IEEE, the world's professional organization advancing technology for humanity, announced the formation of a new study group (SG100G) within IEEE 802.15TM 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.
“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.”
Thomas Kurner, chair of the new IEEE 802.15 100G Study Group and professor at Technische Universitat 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 wire line 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.