IEEE 802.16 Session #33 Report

Comment Resolution on Mobile WirelessMAN (P802.16e) Draft
Comments were resolved following the third recirculation of the Working Group Letter Ballot regarding the IEEE P802.16e draft, which will enhance the WirelessMAN air interface to support mobile as well as fixed users. This activity will lead Task Group e to the development of Draft 5. The schedule, which anticipates completion of the standard in late 2004, remains in effect. Task Group e issued a closing report and minutes.

• Update: The IEEE-SA Standards Board approved a modified P802.16e project authorization request (PAR) on 23 September 2004. The discussion involved the consideration of a statement from the Working Group and Task Group Chairs as well as a set of supportive statements from industry.
• Update: Draft 5 was reviewed in a Working Group Confirmation Ballot, from 18 September-3 October 2004. The ballot concluded successfully, with 100% approval, giving final Working Group approval forward the draft for IEEE Sponsor Ballot.
• Update: The IEEE 802 Executive Committee approved a motion to forward the P802.16e draft for IEEE Sponsor Ballot, conditional upon successful completion of the Working Group confirmation ballot. The conditions were met, as the confirmation ballot concluded successfully. IEEE Sponsor Ballot opended on 5 October and runs through 4 November, with comments to be considered at Session #34 in November. The schedule, which anticipates completion of the project in 2004, remains on track.

Initial Progress on Two Network Management PARs
The new IEEE 802.16 Network Management Task Group held its first meeting and began progress on two PARs that we approved by the IEEE-SA Standards Board in June. Regarding the P802.16f Management Information Base (MIB) project for fixed service, a substantial contribution was adopted as the basis of an initial draft, and Working Group Letter Ballot #16 will open soon to consider its approval. Regarding the P802.16g project on Management Plane Procedures and Services, seven contributions were received, and a new new Call for Contributions will be issued on several specific topics.

• Update: A Call for Contributions was issued on 20 September concerning several specific topics regarding P802.16g.
• Update: P802.16f/D1 released on 30 September. Working Group Letter Ballot #16, to review that draft, runs 1 October - 1 November.

Corrigendum to IEEE Standard 802.16-2004
The Working Group expects approval, on 23 September, of a new PAR for a Corrigendum to quickly correct errors that may be found in the new IEEE Standard 802.16-2004 (publication of which is now expected in late September 2004 following IEEE-SA Standards Board approval in June). In anticipation of PAR approval, the new Maintenance Task Group begun collecting and reviewing reports of errors in the standard. An additional Call for Comments will be issued, and a Working Group Letter Ballot on a set of corrections is expected beginning in November following Session #34.

• Update: IEEE Standard 802.16-2004 was published on 1 October 2004. The standard will be included on the annual IEEE 802 CD-ROM, to be distributed during Session #34.
• Update: The IEEE-SA Standards Board approved PAR P802.16-2004/Cor 1 for the Corrigendum on 23 September 2004.
• Update: The Call for Comments was issued on 24 September 2004.

Conformance Standards
The Conformance Task Group reviewed a contribution from ETSI BRAN recommending that an ETSI draft PICS be accepted as the basis of the P802.16/Conformance04 (PICS Proforma for frequencies below 11 GHz). A decision was made to create a baseline PICS document per the ETSI suggestion and then to issue a Call for Comments regarding it.

Separately, IEEE Standard 802.16/Conformance02-2003, an earlier product of Conformance Task Group, entered the Get IEEE 802 program where it is now available for free download. The standard addresses the "Test Suite Structure and Test Purposes (TSS&TP) for 10-66 GHz WirelessMAN-SC Air Interface."

• Update: The Conformance Task Group issued a closing report and minutes.
• Update: The first P802.16/Conformance04 working document was issued on 8 October. A Call for Comments on that document was issued, with a deadline of 7 November.

New IEEE 802.16 Study Group on Licensed-Exempt Coexistence
The Working Group's Study Group on Licensed-Exempt Coexistence held its first meetings and decided to recommend a PAR for a new project. The Working Group chose to hold Working Group Letter Ballot #15 on the topic of forwarding a proposed PAR and Five Criteria Statement.

• Update: Working Group Letter Ballot #15 ran through 22 September 2004. The ballot was approved, pending comment resolution.
• Update: IEEE Standard 802.16.2-2004 ("IEEE Recommended Practice for Local and metropolitan area networks - Coexistence of Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems") entered the Get IEEE 802 program where it is now available for free download. The standard addresses licensed-band coexistence.

Working Group Liaison Activities

• The WG sent a letter to Technical Committee TC5 of the China Communication Standards Association (CCSA) regarding the designation of liaision officials between the two bodies.
• The WG sent a letter to ETSI BRAN responding to two contributions from the ETSI BRAN Vice Chair.
• Panyuh Joo, liaison from TTA PG302, presented an overview of TTG PG302.

Future Meetings

• IEEE 802.16's Session #34 will take place on 15-18 November 2004 in conjunction with the IEEE 802 Plenary Session. The session is definitely planned for San Antonio, TX, USA.
• IEEE 802.16's Session #35 will be held in Sanya, Hainan, China on 24-27 January 2005. The host will be Lucy Chen of Huawei Technologies Co.
• IEEE 802.16's Session #36 will take place on 14-17 March 2005 in conjunction with the IEEE 802 Plenary Session at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, GA, USA.
• Site selection for both IEEE 802.16's Session #37 (May 2005) and Session #39: (September 2005) is planned for the Closing Plenary of Session #34. Hosting solicitations are invited; see the Interim Session Guidelines, noting that an update to these Guidelines is expected before Session #34. Interest were expressed in hosting either one of these sessions in Beijing, Taipei, Montreal, Israel, Italy, Delhi, and Seoul.

Documents
The Session #33 document list includes references to hundreds of session documents.

Working Group Membership
The Working Group Membership remains at 151. Over 100 Potential Members are eligible for membership by attending Session #34.

Minutes and Motions
Significant motions drafted for presentation at the Closing Plenary are embedded in the Closing Plenary Agenda.

• Update: The Working Group minutes are available as IEEE 802.16-04/59.

New "802.16 News" Mailing List
A new "802.16 News" mailing list ("stds-802-16-news") has been established, with the sole purpose of distributing major announcements related to the Working Group. Those interested in following the progress of the group but not in the day-to-day details may wish to subscribe. Only the Working Group Chair is eligible to post to the list, and mailings will be rare: once after each bimonthly session and additionally for major news, such as the approval of a new standard. Those subscribing to the stds-802-16 mailing list, for active Working Group participants, need not subscribe to stds-802-16-news since the postings will be redundant.

About IEEE 802.16
The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards has developed and is enhancing the WirelessMAN^TM Standard for wireless metropolitan area networks. IEEE 802.16 is a unit of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, the premier transnational forum for wired and wireless networking standardization. A list of IEEE 802.16 standards and drafts is available on-line, as is a project milestone summary and an archive of previous Session Reports.

Roger Marks (r.b.marks@ieee.org)
Chair, IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards
tel: +1-303-497-7837