What’s coming next in IEEE 802.11 Wireless Broadband Alliance Global Congress, London 2015 Adrian P. Stephens Chair, IEEE 802.11 Senior Principal Engineer, Intel Corporation May 2015
If it’s Smart and Connects, It’s Best With Intel.
Disclaimer
“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 (sub-clause 5.9.3)
This presentation represents a personal perspective on current IEEE 802.11 projects and how they impact its ecosystem
Drivers of innovation in 802.11
3
Regulation User Demand Technical Capabilitie
s
Spectrum Competition
Market pull - connectivity expectations
Carriers > offload
New usage models (e.g., indoor location, IoT)
Process Changes
Radio Advances
With other 802.11 users (innovate for efficiency)
With other technologies (drives robust coexistence)
New available frequency bands, e.g., TVWS
Changes in rules to existing bands
Enabling 5G Technologies
4
5G requires end-to-end design considerations, from sensors to the
cloud
Standards collaboration and regulatory compliance are essential
Technologies
*IDC **IMC/EDC: The digital universe of opportunities
Consortia, Standards and regulations
Wi-Fi Alliance™ (WFA) is the main "customer" for 802.11 standards: certification, branding 802.11 doesn’t need to create a brand because the
WFA has done it
(and undoubtedly done it better than 802.11 would)
Services based on 802.11 capabilities e.g., location technology that will enable indoor
location to ~1m accuracy
These will drive new location-based services > opportunity for revenue generation by venues, service providers, network operators
The ecosystem of 802.11 standards development
Today: loose integration o 3GPP interworking with 802.11 for
provisioning/network discovery /security/authentication/billing.
o Data does not pass through carrier network.
Soon: tighter integration - use of 802.11 as bearer o Seamless, secure, no user-exposure to underlying technology
Will work much closer with cellular o Can view 802.11 as a component part of a 5G system o Only 802.11 can economically satisfy the stated requirements for 5G in
indoor and dense deployments o Customers will just see a "system" that works
Activity taking place in 3GPP, WFA & 802.11 to ensure this happens
Ecosystem: 3GPP
802.11 -2016
IEEE 802.11 Standards Pipeline
MAC & PHY
Sponsor Ballot
MAC
Study groups
Published Standard
WG Letter Ballot
802.11ac VHT 5GHz
TG without Approved draft
Discussion Topics
Published Amendment
802.11af TVWS
802.11ai FILS
802.11 ah < 1Ghz
WNG
802.11ae QoS Mgt Frames
802.11ad VHT 60 GHz
802.11AQ PAD
802.11aj CMMW
802.11AK GLK
802.11ax HEW
802.11ay NG60
802.11aa Video Transport
802.11 -2012 NGP
P802.11 – Revision mc
• Revision project rolls published amendments into a single consistent standard
• Revision also includes a new feature: enhancements that enable indoor location (perhaps to ~2m accuracy) o “Low hanging fruit” first phase of support for location o Second phase is through the “Next Generation Positioning” project
(currently a study group) o Applicable to location based services and indoor navigation
• Revision approval expected March 2016
P802.11ah – Extended Range
Supports operation of 802.11 in 900MHz bands
Extended Range (up to 1 km) – Smart Cities
Low Power – IoT devices
Rates > 100 kb/s
Approval expected March 2016
“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.”
P802.11ai – Fast Initial Link Setup 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
Will impact users through the WFA OCE (optimize connectivity) program
Amendment approval expected March 2016
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.
P802.11ax – High Efficiency Wireless LAN Efficient high density deployment
4 x throughput for an average user
High spectral efficiency using existing bands between 1 and 6 GHz.
Will support longer range (including outdoor) and lower power devices as well as high rate device (flexibility)
Relevant to: Smart Cities (wide mixture of usage models) & IoT
Smart homes: increased in-home coverage & support of IoT devices
Supporting 5G goals for high density & rate
Project is in early stages, expect approval in 2017 (will eventually displace 802.11ac)
Follow on from 802.11ad project
Improved throughput - 20 Gb/s throughput
Expect improved reliability/robustness of 60 GHz link
Applications: o Wireless docking & display
o Indoor & outdoor wireless backhaul
Status: task group just approved by IEEE…too early to accurately predict completion date
P802.11ay – Next Generation 60 GHz
Is “phase 2” of support for 802.11-based location
Group is seeking approval for a new IEEE 802.11 project
Technical goals: o Sub 1 m location accuracy &
improved power efficiency o Angular techniques - expect new
end uses o Efficient support for dense
deployments (e.g., Stadium)
Applicable to location based services, indoor navigation
Next Generation Positioning Study Group
In the longer term, expect systems to adapt dynamically and choose the best band for communication across <1 GHz, television white-space (TVWS), 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 60 GHz, etc., and whatever new bands are opened up for LAN type operation
As user demand increases, expect 60 GHz to be an essential technology
IEEE 802.11 must become an essential component of a 5G system if it 5G, as defined by NGMN, is to meet its stated goals
Closing thoughts / predictions