TGn Sync, a coalition of more than a dozen vendors, will submit a joint proposal to the IEEE 802.11 Task Group N (TGn) for the next generation 802.11n standard.
The companies said their TGn Sync specification would enable wireless LAN data rates to scale up to 243 Mbps in two-antenna designs and over 600 Mbps in larger systems. The proposal also includes methods to reduce power consumption for small mobile phones and increase the user capacity of public networks. The proposal also uses adaptive radio techniques to ensure that wireless products can adjust to the planned expansion of unlicensed and licensed spectrum in China, Japan, South Korea, North America, the European Union (EU), and other regions.
Key Features of TGn Sync Proposal
- MIMO Spatial Division Multiplexing to support 243 Mbps reliably with two antennas, over 600 Mbps with larger systems
- Scalable Architecture for different spatial stream (2 to 4) and spectrum configurations (10, 20, 40 MHz)
- Seamless Interoperability between 802.11a/b/g and new modes of operation
- Timed Receive Mode Switching and Multiple Receiver Addressing to reduce power for battery-operated devices
- Flexible architecture offering product compliance for all major regulatory domains while preserving interoperability
The TGn Sync proposal will be presented at the next IEEE 802.11 meeting from September 13-17 in Berlin. The first draft of the 802.11n specification is scheduled to be completed in mid-2005 with its final ratification expected in late 2006 to early 2007.
Members of the TGn Sync consortium include Agere Systems, Atheros Communications,
Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, Marvell Semiconductor, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, SANYO Electric Co., Sony and Toshiba. http://www.tgnsync.org/
- Earlier this month, another consortium of companies collaborating under the moniker "WWiSE" announced plans to submit a joint proposal to the IEEE 802.11 Task Group N (TGn) for a next-generation Wi-Fi standard capable of sustaining data throughput in excess of 100Mbps. Backers of the proposal, which include Airgo Networks, Bermai, Broadcom, Conexant Systems, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments, said 802.11n is an especially important standard in the WLAN market because it will build upon and extend the capabilities of Wi-Fi. The contributing member companies of WWiSE have jointly agreed to specific IP licensing terms for their proposal. If the WWiSE proposal is selected as the 802.11n standard, these companies have agreed that reciprocal RAND-Z (Reasonable and Non-Discriminator licensing under Zero royalty) licenses to their essential IP will be available to any party upon request.
Technical highlights of the WWiSE proposal include:
1. Mandatory use of the approved, pre-existing, worldwide 20MHz Wi-Fi channel width, assuring immediate applicability and deployment in all regulatory jurisdictions.
2. Enhanced MIMO-OFDM technology is key to achieving a maximum data rate of 135 Mbps in the minimum mandatory 2x2 configuration and a single 20MHz channel to keep implementation costs low, while greatly improving upon simple antenna additions or channel bonding schemes.
3. Rates up to 540 Mbps, accomplished with a 4x4 MIMO structure and 40MHz channel width (where permissible by regulatory bodies), provide a roadmap for future devices and applications.
4. Mandatory modes affording backwards compatibility and interoperability with existing Wi-Fi devices in the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands to ensure strong support of legacy deployments.
5. Advanced forward-error-correction coding option to facilitate maximum coverage and range, applicable in all MIMO configurations and channel bandwidths.
