Broadband Wireless Access

Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) technologies provide broadband data access by wireless means to consumer and business markets. The most common example of BWA is Wireless LAN, but efforts are intensively continuing to deliver ubiquitous broadband network access by deploying adequate radio technologies like Metropolitan Area Networks, 3G and Wireless LAN which can even be combined in one single device to ensure seamless operation.

Broadband Wireless Access is also an attractive option to Operators in areas that do not have a wired access network available. Savings in speed of deployment and in installation costs will ensure that interest in BWA Standards continues.

Broadband Wireless Access includes a large variety of radio technologies and corresponding services therefore several ETSI technical committees are active in this area:

Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN)

The work of ETSI technical committee BRAN includes the areas of HiperMAN, HiperMAN/WiMAX Testing, High Performance Radio LAN in the 5 GHz frequency band as well as radio technologies using the frequency bands 2,6 GHz and 3,5 GHz that can be used for running Metropolitan Area Networks.

EMC & Radio Spectrum Matters (ERM)

ETSI technical committee ERM is responsible for a European Standard covering 'Wideband Data Links operating in the 2,4 GHz band', i.e. Radio LANs or Wireless LANs. This Standard is very widely used for demonstrating the conformity of Wi-Fi^TM, and similar licence-exempt data communications equipment, with the Radio Equipment & Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive from the European Commission.

Access, Terminals, Transmission & Multiplexing (ATTM)

The Working Group TM 4 of ETSI technical committee ATTM is responsible for specifications for point-to-point and multipoint radio systems, in the fixed service used in core and access networks, covering all equipment aspects including antenna parameters. These specifications address many frequency bands, e.g. 38 GHz and 65 GHz for point-to-point radio systems and 3,5 GHz, 10 GHz and 26 GHz for multipoint radio systems.

Other Technical Committees

The following ETSI technical committees also work on specifications that can be used for Broadband Wireless Access:

• Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT^TM)
• Railway Telecommunications (RT)
• Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP^TM)

The following is a list of recently published and frequently downloaded standards. Please use the ETSI Work Programme to find further related standards.