Liaison report from the Wi-Fi Alliance to 802.11 WG Jan 07 doc.: IEEE 802.11-07/0141r0 Jan 2007 Liaison report from the Wi-Fi Alliance to 802.11 WG Date: 2007-01-17 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)

Jan 2007 This liaison reports on wild success, enabling security & problematic liaisons 1 802.11/WiFi was wildly successful in 2006, but a “new way” might be needed for continuing success 2 The WFA is now certifying Wi-Fi Protected Setup to enable easy security setup 3 The recent liaison from 802.11 to the WFA is problematic and raises a bigger question 4 How can I find out more? Summary Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Jan 2007 802.11/WiFi was wildly successful in 2006, but a “new way” might be needed for continuing success In December 2006, the WFA made an announcement regarding the success of 802.11/WiFi in the market “Wi-Fi chipset sales are poised to exceed 200 million units in 2006 …” “The 25% annual growth rate seen in 2006 …” This announcement is a reflection of successful partnership of IEEE 802.11 WG in creating standards and the WFA in certifying products In the last liaison it was noted some issues might need to be addressed to ensure continuing success of this partnership in the future In a recent e-mail on the 802.11 e-mail reflector, the liaison comments were characterised to say as “lead, follow, or get out of the way “ A better characterisation of the intent of the last liaison is, “please lead in a timely manner, but recognise market reality and fix some of the internal problems that are slowing progress” Some changes in the way standards are created and products certified might accelerate a PR in the near future announcing 1B chips! Wild success Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Jan 2007 The WFA is now certifying Wi-Fi Protected Setup to enable easy security setup IEEE 802.11i defined protocols for secure operation & the WFA defined the WPA & WPA2 certifications to ensure interoperability However, for many consumers it was too hard to turn on security, meaning many were left (sometimes unknowingly) unprotected In response, on the 8 Jan 07 the WFA announced a new certification called Wi-Fi Protected Setup Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a simplified method for configuring security-enabled networks in the home that is designed to be used by all types of consumer devices The first release supports use of push-button & PIN methods, but support for methods using NFC & USB drives is planned in 1H07 A white paper (free) & the full specification (small charge) are available on http://www.wi-fi.org/knowledge_center/wifi-protected-setup Protected setup Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Jan 2007 The recent liaison from 802.11 to the WFA is problematic and raises a bigger question Recently TGu sent a liaison to the WFA, which invited the WFA to participate in the review of the 802.11u draft However, the liaison noted that it was “not possible to share this document with you at the moment, due to IEEE 802.11 procedures” It is not clear why the liaison was sent to the WFA when it was known it as not possible to execute the request in any practical sense It also raises a bigger question as to why the IEEE 802.11 procedures make unapproved drafts secret at all? It appears to have hurt the development process in the early critical stages The drafts are only secret for a short period anyway Liaisons Andrew Myles (Cisco)

Jan 2007 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)