IEEE Ratifies 802.11n, Wireless LAN Specification to Provide Significantly Improved Data Throughput and Range

Amendment to Successful IEEE 802.11 Standard Enables More Scalable WLANs That
Co-exist with Legacy Deployments
PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(Business Wire)--
The IEEE today announced that its Standards Board has ratified the IEEE
802.11n™-2009 amendment, defining mechanisms that provide significantly improved
data rates and ranges for wireless local area networks (WLANs). This new
amendment to the IEEE 802.11 base standard is designed to help the data
communications industry address the escalating demands placed on enterprise,
home and public WLANs with the rise of higher-bandwidth file transfers and
next-generation multimedia applications. WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 are widely
deployed, with more than 1 million units shipping per day.

The IEEE 802.11 standard defines how to design interoperable WLAN equipment that
provides a variety of capabilities including a wide range of data rates, quality
of service, reliability, range optimization, device link options, network
management and security.

The 560-page 802.11n amendment-"…WLAN Enhancements for Higher Throughput"1-will
enable rollout of significantly more scalable WLANs that deliver 10-fold-greater
data rates than previously defined while ensuring co-existence with legacy
systems and security implementations.

More than 400 individuals from equipment and silicon suppliers, service
providers, systems integrators, consultant organizations and academic
institutions from more than 20 countries participated in a seven-year effort
leading to IEEE 802.11n`s ratification. Publication of the amendment is
scheduled for mid-October.

"This was an extraordinarily wide-ranging technical challenge that required the
sustained effort and concentration of a terrific variety of participants. When
we started in 2002, many of the technologies addressed in 802.11n were
university research topics and had not been implemented," said Bruce Kraemer,
Chair of the IEEE Wireless LAN Working Group. "The performance improvements
achieved via IEEE 802.11n stand to transform the WLAN user experience, and
ratification of the amendment sets the stage for a new wave of application
innovation and creation of new market opportunities."

Added Paul Nikolich, IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee Chairman: "Everyone
involved in the 802.11n process-and no one more than Bruce Kraemer, whose strong
leadership has been instrumental from the start-deserves congratulations because
this is a key data communications milestone and a good example of the consensus
building environment 802 provides for its participants. The amendment will
enable a dramatic leap forward in WLAN scalability with only a modest associated
rise in costs for the industry and end users."

For further information on IEEE 802.11n, visit
http://standards.ieee.org/prod-serv/80211n.html. To purchase documents, visit
http://shop.ieee.org.

About IEEE 802

The IEEE 802® LAN/MAN Standards Committee develops LAN and metropolitan area
network (MAN) standards. The most widely used standards are for the Ethernet
family, Token Ring, Wireless LAN, Wireless PAN, Wireless MAN, Bridging and
Virtual Bridged LANs. An individual working group provides the focus for each
area. Decisions by the IEEE 802 task groups and working groups will shape
communications for years to come. For more information about the IEEE 802
LAN/MAN Standards Committee, see http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/.

About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body,
develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and
brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications
and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The
IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 400 standards
under development. For information on the IEEE-SA, see:
http://standards.ieee.org.

About the IEEE

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.), the world's
largest technical professional society, is commemorating its 125th anniversary
in 2009 by "Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering the Future" around the globe.
Through its more than 375,000 members in 160 countries, IEEE is a leading
authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers
and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer
electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, IEEE publishes 30
percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering
and computer science fields, and has developed over 900 active industry
standards. The organization annually sponsors more than 850 conferences
worldwide. Additional information about IEEE can be found at
http://www.ieee.org.

1 Full title: "Information Technology-Telecommunications and information
exchange between systems-Local and metropolitan area networks-Specific
requirements Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical
Layer (PHY) specifications Amendment 5: Enhancements for Higher Throughput-2009"

IEEE-SA
Karen McCabe, +1-732-562-3824
Marketing Director
k.mccabe@ieee.org

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