Milpitas, Calif., November 20, 2000 – Aperto Networks, an emerging leader in open-architecture fixed broadband wireless access systems, has contributed its strong support and technical expertise to the widely-supported Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Standards Working Group for fixed broadband wireless access (F-BWA), known as IEEE 802.16.

The scope of the IEEE 802.16 Working Group, particularly that of the Task Group in the 2 to 11 GHz frequency band, will address physical and medium access control layer specifications, with the goal of improving interoperability of F-BWA multi-service access systems operating at multi-megabit speeds. Dr. Subir Varma, Aperto’s vice president of network technologies, serves as chair of the Medium Access Control (MAC) subcommittee, which will specify one fully interoperable MAC to serve all fixed broadband wireless access systems from 2 to 11 GHz. At Aperto, Varma has contributed to three key technical innovations for fixed broadband wireless networks - OptimaLinkÔ, ServiceQÔ and RapidBurstÔ.

“The sub-11 GHz bands differ significantly from the higher bands due to more challenging link conditions. The proposed 802.16 wireless MAC protocol needs to be enhanced in the areas of robustness and adaptability in order to function effectively in this environment,” stated Dr. Varma. “We will leverage the work already completed in the 802.16 MAC task group for 10 to 66 GHz and develop a common MAC between diverse systems in the 2 to 11 GHz frequencies.”

Dean Chang, Aperto’s director of product marketing, is publicity chair of the 802.16 Working Group. “The participating members want to advance industry awareness of this committee’s work, as it is the only open, globally-recognized standards body for fixed broadband wireless access,” notes Chang. “We intend to make our work very accessible and inclusive, promoting every step of our efforts on the IEEE website and inviting open debate. This ground-breaking work is as important to the achievement of seamless multi-vendor wireless networks as the IETF is to multi-vendor router networks.”

“It is essential to the growth of worldwide wireless access markets to see the emergence of a global standard that can encompass the needs of North American, European, Asian and Latin American platforms and service providers,” states Bettina Tratz-Ryan, lead analyst with Dataquest/Gartner Group. "There is broad divergence from country to country in terms of wireless network frequency bands in use, so it is really important to achieve standards that can ensure seamless integration for new and existing frequencies across markets and across platforms.”

Key milestones of the Task Group slated for the next six months include the approval of the MAC and Physical Layers for the draft standard. Progress can be viewed at http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/16/sub11/.

About Aperto Networks
Aperto Networks is a developer of multi-service fixed broadband wireless access systems. The company was founded to provide a breakthrough solution to one of today’s critical network bottlenecks – last-mile broadband access. With practical, scalable systems and patent-pending technology that support new wireless builds and complement existing wireline broadband access technology, Aperto addresses service provider needs for rapid network deployment, multi-service scalability, ease of installation and cost-effectiveness. Aperto will dramatically shorten the lengthy provisioning cycles of broadband services by enabling rapid service provisioning across dense urban to suburban locations. Investors in Aperto include Alliance Ventures, Tyco Ventures, Ridgewood Capital, Satwik Ventures, DMC Stratex Networks, Oki Electric Industry Company, Mitsubishi International Corporation and Redwood Ventures. For more information on Aperto Networks, go to www.apertonet.com.

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