March 2011doc.: IEEE 802.11-11/0365r0
IEEE P802.11
Wireless LANs
Date: 2011-03-18
Author(s):
Name / Affiliation / Address / Phone / email
Stephen McCann / Research in Motion / 200 Bath Road, Slough, SL1 3XE, UK / +44 1753 667099 /
Overview
This submission proposes a press release for P802.11u
Contact:
Karen McCabe, IEEE-SA Marketing Director
+1 732-562-3824,
IEEE Publishes the 802.11u amendment to extend the base IEEE Std 802.11 WLAN Specification for Interworking with External Networks.
PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA, 18 March 2011 – The IEEE today announced that it has published the IEEE 802.11u™- 2011, Standard for Information Technology-Telecommunications and Information Exchange between systems-Local and Metropolitan networks-Specific requirements-Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications: Interworking with External Networks.
This amendment defines mechanisms that allow IEEE 802.11™ technology to interwork with external networks such as cellular core and fixed line networks. IEEE 802.11u™ defines enhancements to the medium access control layer to allow mobile communication devices such as laptop computers or multi-mode phones to join a wireless network as widely used in the home, public hotspots and commercial establishments. These enhancements cover the areas of device enrolment, network selection, emergency services support, user traffic segmentation, and service advertisement. The MAC changes allow a device to discover a rich bouquet of network information, prior to the commencement of a user session, considerably improving the user experience of WLAN connection and setup.
For further information on IEEE 802.11u™, visit To purchase documents, visit
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The IEEE 802® LAN/MAN Standards Committee has been developing interoperable LAN and metropolitan area network (MAN) standards for 30 years. Its most transformative successes have been Ethernet and Ethernet switching, Token Ring, IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) and IEEE 802.15 PAN. Its work continues for the most widely used Ethernet family, Token Ring, Wireless LAN, Wireless PAN, Wireless MAN, Wireless RAN, Bridging and Virtual Bridged LANs standards. Individual working groups provide the focus for each area. Decisions by the IEEE 802 working groups will shape communications for years to come. For more information about the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, see
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Submissionpage 1Stephen McCann, RIM