| 802.16 standards |
802.16 standards
The standards board of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers) based in the USA set up a working group to address
Broadband Wireless Access Standards under the 802.16 banner. Its aim was to
prepare formal standards that would be used for the deployment of broadband
metropolitan area networks around the world.
Although the standards for the physical and MAC layers are
defined under 802.16, the technology has been named WiMAX (Worldwide
interoperability of Microwave Access) and issues, including interoperability,
certification and promotion of the system are handled by the WiMAX Forum.
802.16 History
The 802.16 working group was set up by the IEEE in 1999 under the IEEE 802
LAN/MAN Standards Committee. The first 802.16 standard was approved in December
2001and this was followed by two amendments to the basic 802.16 standard. These
amendments addressed issues of radio spectrum and interoperability and came
under the designations 802.16a and 802.16c.
In September 2003 a major revision project was commenced.
This had the aim of aligning the standard with the European / ETSI HIPERMAN
standard. It was also intended to incorporate conformance test specifications.
The project was completed in 2004 and the standard was released as 802.16d,
although it is often referred to as 802.16-2004 in view of the release date.
With the release of the 802.16-2004 standard, the previous 802.16 documents,
including the a, b, and c amendments were withdrawn.
Relationship with WiMAX Forum
The WiMAX Forum was formed in June 2001. Its aim is to promote and certify
compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products. In particular
its focus is on the IEEE 802.16 standard which has been aligned with the ETSI
HiperMAN standard. In this role the WiMAX Forum works wit the IEEE 802.16
working group.
802.16 Standards and Amendments
Although the original 802.16 standard along with amendments a, b, and c are now
withdrawn, there are still many documents that are being used for defining and
evolving the 802.16 standard. A summary of the major documents, including those
that have been withdrawn is given below:
| Standard / amendment
|
Comments |
| 802.16 |
Now withdrawn. This is the basic 802.16
standard that was released in 2001. It provided for basic high data
links at frequencies between 11 and 60 GHz. |
| 802.16a |
Now withdrawn. This amendment addressed
certain spectrum issues and enabled the standard to be used at
frequencies below the 11 GHz minimum of the original standard. |
| 802.16b |
Now withdrawn. It increased the spectrum
that was specified to include frequencies between 5 and 6 GHz while also
providing for Quality of Service aspects. |
| 802.16c |
Now withdrawn. This amendment to 802.16
provided a system profile for operating between 10 and 66 GHz and
provided more details for operations within this range. The aim was to
enable greater levels of interoperability. |
802.16d
(802.16-2004) |
This amendment was also known as
802.16-2004 in view of the fact that it was released in 2004. It was a
major revision of the 802.16 standard and upon its release, all previous
documents were withdrawn. The standard / amendment provided a number of
fixes and improvements to 802.16a including the use of 256 carrier OFDM.
Profiles for compliance testing are also provided, and the standard was
aligned with the ETSI HiperMAN standard to allow for global deployment.
The standard only addressed fixed operation. |
802.16e
(802.16-2005) |
This standard, also known as 802.16-2005 in
view of its release date, provided for nomadic and mobile use. With
lower data rates of 15 Mbps against to 70 Mbps of 802.16d, it enabled
full nomadic and mobile use including handover. |
| 802.16f |
Management information base |
| 802.16g |
Management plane procedures and services
|
| 802.16h |
Improved coexistence mechanisms for
license-exempt operation |
| 802.16j |
Multi-hop relay specification |
| 802.16k |
802.16 bridging |
| 802.16m |
Advanced air interface. This amendment is
looking toth e future and it is anticipated it will provide data rates
of 100 Mbps for mobile applications and 1 Gbps for fixed applications.
It will allow cellular, macro and micro cell coverage, with currently
there are no restrictions on the RF bandwidth although it is expected to
be 20 MHz or more. |
Summary
In view of the fact that it is necessary for standards such as 802.16 to
continually move forward, further amendments and documents will be issued as new
development take place. Only by taking account of the way in which technology is
moving and the new requirements for 802.16, can it keep pace with the needs of
the users. One good example of a standard that has evolved is Ethernet. This
standard has remained in use for many years, and will do so for many years to
come. This has been achieved by simply upgrading the standard to keep pace with
the needs of the users. In this way it has been the major networking standard
for over 30 years. This too could be true for 802.16.
|
