IEEE 802.11u
802.11 is an
IEEE standard that allows devices such as laptop computers or cellular phones to join a wireless
LAN. It is widely used in the home, office and some commercial establishments. The standard is continuously updated by means of amendments, and the most common amendments in use today are
802.11a,
802.11b, and
802.11g.
IEEE 802.11u is an amendment to the
IEEE 802.11 standard to add features that improve 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 travelling 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 enrolment, network selection, emergency call support, user traffic segmentation, and service advertisement.
Status
The 802.11u standard is in its proposal evaluation stages.
See also
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IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover
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GSM*
GPRS*
UMTS*
CDMA*
EV-DOExternal references
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Status of the project 802.11u IEEE Task Group TGu
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"Number Entries" Wi-Fi Dictionary and Encyclopedia
