooth devices or a phone and computer nearby. A Campus Area Network extends over multiple buildings within a single campus, which is larger than a single LAN but still typically limited to a localized area compared to a WAN.

So the term that best fits a network covering a large geographic area and using public or leased telecom lines is Wide Area Network.