IEEE Completes Fourth 'Wave' Radio Communication Standard

WAVE Radio to Allow Autos to Interact with Roadside Systems for Safety Information and Services

Piscataway, NJ — The IEEE has approved IEEE 1609.3™, "Trial-Use Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Networking Services". IEEE 1609.3 is part of a standards family to support vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications that will allow motor vehicles to interact with each other and roadside systems to access safety and travel-related information. It defines services at the network and transport layers to support this wireless connectivity.

WAVE technology (also called Dedicated Short Range Communications or DSRC) is a short-to-medium-range radio link. It operates at 5.9 GHz as authorized by the U.S. Federal Communication Commission for intelligent transportation systems and will complement cell phones by offering high data rates. In addition to giving drivers information to help them reach their destinations safely and efficiently, WAVE radio will open a range of transportation applications, such as Internet access, arranging for lodging, and ordering goods and services in transit.

The auto industry is developing ways to add this technology to cars, radio chip manufacturers have built prototype WAVE radios, and system testing is underway in California. In addition to auto and wireless equipment manufacturers, stakeholders in WAVE technology include state and local transportation departments, toll authorities, public safety organizations and public transit organizations.

IEEE 1609 standards provide a radio communication component to support the U.S. Department of Transportation's Vehicle-Infrastructure Initiative and Intelligent Transportation System program. These trial-use standards are scheduled to be updated based on experience and should become full-use standards in 2008 or 2009. Three other IEEE 1609 standards have been approved:

• IEEE 1609.1™, "Trial-Use Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Resource Manager," which describes the flow of the command-response interchange between multiple remote applications and the resource manager.
  
• IEEE 1609.2™, "Trial-Use Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments - Security Services for Applications and Management Messages", which covers methods to make WAVE messages secure against eavesdropping, spoofing and other attacks.
  
• IEEE 1609.4™, "Trial Use Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Multichannel Operation", which provides an interface to the medium access control of the communication stack and provides for multi-channel operation versus the single channel of IEEE 802.11p™.

A fifth standard, IEEE P1609.0™, is underway as an architecture document that will give an overview of WAVE systems and their components and operation, as well as a context to better understand the content of other WAVE standards and IEEE 802.11™ (WAVE mode). IEEE 1609 standards are sponsored by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Committee of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society.

About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops consensus standards through an open process that brings diverse parts of industry together. These standards set specifications and procedures based on current scientific and technological consensus. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 400 standards under development.

About the IEEE
The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) is the world's largest technical professional society. Through its more than 370,000 members in 160 countries, the organization is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed over 900 active industry standards. The organization also sponsors or co-sponsors over 450 international technical conferences each year.

SOURCE: IEEE