Approval
of IEEE Standard 802.16™ Sets Stage for Growth of Metropolitan
Area Networks Using Fixed Broadband Wireless
Global
Standard for 10 to 66 GHz Wireless Networks Fosters Economic Alternative
for "Last Mile" 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., 6 Dec. 2001 The Standard Board of the Institute of Electrical
and Electronic Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) formally
approved IEEE Standard 802.16™ ("Air Interface for Fixed Broadband
Wireless Access Systems") today. The approval sets the stage for
the widespread deployment of 10 to 66 GHz wireless metropolitan
area networks as an economical method of high-speed "last-mile"
connection to public networks.
The global
IEEE 802.16™ WirelessMAN™ air interface standard is
the first broadband wireless access standard from an accredited
standards body. It will be published by January 2002. Until then,
the approved draft can be found in the IEEE catalog at http://WirelessMAN.org/published.html.
"The new WirelessMAN™
standard is a groundbreaking development that changes the landscape
for providers and customers of high-speed networks," said Roger
Marks, Chair of the 802.16™ Working Group on Broadband Wireless
Access. "The standard makes highly efficient use of bandwidth
and supports voice, video and data applications with the quality
that customers demand."
The 802.16™
standard creates a platform on which to build a broadband wireless
industry using high-rate systems that install rapidly without
extensive metropolitan cable infrastructures. It was created in
a two-year, open-consensus process that involved hundreds of engineers
from the world's leading operators and vendors.
The standard
enables interoperability among devices from multiple manufacturers.
It includes a medium access control layer (MAC) that supports
multiple physical layer specifications. The physical layer is
optimized for bands from 10 to 66 GHz. Extensions to the 2 to
11 GHz bands are expected to be completed next summer in the Working
Group's 802.16a amendment.
The companion
IEEE Standard 802.16™.2 ("IEEE Recommended Practice for Local and
Metropolitan Area Networks - Coexistence of Fixed Broadband Wireless
Access Systems") was published by IEEE in September 2001. This
document provides guidelines for system deployment and is expected
to be a valuable source of planning information for operators
wishing to deploy IEEE 802.16™ systems.
About the
IEEE 802.16™ Working Group
The IEEE 802.16™ Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access
has 178 members and 52 official observers. It operates via an
open process to develop accredited air interface standards and
recommended practices for the global development and deployment
of fixed broadband wireless access systems. It meets bimonthly
and has a record of rapidly reaching technical consensus. The
Group's standards provide for high-speed network access to homes
and enterprises. For more information on the IEEE 802.16™
Working Group, visit http://WirelessMAN.org/.
The working
group is a unit of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, the
premier transnational forum for wireless networking standardization.
The new IEEE 802.16™ standard joins the widely used family of Ethernet
and wireless networking standards developed by the committee.
About the
IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) is an international membership
organization serving today's industries with a complete portfolio
of standards programs. The IEEE-SA is a major contributor to the
IEEE, which is the world's largest technical professional society.
IEEE-SA membership, through its IEEE association, 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. More
information is found at http://standards.ieee.org/sa-mem/index.html
IEEE Std 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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