IEEE to explore 100 Gbps transmission over extremely high frequency wireless

Potential new applications for possible IEEE 802.15.3 amendment could include wireless data centers, wireless intra-device communication and wireless backhauling

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News | by CIOL Bureau

PISCATAWAY, USA: IEEE, the world's largest professional organization advancing technology for humanity, today announced the formation of a new study group (SG100G) within IEEE 802.15 to develop a project proposal for an amendment to IEEE 802.15.3 "Standard for Information technology-Local and metropolitan area networks-Specific requirements-Part 15.3: Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for High Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN)."

The proposed amendment is targeting data rates of up to 100 Gigabits per second (Gbps) over beam-switchable wireless point-to-point links. Potential new applications of interest include wireless data centers, wireless intra-device communication and wireless fronthauling/backhauling.

IEEE 802.15.3 is a standard for low-complexity, low-cost, low-power-consumption and high-data-rate wireless connectivity among multimedia devices supporting high levels of Quality of Service (QoS). With the completion of a physical layer (PHY) amendment in 2009, IEEE 802.15.3c^TM "Standard for Information technology-Local and metropolitan area networks-Specific requirements-Part 15.3: Amendment 2: Millimeter-wave-based Alternative Physical Layer Extension" was the first wireless IEEE 802 standard supporting data rates in excess of 2 Gbps at 60 GHz. This new proposed PHY layer amendment is intended to extend IEEE 802.15.3 to data rates up to 100 Gbps.

According to Bob Heile, chair of the IEEE 802.15 Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) Working Group, "After many years of hard work in the IEEE 802.15 Working Group, discussing the challenges and feasibility of using the Terahertz (THz) domain, we are very excited that the time is now right to create a project capitalizing on this newly available unlicensed spectrum. A standard in this domain could have significant commercial value and help set the stage for additional uses and applications."

Added Thomas Kürner, chair of the new IEEE 802.15 100G Study Group and professor at Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany: "The target is to standardize a system that offers high data transfer rates of many 10s of Gbps up to 100 Gbps. We see this supporting transmission distances ranging from the very short, a few centimeters or less, to the relatively long and over distances of several hundred meters with the objective of connecting the wireless and wireline industry."

The new study group is the result of ongoing work in an IEEE 802.15 interest group that's focused on THz communications and related network applications operating in the THz frequency bands (between 275 to 3,000 GHz). The THz interest group was established in 2008, with more than 30 companies and institutions participating from all over the world. Applications under investigation have been component-to-component, board-to-board, machine-to-machine, human-to-machine and human-to-human (indoor and outdoor) wireless communications.

"The formation of the IEEE 802.15 100G Study Group is an excellent example of the IEEE 802 community responding to market forces early on in the practical development of emerging technologies," said Paul Nikolich, chair of IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee. "From helping to shape regulatory frameworks that will enable innovation to providing a complete solution at 100 Gbps that crosses between wired and wireless boundaries, the IEEE 802 suite of standards provides the networked world with standardized solutions to address almost every need."

For organizations that have an interest in wireless technology approaching 100 Gbps, including THz communication, optical wireless communications (OWC) and others, visit the IEEE 802.15 Working Group web site at http://www.ieee802.org/15/.

The IEEE 802.15 100G Study Group meets during the regularly scheduled IEEE 802.15 working group meetings. The schedule can be found at http://www.ieee802.org/15/pub/Meeting_Plan.html.