Liaison report from the Wi-Fi Alliance to 802.11 WG Nov 06 doc.: IEEE 802.11-06/1xxxr0 Nov 2006 Liaison report from the Wi-Fi Alliance to 802.11 WG Date: 2006-11-15 Authors: Notice: This document has been prepared to assist IEEE 802.11. It is offered as a basis for discussion and is not binding on the contributing individual(s) or organization(s). The material in this document is subject to change in form and content after further study. The contributor(s) reserve(s) the right to add, amend or withdraw material contained herein. Release: The contributor grants a free, irrevocable license to the IEEE to incorporate material contained in this contribution, and any modifications thereof, in the creation of an IEEE Standards publication; to copyright in the IEEE’s name any IEEE Standards publication even though it may include portions of this contribution; and at the IEEE’s sole discretion to permit others to reproduce in whole or in part the resulting IEEE Standards publication. The contributor also acknowledges and accepts that this contribution may be made public by IEEE 802.11. Patent Policy and Procedures: The contributor is familiar with the IEEE 802 Patent Policy and Procedures <http:// ieee802.org/guides/bylaws/sb-bylaws.pdf>, including the statement "IEEE standards may include the known use of patent(s), including patent applications, provided the IEEE receives assurance from the patent holder or applicant with respect to patents essential for compliance with both mandatory and optional portions of the standard." Early disclosure to the Working Group of patent information that might be relevant to the standard is essential to reduce the possibility for delays in the development process and increase the likelihood that the draft publication will be approved for publication. Please notify the Chair <stuart.kerry@philips.com> as early as possible, in written or electronic form, if patented technology (or technology under patent application) might be incorporated into a draft standard being developed within the IEEE 802.11 Working Group. If you have questions, contact the IEEE Patent Committee Administrator at <patcom@ieee.org>. Andrew Myles (Cisco) Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 This liaison reports on recent WFA news & highlights an issue of importance to the 802.11 WG & the WFA 1 What is news in the WFA? 2 How can 802.11 meet market needs in a timely manner? 3 How can I find out more? Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 WFA has had a change of leadership with a new Chair of the WFA Board of Directors Clint Chaplin’s recent change in employer meant he had to resign as Chair of the WFA Board of Directors The WFA Board of Directors thanks Clint for his service to the industry by serving as Chair since June 2005 Certifications launched under his tenure include WMM-Power Save, WPA Mandatory & WMC-RF Performance Andrew Myles has been elected as the new Chair of the WFA Board of Directors News Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 This liaison reports on recent WFA news & highlights an issue of importance to the 802.11 WG & the WFA 1 What is news in the WFA? 2 How can 802.11 meet market needs in a timely manner? 3 How can I find out more? Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 WFA continues to meet market needs for certifications related to interoperability (& performance) Existing Marketing TGs are focused on market needs Existing Technical TGs are focused on defining test plans Wi-Fi Protected Setup Voice Over Wi-Fi Home & Small Office Enterprise WMM – Admission Control new! Wi-Fi Mobile Convergence RF Performance with CTIA Device Class TGn Baseline … Security new! Mesh new! Video new! Wi-Fi Protected Setup Voice Over Wi-Fi Home & Small Office Enterprise WMM – Admission Control new! Wi-Fi Mobile Convergence RF Performance (with CTIA) Device Class TGn Baseline … Market needs? Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 The market is being hampered by slow standards development … or is looking for “alternatives” Current WFA activity Relationship to 802.11 WG activities Effect of IEEE pace on WFA Wi-Fi Protected Setup No 802.11 spec, WFA developed own spec No IEEE activity Voice – H&SO Relies on WMM spec (a variant of 802.11e) Actual misalignment Voice - Enterprise Currently waiting for parts of 802.11k & 802.11r (& WMM-AC) Probable delay WMM – AC Relies on WMM spec (a variant of 802.11e) Probable misalignment TGn – Baseline Will rely on parts of an early draft of 802.11n, but phase 2 will use ratified standard Potential misalignment Mesh Currently planning to wait for (parts of?) 802.11s Possible delay Video Will probably use a “new” DLS still at SG stage, as existing DLS does not meet market needs Possible delay Market needs? Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Ideally, the 802.11 WG will remain the “primary” SDO in the WLAN space Nov 06 doc.: IEEE 802.11-06/1xxxr0 Nov 2006 Ideally, the 802.11 WG will remain the “primary” SDO in the WLAN space Expertise is available in the IEEE 802.11 WG WFA is not currently structured to do standards development WFA has a big enough task already Certification of interoperability (& performance) Market development Representing the industry, eg to regulators … Market needs? Andrew Myles (Cisco) Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 So what can the 802.11 WG do to better meet market needs as the “primary” SDO in a timely manner? The original 802.11 standard took may years to develop but it did not matter because the market was immature & slow moving However, the market wants limited “useful” features now, not “every” feature at some undefined point in the future What can the 802.11 WG do to better meet this need? Smaller more focused amendments? Less amendments in parallel? Only standardise proven technologies, with less “academia”? Separate documents, rather than amending “the 2,000 page brick”? A stream-lined ballot process? Realignment of 802.11e with WMM & WMM-PS (& soon WMM-AC)? Can the WFA assist? – we have a vested interest in 802.11 success The answer is up to the IEEE 802.11 WG but will have an effect on the market relevance of the 802.11 standard Market needs? Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 This liaison reports on recent WFA news & highlights an issue of importance to the 802.11 WG & the WFA 1 What is news in the WFA? 2 How can 802.11 meet market needs in a timely manner? 3 How can I find out more? Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Nov 2006 Advertisement: the best way to get information about the activities of the WFA is to join! Contact Frank Hanzlik (Managing Director of WFA) fhanzlik@wi-fi@org +1 512 3050792 Contact Andrew Myles (Chair of WFA) andrew.myles@cisco.com +61 2 84461010 Look at the website at http://www.wi-fi.org Advertisement Andrew Myles (Cisco)