International Telecommunication Union
Wireless and Coax
Transport
Latest developments in Home Network
Transport Technologies
Stephen Palm Ph.D.
Principal Engineer
Broadcom
palm @ broadcom . com
ITU-T Workshop on Home Networking and Home Services
Tokyo, Japan, 17-18 June 2004
Digital Video Home Needs
ITU-T
o Digital PVR and Streaming Content to multiple TVs
o Enable whole home
• One set of content on any TV
• Distributed from a Home Media Server
o No new wires
• Coax, Wireless, Power
o Content to TVs not PC
• Ethernet, phone wire of limited use
o Quality of Service
• Prioritized delivery
o Wireless and Coax deliver high throughput with quality
2004 June
2
ITU-T
WLAN Market Growth: Diverse Platforms
Units in Millions
180
160
Enterprise Networking
140
Printer Vendor
120
Industrial and Other
100
Consumer Electronic
80
Cell Phone
60
BBD Service Provider
40
PC Vendor
20
Retail Networking
0
2002
2004 June
2003
2004
2005
2006
3
WLAN Market by Technology
ITU-T
180.0
160.0
140.0
UWB
120.0
n
100.0
a/b/g
80.0
g/b
60.0
b
40.0
20.0
0.0
2003
2004
2005
2006
• 802.11g is new mainstream Wi-Fi
• Next broad technology transition is 802.11n in 2005
2004 June
4
ITU-T
Wi-Fi Solutions becoming
smaller
87% Smaller
50mm x 60mm
1.97in x 2.36in
2004 June
14.8mm x 26.5mm
0.58in x 1.04in
5
The Pace of IEEE and Wi-Fi Alliance
ITU-T
o Schedule and Timeline is now general public news
o Market needs sometimes outweigh academic
completeness
o The Wi-Fi Alliance (as an industry consortium) has
stepped up to accelerate usable standards:
• 802.11a/b/g → Interoperability certification
• 802.11i
→ WPA specification
• 802.11e
→ WQoS specification
• 802.11n
→ Marketing Requirements Document
o Wi-Fi Alliance has shifted from passively certifying
the standard after it was done, to accelerating
completion, to now driving the IEEE requirements
to initiate a standard
2004 June
6
Relevant Standards on the Horizon
ITU-T
o 802.11 QoS – WQoS/WME/802.11e (2004)
• Priority based Quality of Service
• Allows Wireless VoIP and video distribution in the home
o 100 Mbps 802.11 (WLAN) – 802.11n (2005)
• Throughput approximately 3 times 802.11g
• Compatible way for additional HD video streams in the home
o 480 Mbps 802.15 (WPAN) – 802.15.3a (2006?)
• Ultra Wide Band (UWB)
o UPnP(QoS) / DHWG
• Discover and Control Consumer Electronic equipment
2004 June
7
WQoS/WME Status
ITU-T
o WME Specification / Test Plan
complete
o Interoperability proven
o Wi-Fi Certification begins 1-Sept-2004
o Product support already being
announced
o More Details in Session 6
2004 June
8
IEEE 802.11n Basics
ITU-T
o Compatible with 802.11g and 802.11a
o Uses same bands as 802.11g (2.4 GHz) and
802.11a (5 GHz)
o PHY and MAC improvements to achieve 100 Mbps
MAC throughput
o Higher spectral efficiency
o Technologies being considered:
• 20 and 40 MHz bandwidth channels in 5 GHz band
• MIMO – Multiple Transmission (1-4) or Reception (1-4) Antennas
2004 June
9
IEEE 802.11n Status
ITU-T
o Task Group “n” recently formed in IEEE
o Technology Selection Procedure and
Channel Model documents completed
o Specific Technology proposals expected
from September 2004
o Specification in 2005 or 2006
o Products in 2005
2004 June
10
IEEE 802.15.3a Basics
ITU-T
o 802.15.3a (UWB) is targeted to be a high
speed BlueTooth (802.15.3)
o Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN)
• Only a few nodes connected together
• Short range – a few meters – same room
• High throughput
• Typically about 100 Mbps
• Up to 480 Mbps in short range extended
modes
2004 June
11
IEEE 802.15.3a Status
ITU-T
o Group mired in Selection Procedure
o Two camps – neither one can achieve
75% approval
o Some questions about FCC approval
2004 June
12
Coax Home Network Technologies
ITU-T
o IP-based
• 802.11 over Coax
• HPNA over Coax
• MoCA e.g. Entropic, Tiaris
o Non-IP-based
• Channel 3/4 Analog RF Modulation
• Digital Video Over QAM
2004 June
13
802.11 over Coax
ITU-T
o Advantages:
• One interface for both wired and wireless
• Leverage mature 802.11 technology (>50Mu shipped)
• Utilizes existing coax near television
• 802.11 performs better on coax than through walls
and other attenuators
• Concurrent use with Cable broadcast signals and
DOCSIS (Cable Modem)
• Coax to 802.11 bridge is passive (low cost)
o Challenges:
• 802.11a frequencies have to much attenuation for
Coax
2004 June
14
802.11 over Coax
ITU-T
2004 June
15
Summary
ITU-T
o Wireless and Coax deliver high
throughput with quality
o No new wires
o Multiple use
• Digital Video to multiple TVs
• Data to PCs , PDAs
o Quality of Service
• Prioritized delivery
2004 June
16
ITU-T
2004 June
17