IEEE 802.

11u - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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IEEE 802.11u

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

IEEE 802.11u is a proposed amendment to the IEEE 802.11-2007 standard to add features that
improve interworking with external networks.
802.11 is an IEEE standard that allows devices such as laptop computers or cellular phones to join a
wireless LAN widely used in the home, office and some commercial establishments.

Contents

1 Interworking with External Networks

1.1 Status
2 See also
3 External references

Interworking with External Networks

IEEE 802.11 currently makes an assumption that a user is pre-authorised to use the network. IEEE
802.11u covers the cases where user is not pre-authorised. A network will be able to allow access
based on the user's relationship with an external network (e.g. hotspot roaming agreements), or
indicate that online enrollment is possible, or allow access to a strictly limited set of services such as
emergency calls.
From a user perspective, the aim is to improve the experience of a traveling user who turns on a
laptop in a hotel many miles from home. Instead of being presented with a long list of largely
meaningless SSIDs the user could be presented with a list of networks, the services they provide, and
the conditions under which the user could access them.
The IEEE 802.11u Proposal Requirements Specification contains requirements in the areas of
enrollment, network selection, emergency call support, user traffic segmentation, and service
advertisement.

Status
The 802.11u standard is in its proposal evaluation stages. Per the official IEEE 802.11 Work Plan
predictions (http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/11/Reports/802.11_Timelines.htm) the formal
802.11u standard is scheduled to be published in March 2009.

See also

IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover

Generic Access Network
GSM
GPRS
UMTS
CDMA
EV-DO

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11u

20/9/2007

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External references

Status of the project 802.11u (http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/11/Reports/tgu_update.htm)

IEEE Task Group TGu

"Number Entries" Wi-Fi Dictionary and Encyclopedia

(http://www.connect802.com/encyclopedia/enc-numbers.htm)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11u"

Category: IEEE 802.11

This page was last modified 16:29, 20 September 2007.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11u

20/9/2007