N-WEST News #23
National Wireless Electronic Systems Testbed (N-WEST)

21 January 2000

Topics:

IEEE 802.16 ADVANCES IN HARMONIOUS SESSION #5

118 people attended Session #5 of the IEEE Working Group 802.16 on Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) Standardization on 10-14 January 2000 in Richardson, Texas, USA. 802.16 continued its rapid and broad advance:

802.16.1 AIR INTERFACE: CONSOLIDATION AND COOPERATION

The development plan for the 802.16.1 broadband wireless access air interface seeks to solicit proposed standards and foster voluntary consolidation of the proposals. Session #5 saw the presentation of three physical layer (PHY) and two medium access control (MAC) proposals, a dramatic consolidation from the 18 physical layer (PHY) and 13 medium access control (MAC) proposals put forth at Session #4.

Following the presentations and discussions at Session #5, the two PHY and two MAC proposals that had resulted from mergers were invited to participate in the next round of proposals. These proposals come in pairs: one group submitted both a PHY and MAC proposal; the other PHY and MAC proposal came from groups with a large number of common members. The discussions, which included presentations of "suggested improvements and suggested mergers," were harmonious, cooperative, and constructive. Furthermore, the two groups announced plans to soon begin seeking common ground. The Working Group, by acclamation, passed a resolution "to express 802.16's appreciation for the hard work and dedication of all those who cooperated to present consolidated 802.16.1 proposals and to offer thanks and congratulations on their continued spirit of openness."

Work also progressed on the adoption of evaluation tools to predict the PHY and MAC performance of proposed standards.

The proposals invited to-resubmit for Session #6 are

IEEE 802.16.1pc-00/02 (PHY)

IEEE 802.16.1mc-00/01 (MAC)

IEEE 802.16.1pc-00/09 (PHY)

IEEE 802.16.1mc-00/07 (MAC)

802.16.2 COEXISTENCE STAYS ON TRACK

The 802.16.2 Coexistence Task Group continues to develop its recommended practice. A draft is anticipated for release to a Working Group letter ballot following Session #6.

802.16 PROCEEDS TO DEFINE BWA STANDARDIZATION BELOW 10 GHz

802.16's "Sub10" Study Group held its first meetings to address the standardization of an air interface for frequencies below 10 GHz. The group decided it should proceed with standardization. It drafted a Project Authorization Request (PAR), specifying an upper limit of 11 GHz. The Working Group approved the PAR for consideration by IEEE 802 at Session #6. The group also created an ad hoc committee to begin developing a functional requirements document.

PLANNING FOR SESSION #6

802.16 Session #6 takes place on 6-9 March 2000 at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA as part of the March 6-10 IEEE 802 Plenary Meeting (featuring a celebration of the 20th Anniversary of IEEE 802, the LAN/MAN Standards Committee).

In advance of Session #6, the following Call for Contributions have been published:

Suggested improvements and mergers to the 802.16.1 proposals will be welcome but have not yet been explicitly invited.

The Sub 10 (or Sub 11) Study Group will meet at Session #6 to finalize its PAR and begin work on functional requirements. The 802.16.2 Study Group will meet to prepare its draft for letter ballot release.

SESSION #7 IN MARYLAND

802.16 has accepted, pending finalization of certain arrangements, a proposal from Yunsang Park to host Session #7 on 1-5 May in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. Hughes Network Systems will serve as corporate host.

IEEE RADIO AND WIRELESS CONFERENCE: CALL FOR PAPERS

The 2000 IEEE Radio and Wireless Conference (RAWCON2000) highlights interdisciplinary aspects of RF technology and communication system design. RAWCON, sponsored by the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society and technically cosponsored by NIST, has for four years been an important forum for broadband wireless access as well as other technologies. RAWCON2000 will be held in Denver, CO on Sept. 10-13, 2000. RAWCON, which has regularly made front-page news in the electronics industry, offers single-track sessions to ensure a broad audience for oral presentations and a stimulating environment for poster presentations. In addition to the technical program, RAWCON includes workshops, a panel session, and an exhibition. Furthermore, IEEE 802.16 will co-locate its Session #9 with RAWCON2000.

RAWCON seeks papers in the following areas: system architecture, system performance, antennas and propagation, active devices, and passive devices. It also seeks papers in interdisciplinary topics such as smart antennas and system performance; interaction between RF technology and wireless system networking; trends in digital signal processing and their effects on RF system design; RF propagation and system performance; the impact of active and passive component performance on system design; the effects of nonlinearity on system performance, etc.

Authors are asked to submit a two-page summary electronically. The submission deadline is March 31, 2000. Download the Call for Papers for full details.

For additional information, contact the RAWCON2000 General Chair, Dr. Michael S. Heutmaker of Lucent Technologies in Princeton, NJ.

SIMPLIFIED 802.16 WEB ADDRESS

A new, simplified 802.16 URL is now functional:

http://ieee802.org/16

UPCOMING TALK AT CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

On March 16, 2000, Roger Marks will present an IEEE MTT-S Distinguished Microwave Lecture at a joint meeting of the three Los Angeles area MTT-S Chapters (San Fernando Valley, Foothill, and LA Council). The meeting takes place in Room 070 of Moore Laboratory (Building 93) at the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California) at 8 pm, following a 6:30 social and 7 pm dinner in the Rathskellar (Building 61). See the map. Parking is free on campus in the open lots and parking structures. For reservations, contact "Midwin & Olifson" at 1-818-996-9093 or 1-800-275-8765. For more details, contact Jim Weiler.
Dr. Roger Marks (marks@nist.gov)