IEEE Developing IEEE P1900.4a, 4.1 for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks
April 2, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) will develop IEEE P1900.4a and IEEE P1900.4.1, two standards for heterogeneous wireless networks based on the existing IEEE 1900.4 standard.
The first project, IEEE P1900.4a, an amendment to IEEE 1900.4, will examine architecture and interfaces for dynamic spectrum access networks in white space frequency bands.
The proposed standard would define new components (both entities and interfaces) for operating in white space frequency bands in addition to IEEE 1900.4 entities and interfaces.
"It is very likely that white spaces usage may not be the same in each region or country and several radio interfaces may be used for different use cases," said Paul Houzé of France Telecom-Orange Labs and chair of the IEEE 1900.4 Working Group, which is developing the standards. "It is also probable that regulation will vary from a region to another," he said.
"However, we have the opportunity to standardize a common management system that we could use independently of the radio interfaces choice," said Houzé. "This unique management system will enable the white spaces devices to fulfill with the regulation in vigor in a given place at a given time."
In particular, the protection of broadcast systems should be absolutely reliable, he said. "Because 1900.4 is a dynamic, policy-based system, it is very well-suited to the changing and non-homogeneous white spaces context."
The second standards project, IEEE P1900.4.1 - Standard for Interfaces and Protocols Enabling Distributed Decision-Making for Optimized Radio Resource Usage in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks, will provide descriptions of interfaces and service access points defined in the IEEE 1900.4 standard in order to ensure interoperability between network side and terminal side components of the IEEE 1900.4 system.
The standards are sponsored by the IEEE-Standards Association Standards Board Coordinating Committees/SCC41 - Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks.
Source: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA).