The IEEE has begun work on revising the set of standards covering Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE). The five standards include one new standard, IEEE P1609.5a, "Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Communication Manager," as well as revisions to four previous, related 1609 standards. The family of 1609 standards addresses the 5.9GHz spectrum allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for public safety in the vehicular environment.
"IEEE P1609.5 defines communication management services in support of wireless connectivity among vehicle-based devices, and between fixed roadside devices and vehicle-based devices for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments," says Thomas Kurihara, Chair of the Dedicated Short Range Communication Working Group that is developing the standards.
"Based on experience we gained during the trial-use period for WAVE standards," says Kurihara, "IEEE P1609.5 will collect the communication management services previously included in IEEE 1609.3 and 1609.4. This will provide clearer guidance to users of the entire family of standards."
The standards being revised include:
- IEEE 1609.1a, "Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Resource Manager"
- IEEE 1609.2a, "Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments - Security Services for Applications and Management Messages"
- IEEE 1609.3a, "Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Networking Services"
- IEEE 1609.4a, "Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Multi-Channel Operation"
An additional architecture standard, P1609.0, is already in development, and will serve to explain the structure and the interfaces among the family of 1609 standards.