Session #16 of the IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access took place on 12-16 November 2001 during the November IEEE 802 Plenary Session at the Hyatt Regency Austin in Austin, Texas, USA. This hotel was the site of the March 1999 meeting at which the 802.16 Working Group was created.
Summary
A decision to merge the 802.16a and 802.16b projects was made. A Working Group Letter Ballot on a draft standard appropriate to the merged project was approved for initiation. The document is constructed as an amendment to the base IEEE 802.16 standard, which completed IEEE Sponsor Ballot and is on the agenda for approval by the IEEE-SA Standards Board on 6 December. Task Group 2 held its second meeting to develop an amendment to the recently-published IEEE Standard 802.16.2.
The attendance list is available.
P802.16: Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems [10-66 GHz]
IEEE Sponsor Ballot of the P802.16 WirelessMANTM Air Interface Draft (which is available in the IEEE Catalog) has been declared closed, with a 97% approval margin. The IEEE 802 Executive Committee (ExCom) approved submission of the 802.16 draft to the IEEE-SA Standards Board, where 6 December approval for publication is anticipated.
An overview of the 802.16 MAC was presented in a 90-minute IEEE 802 Tutorial (The 802.16 WirelessMANTM MAC: It's Done, but What is It?). Over 200 people attended.
P802.16a: MAC Modifications and Additional Physical Layer for 2-11 GHz
The Working Group, with the affirmation of the IEEE 802 ExCom, approved a merger of the 802.16a (licensed) and 802.16b (license-exempt) projects into an expanded 802.16a project. Following extensive comment resolution, the working document was elevated to the status of Draft Standard. The Working Group approved the initialization of a Working Group Letter Ballot on 802.16a Draft 1, the final round of which is scheduled for completion in early April 2002 (see the approval schedule).
P802.16.2a: Amendment to Recommended Practice for Coexistence of Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems
This group held its second meeting to develop an amendment to enhance IEEE Standard 802.16.2 by including licensed bands from 2-11 GHz and expanding the recommendations for coexistence of point-to-multipoint with point-to-point communications at millimeter-wave bands.
Working Group Liaison Activities
Documents
The complete Session #16 document list indexes the session documents.
The Session #16 Minutes are available as document IEEE 802.16-01/61r2.
IEEE 802 ExCom Actions
At its closing meeting of 16 November, the IEEE 802 Executive Committee approved all five 802.16 motions.
IEEE 802 ExCom Chair Jim Carlo stepped down. Vice Chair Paul Nikolich was elected and assumed the position of 802 Chair following the close of the session.
Future Meetings
About IEEE 802.16
The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards is creating the WirelessMANTM Standard for wireless metropolitan area networks. IEEE 802.16 is a unit of the 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, the premier transnational forum for wired and wireless networking standardization. IEEE 802 standards are available for free download at GetIEEE802.
Roger Marks (r.b.marks@ieee.org)
Chair, IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards
tel: +1-303-497-7837
r.b.marks@ieee.org