802.20 standard approved

The 802.20 project (‘Wi-Mobile’) began as an alternative to 802.16; while 802.16e (WiMAX) is targeted at 2 to 6GHz, 802.20 is for 3.5GHz and below. In June 2008 the IEEE has approved the 802.20 standard for mobile broadband wireless access. According to the IEEE’s announcement the standard “will enable the worldwide deployment of cost-effective, spectrum-efficient, ubiquitous, always-on and interoperable multi-vendor mobile broadband wireless access networks”

The standard was developed and sponsored by the IEEE 802 Local and Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) Working Group Metropolitan Area and Networks Standards Committee.

According to the IEEE, the standard:

Specifies physical and medium access control layers of an air interface for interoperable mobile broadband wireless access systems operating in licensed bands below 3.5 GHz;
Is optimized for IP-data transport, with peak data rates per user in excess of 1 Mbps;
Supports various vehicular mobility classes up to 250 Km/h in a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) environment and targets spectral efficiencies;
Provides sustained user data rates and numbers of active users that are all significantly higher than achieved by existing mobile systems.

For further information see separate report:

Global - Wireless Broadband - Analyses, Statistics & Forecasts .