What is IEEE 802.11 doing?

A short summary of the current IEEE 802.11 activities and description of IEEE processes

Presented by <your-name>, <occasion> <date>

This version last updated 2015-09-03, APS/JWR

Before We Share our Opinions……

“At lectures, symposia, seminars, or educational courses, an individual presenting information on IEEE standards shall make it clear that his or her views should be considered the personal views of that individual rather than the formal position, explanation, or interpretation of the IEEE.”

IEEE-SA Standards Board Operation Manual (subclause 5.9.3)

02 Sept 20152

The IEEE Standards Association process

02 Sept 20153

IEEE-SA Individual and Corporate Standards Development

Open, consensus process

Individual standards development– Each individual has one vote

Corporate standards development

– One company/one vote

Results frequently adopted by national, regional, and international standards bodies

02 Sept 20154

IEEE Standards Development: Process Flow

Idea!

Project Approval Process

Develop Draft Standard (in Working Group)

Sponsor Ballot

IEEE-SA Standards Board Approval Process

Publish Standard

Maximum of 4 years

Revise or Withdraw StandardsMaximum of 10 years

Decide / Choose Technology

Write / update a Draft

Ballot Draft

Resolve Comments

Done?

02 Sept 20155

IEEE Standards Development: Project Authorization

A project may be started by any individual or company

Each project must be supported by a technical group in the IEEE– Referred to as a “Sponsor”– Official developer of standard

Projects approved through document called Project Authorization Request (PAR)–Summarizes details of project

02 Sept 20156

IEEE Standards Development: Develop Draft Standard

Standard is written by working group

–Working group consists of developers interested in creating the standard

Working group chooses way to create first draft document– Group writes initial draft

– Draft developed from existing documents and specifications

Draft document refined in working group through multiple iterations and review

02 Sept 20157

IEEE Standards Development: Consensus process

Consensus is determined through a ballot

Interested persons or organizations are invited to ballot on draft standards

Ballot group receives document, reviews it, and votes/comments on it

–Vote yes (approve), no (disapprove), abstain–Can offer comments on document as well

Ultimate approval of standard is granted by IEEE-SA Standards Board

02 Sept 20158

IEEE Standards Development: Publication & Maintenance

Standard published after approval

Standard is valid for 10 years after approval

– After 10 years, must be revised or withdrawn

02 Sept 20159

Introduction to IEEE 802.11

02 Sept 201510

IEEE 802.11 Introduction

IEEE 802.11 is a working group, responsible for generating Wireless LAN standards

802.11 operates under

– The “Sponsor”: IEEE LMSC “LAN / MAN Standards Committee” – aka “802”

– IEEE Computer Society

– IEEE-SA Standards Board

Work in 802.11 is divided into various activities

– Task groups – one per approved standard or amendment to be developed

– Study groups – the precursor to a task group that determines initial requirements and seeks approval

– Various standing committee's responsible for ongoing work, such a publicity and regulatory

02 Sept 201511

IEEE 802.11 Scope

Wireless local area networks

Typical range up to 100m

Generally use unlicensed spectrum– Exception for 802.11y: “lightly licensed”

– Exception for TV whitespace

Deployments: Broadband network access, public venue access, sensor networks, mesh networks, automotive.

Present in these devices: laptops, phones, tablets, network infrastructure, home appliances, consumer electronics, healthcare devices

02 Sept 201512

802.11-2003

802.11-2012

IEEE 802.11 Revisions

11wManagement

Frame SecurityIEEE

Std802.11 -1997

MAC&

PHY

MAC 11kRRM

11rFast Roam

11a 54 Mbps

5GHz

11b11 Mbps2.4GHz

11dIntl roaming

11vNetwork

Management

11sMesh

11uWIEN

11yContention

BasedProtocol

11nHigh

Throughput(>100 Mbps)

11zTDLS

11pWAVE

802.11-2016 (TBC)

802.11-2007

11g54 Mbps2.4GHz

11eQoS

11iSecurity

11hDFS & TPC

11jJP bands

11f Inter AP

11aaVideo Transport

11aeQoS Mgt Frames

11ac -VHT>1 Gbps @ 5GHz

11ad - VHT>1 Gbps @ 60GHz

11afTV Whitespace

02 Sept 201513

802.11-2016

IEEE 802.11 Standards Pipeline

MAC & PHY

SponsorBallot

MAC

Study / Topic interest groups

PublishedStandardWG

Letter Ballot

802.11acVHT 5GHz

TG without Approved draft

Discussion Topics

PublishedAmendment

802.11afTVWS

802.11aiFILS

802.11 ah< 1Ghz

WNG

802.11aeQoS Mgt Frames

802.11adVHT 60 GHz

802.11AQPAD

802.11ajCMMW

802.11AKGLK

802.11axHEW

802.11ayNG60

802.11aaVideo Transport

802.11-2012

802.11-2012

14

802.11az

Long RangeLow Power

LRLP

02 Sept 201514

PHY Project Sequence

100 Kbps

1 Mbps

10 Mbps

100 Mbps

1 Gbps

10 Gbps

100 Gbps

80 90 00 1085 95 05 15

10 yearyardstick

802.3

802.11

02 Sept 201515

802.11 Architecture Overview

Multiple Over the Air PHY options

One common MAC based on CSMA/CA

802.11 MAC

b g n ac ada af ah ax

02 Sept 201502 Sept 201516

Summary of Completed Major MAC Projects

D – Country information

E - QoS

F – Inter AP communication

H – DFS,TPC Spectrum sharing with radars in 5GHz

J – Japan spectrum @ 4.9 GHz

K – Radio Measurement

P – Vehicular Environments

R – Fast roaming

S – MESH Networking

U – Inter-Networking

V – Network Management

W – Secure Management Frames

Z – Tunneled Direct Link

AA – Video Transport

AC – Very High Throughput (<6GHz)

AD – Very High Throughput (60GHz)

AE – QoS for Management Frames

02 Sept 201517

Current Projects

02 Sept 201518

TGah

02 Sept 201519

TGah - Purpose

The purpose of this amendment defines operation of license-exempt IEEE 802.11 wireless networks in frequency bands below 1 GHz excluding the TV White Space bands.

02 Sept 201520

This amendment defines an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Physical layer (PHY) operating in the license-exempt bands below 1 GHz, e.g.,

– 868-868.6 MHz (Europe), 950 MHz -958 MHz (Japan), 314-316 MHz, 430-434 MHz, 470-510 MHz, and 779-787 MHz (China), 917 - 923.5 MHz (Korea) and 902-928 MHz (USA),

– and enhancements to the IEEE 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) to support this PHY, and provides mechanisms that enable coexistence with other systems in the bands including IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE P802.15.4g.

The data rates defined in this amendment optimize the rate vs range performance of the specific channelization in a given band.

This amendment also adds support for:

– -transmission range up to 1 km

– -data rates > 100 kbit/s

– while maintaining the IEEE 802.11 WLAN user experience for fixed, outdoor, point to multi point applications

TGah - Scope

02 Sept 201521

TGai

02 Sept 201522

This amendment defines mechanisms that provide IEEE 802.11 networks with fast initial link set-up methods which do not degrade the security currently offered by Robust Security Network Association (RSNA) already defined in IEEE 802.11.

The project’s primary need comes from an environment where mobile users are constantly entering and leaving the coverage area of an existing extended service set (ESS).

(a) scale with a high number of users simultaneously entering an ESS

(b) minimize the time spent within the initial link set-up phase

(c) securely provide initial authentication.

TGai Purpose

02 Sept 2015Slide 23

Started in May 2010Completed Working Group Letter Ballot Process Sponsor Letter Ballot for Draft 6.0 – closes 13-Sep-2015

TGai Progress

02 Sept 2015Slide 24

TGai Technical Highlights

APSTA DHCP

Beacon/Probe Resp

Auth Req/Resp

AS

Association & IP addr

APSTA DHCP

Authentication

Association

EAPOL Key

DHCP

AS

EAP(PEAP/MSCHAPv2)

11i 11ai

Improved Scanning, FILS Authentication and higher layer setup established

02 Sept 201525

TGaj

02 Sept 201526

This amendment defines modifications to the IEEE P802.11ad Physical (PHY) layer and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer to enable operation in the Chinese 59-64 GHz frequency band.

The amendment maintains backward compatibility with 802.11ad when it operates in the 59-64 GHz frequency band.

The amendment also defines modifications to the PHY and MAC layers to enable the operation in the Chinese 45 GHz frequency band. The amendment maintains the 802.11 user experience.

TGaj Purpose

02 Sept 2015Slide 27

Started as a study group in January 2012

Working towards initial letter of Draft 1.0

60 GHz fairly stable

45 GHz portion of the draft nearly selected

TGaj Progress

02 Sept 2015Slide 28

Technical Highlights

11aj is currently considering the following aspects:

• Link Budget Analysis for 40-50 GHz Indoor Usage

• Multi-Carrier Training Field for OFDM Transmission in the 45GHz

• Packet Encoding Solution for 45GHz

02 Sept 201529

TGak

02 Sept 201530

This amendment enables an 802.11 connection to be used as a through link in a general network, not just as a connection to an end station at the edge of a network.

• Fully general mixed 802.11 and wired plug and play in the home.

• Data Center top-of-rack to top-of-rack connections for overflow traffic.

• Industrial and Enterprise network use.

Purpose

02 Sept 2015Slide 31

General Link study group started in September 2012

Proprietary implementations of General Link well established

D1.0 Initial letter ballot:– 437 comments to resolve

Progress

02 Sept 2015Slide 32

TGaq

02 Sept 201533

Purpose

This amendment enables delivery of pre-association Service Discovery information by IEEE 802.11 stations (STAs).

• Printer discovery in a hotel• Pre-association protocol

designed to discover services on a WLAN

02 Sept 201534

Progress

Started November 2012

Service Discovery concept appeared in Fall 2012

Device discovery well established

Letter Ballot 208 – D1.0 702 comments

Resolved 293 technical and 1 editorial comments

43 technical remaining

Internal Review – Use D1.3 during August - September

– Remove inconsistencies

– Address missing issues

02 Sept 2015Slide 35

Container MAC protocol to carry upper layer service discovery protocols (e.g. UPnP, Bonjour)

Provisioning and configuration of services in the access point

– Service Transaction Proxy is a logical element connected to the access point

Universal identification of services

– Using a hash name

– Provide service attributes (e.g. 3D printer capability or point of sale service)

Currently considering request/response or broadcast concept

Technical Highlights

AP1

AP2

STA

Network

Local Access Network

Service Transaction Proxy

(TPX)

Pre-association Messages

Service Query Messages

02 Sept 201536

TGax

02 Sept 201537

Improve performance of WLAN deployments in dense scenarios

– Targeting at least 4x improvement in the per-STA throughput compared to 802.11n and 802.11ac.

– Improved efficiency through spatial reuse and enhanced power save techniques.

Dense scenarios are characterized by large number of access points and large number of associated STAs deployed in geographical limited region, e.g. a stadium or an airport.

Purpose

Access to Internet, latest airlines’ announcements, and digital media such as movies and sport events

02 Sept 2015Slide 38

The TG has started the development of the Specification Framework document

– A High level requirement document guiding the development of the 802.11ax detailed specification

Letter Ballot is planned for 1H 2016

Task Group Documents – the latest revisions (as of May 27st, 2015)– 11-14-0165-01 PAR and 11-14-0169-01 CSD

– 11-14-0938-04 TGax Selection Procedure

– 11-14-0980-14 TGax Simulation Scenarios

– 11-14-0571-10 TGax Evaluation Methodology

– 11-14-0882-04 TGax Channel Models

– 11-14-1009-02 TGax Functional Requirements

– 11-15-0132-06 TGax Specification Framework (unapproved new version 11-15-0132-07 available)

Progress

02 Sept 2015Slide 39

Support multi-user (MU) transmissions both in the frequency and in the spatial domains

– Extend IEEE 802.11ac DL MU-MIMO to UL direction

– Introduce OFDMA PHY layer and the associated scheduling to ensure per STA throughput.

– MAC enhancements to support newly introduced mechanisms

– Compatible with legacy devices.

Technical Highlights2

0 M

Hz

PHYHeader

Time

Freq

Space

20

MH

z

STA#10

STA#35

STA#54

STA#26

Sub-Band

OFDMA

STA #3

STA #8

STA #19

SS 1,2

SS 3,4,5

SS 6

MU-MIMO

02 Sept 201540

TGay

02 Sept 201541

Purpose

Expected to develop mode of operation capable of supporting a maximum throughput of at least 20 gigabits per second (measured at the MAC data service access point), while maintaining or improving the power efficiency per station. 

Project Authorization Request (PAR) 11-14/1151r8  

Critera for Standards Development (CSD) 11-14/1152r8  

02 Sept 201542

Progress

New Task Group – Initial Task Group Meeting May 2015

July Session 14 presentations made

02 Sept 201543

Technical highlights

Current generation 60 GHz (802.11ad) achieves 7Gbps

Next Generation 60 GHz increases throughput, range and reliability

Technical approaches are likely to include channel bonding and MIMO

02 Sept 201544

TGaz

02 Sept 201545

Purpose

 

IEEE Std 802.11-2007 includes support for timing measurement.

When published, IEEE Std 802.11-2016/2017 will include “fine timing measurement” that allows location to determined to ~3m using 802.11n/802.11ac.

The Next Generation Positioning study group will improve location accuracy and scalability and will consider new usages such as directionality and ranging

Project Authorization Request (PAR) 11-15/30r8

Critera for Standards Development (CSD) 11-15/262r4 

02 Sept 201546

Progress

New Task Group – Initial Task Group Meeting Sept 2015

02 Sept 201547

Standing Committees(SC)

02 Sept 201548

ARC SC

02 Sept 201549

As a Standing Committee (SC), the ARChitecture SC meets on an ongoing basis, to discuss various topics of an 802.11 architectural nature. Some examples:

• Architectural clauses and models in the standard, as questions, or needs for update or clarification arise.

• Relationships with outside groups on 802.11 architectural topics, or topics that don’t fit elsewhere, such as IETF, 802 O&A, and 802.1.

Purpose

02 Sept 2015Slide 50

Models for STA architecture and related concepts, and overall system architecture, included in the Standard in clauses 4 and 5, generally.

Evolution of the models, either to consider amendments to the Standard, or as clarification is needed

Define how 802.11 technologies fit into 802, 802.1 and IETF use cases.

Technical Highlights

Data Link Layer

Physical Layer

Non-AP STA Non-AP

STA

Non-AP STA

MAC Sublayer

802.1X Port Filtering (Optional)

MAC Sublayer

802.1X Port Filtering (Optional)

Portal

Integration

Non-802.11 network

PHY PHY

APs

Distribution System

02 Sept 201551

Regulatory SC

02 Sept 201552

Purpose

Wireless standards all depend on the availability of RF spectrum for their deployment

Spectrum allocations and rules vary worldwide

The massive growth of wireless applications is forcing regulators to make changes

The Regulatory SC provides IEEE 802.11 with information about spectrum availability and changes

Where needed, the group lobbies regulators for changes to accommodate new standards

02 Sept 201553

Study Groups

02 Sept 201554

Technical Interest Groups (TIG)

02 Sept 201555

Long Range Low Power (LRLP)

TIG Charter: Specify LRLP requirements and use cases Establish technical feasibility of achieving the

requirements for range, power consumption, and integration with 802.11 and coexistence with other 802 wireless protocols

Generate the technical material needed to initiate standardization

The TIG will generate a report containing the results of these tasks within four 802.11 sessions.

02 Sept 201556