IEEE
Extends WirelessMAN (TM) Broadband Wireless Metropolitan Area
Network Standard to Support Residential Applications
IEEE
802.16a (TM) Sets Stage for Deploying Fixed Broadband Wireless
for High-Speed Multimedia Network Access
Contact:
Roger Marks, (303) 497-3037, marks@nist.gov
Dean Chang, (408) 719-9977, dchang@apertonet.com
Karen McCabe (732) 562-3824, k.mccabe@ieee.org
PISCATAWAY,
N.J., 30 Jan 2003 A new broadband wireless metropolitan area
network (WirelessMAN™) standard from the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) provides for fixed broadband
wireless access (BWA) between 2 and 11 GHz. The standard, IEEE
802.16a, is an extension of the global IEEE 802.16™ WirelessMAN
standard for 10 to 66 GHz published in April 2002.
As in the
base IEEE 802.16 standard, the advanced technology it defines
is designed from first principles to support multimedia services
such as videoconferencing, voice and gaming. New features, including
an optional mesh architecture, are also included.
IEEE.802.16a,
"Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems
- Medium Access Control Modifications and Additional Physical
Layer Specifications for 2-11 GHz," sets the stage for the
widespread deployment of 2 to 11 GHz wireless MANs as an economical
alternative to wireline "first-mile" connections to
public networks.
The standard
supports licensed and license-exempt spectra between 2 and 11
GHz. These frequencies are well suited to residential and small
business applications using non-line-of-sight links. Wireless
internet services providers (WISPs), nationwide and multinational
carriers, and independent telephone companies will be major customers
of equipment developed under the standard.
"The
new IEEE 802.16a standard reshapes the broadband landscape,"
says Roger Marks, Chair of the 802.16 Working Group on Broadband
Wireless Access. "It closes the first-mile gap, giving users
an easily installable, wire-free method to access core networks
for multimedia applications.
"Because
the technology integrates well with IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs,
IEEE 802.16a base stations are excellent candidates for wirelessly
linking 802.11 hot spots to the Internet. The standard will also
play a vital role in underdeveloped regions in which advanced
wired infrastructures are unavailable."
Compliance
and interoperability testing of WirelessMAN air interfaces, from
2 to 66 GHz, is supported by the Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access (WiMAX) Forum. Global acceptance of the WirelessMAN
standard is also supported by decisions of the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) to use a subset of 802.16a as a basis
for an ETSI standard.
About the
IEEE 802.16 Working Group
The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access operates
via an open, accredited process to develop WirelessMAN? air interface
standards for broadband wireless metropolitan area networks, as
well as related compliance and coexistence standards. Meeting
bimonthly, it has completed core specifications for fixed broadband
wireless access from 2 to 66 GHz and is enhancing that work to
support mobile and fixed terminals from the same base station.
It is a unit of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, the
premier transnational forum for wireless networking standardization.
For more information on the IEEE 802.16™ Working Group, visit
http://WirelessMAN.org/.
About the
IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), a global standards-setting
body, develops consensus standards through an open process that
brings diverse parts of an industry together. It has a portfolio
of more than 870 completed standards and more than 400 in development.
IEEE-SA promotes the engineering process by creating, developing,
integrating, sharing and applying knowledge about electro- and
information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity
and the profession. For further information on IEEE-SA visit:
http://standards.ieee.org/.
About the
IEEE
The IEEE has more than 380,000 members in approximately 150 countries.
Through its members, the organization is a leading authority on
areas ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications
to biomedicine, electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE
produces nearly 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical
and electronics engineering, computing and control technology
fields. This nonprofit organization also sponsors or cosponsors
more than 300 technical conferences each year. Additional information
about the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org/.
IEEE Std 802.16a,
802.16, WirelessMAN is a trademark of the IEEE. All other names
or product names are the trademarks, service marks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
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