Market Requirements for Home Area Networks - Spectrum ImplicationsWill DobbieMultimedia Applications01473 645452will.dobbie@bt.com

Outline of Presentation

• Customer Requirements• Home Network Systems• Wireless Home Network Evolution• Mobility in the Home• Current Frequency Bands• Wireless Home Network Options• Commercial Requirements• Spectrum Implications

Customer Requirements

• Customers want services - not Home Networks• Home Network should:

– Connect fixed and mobile access networks– Distribute telephony, Internet, TV through the home– be idiot proof - plug & play– be affordable - ideally free!– Ideally require no new wires - aesthetics/hassle– Give whole house coverage where required

• There should be a limited number of easily understood options covering all applications

Home Network Systems

IEEE1394

Wired

Long ReachHome Network

>10m

Short Reach‘Cluster’

<10m

Wireless

USB

DECTBluetoothHome RF

IRDABluetooth

802.11a HIPERLAN 1/2

ATM25100BaseT

IEEE1394b

HomePNA10BaseT

Wireless Home Network Evolution

Personal Area Network - interconnecting devices in one room inc. wearable terminals. Likely to start with Bluetooth in PC’s and cellphones

Home Access Network - multiple simultaneous services anywhere in the home. Driver will be Internet inc. video to portable PC’s etc. Wireless-LAN’s based on Ethernet protocols

Wireless Home Network - mass market product inc. the above plus fixed and portable audio/visual terminals e.g. home server, camcorder etc. - will have to interface with Ethernet and IEEE1394

Wireless Home Network Evolution

GardenKitchen Lounge

Office Bedroom

Broadband Networks(s)Network Termination

Home Server

Mobility in the Home

• Wireless avoids the need for wires!• This make it easier to take up new services• Allows interconnection with cellphones, PDA’s etc.• It also allows for new portable terminals inc. TV’s, web

pads, games pads, videophones etc.• Web pad is the logical terminal for interactive TV• More suitable than TV or PC for videophone• Likely to replace the PC for some applications

Current Frequency Bands

1.88-1.9GHz - Allocated to DECT - Performance is acceptable for telephony and low rate data

2.4-2.483GHz - Unlicensed band used for low power industrial, scientific and medical applications (e.g. vulcanising, OB/mobile cameras, microwave ovens). Electronic tagging also proposed with 5w transmitters. Used for IEEE802.11 etc. and Bluetooth. Likely to become congested and unreliable for WLAN’s

5.15-5.35 and 5.47-5.725GHz - Allocated to HIPERLANs but shared with mobile satellite uplinks and military radars

Wireless Home Network Options

Technology Range Bandwidth Suitable formultimediastreaming?

Suitable forBroadcastTV?

IRDA 1m lineof sight

4Mb/s No No

Bluetooth 10-30m 720kb/s Yes? NoDECT 300m 500kb/s No NoUMTS 50m 2Mb/s Yes NoHomeRF 50m 10Mb/s Yes Yes?IEEE802.11(b) 40m 11Mb/s Yes Yes?IEEE802.11(a) 30m 54Mb/s Yes YesHiperlan 1 30m 23.5Mb/s Yes YesHiperlan 2 30m 54Mb/s Yes Yes

Commercial Requirements

• Drafted by DTG and input to DVB• Aim is a harmonised European market• Interface with Ethernet and IEEE1394 terminals• Must allow 3 simultaneous video services at up to

9Mbit/s without unacceptable drop-outs or blocking• Home servers burst up to 32Mbit/s during trick-modes

but DVB is likely to recommend a limit of 25Mbit/s• Must be easy for user to set priorities• Target price is 50 Euros per wireless interface

Spectrum Issues

• 2.4GHz band is likely to be dominated by Bluetooth• 5GHz band is the only option for broadband services

with whole house coverage• DTG is developing an interference model for input to

ETSI/BRAN and ITU-R– typical case based on terraced housing– worst case is a block of flats close to another

• DVB is investigating take-up rate and usage patterns• Some users will want more than one RF channel• Even if all of the current 455MHz is allocated there

will be cases where a channel is not available

Spectrum Requirements

• Limit new applications of the 2.4GHz band• Early release of 5GHz band

– No dedicated allocation for HIPERLAN 1– No allocation for fixed wireless access– Try to harmonise HIPERLAN 2 and IEEE802.11a– Ensure broadband PAN’s are compatible

• Common approach across Europe• Frequency sharing studies on implications of ‘public’

applications especially in outdoor ‘HotSpots’• Extra spectrum for very high bandwidth PAN’s in

future - for HDTV from home servers etc