Recent advances and evolution of WLAN and WMAN standards [Guest Editorial]

Standardization of wireless technologies is a continuous process, and even established standards are updated and modified in response to changes in the technology and the marketplace. One such example is the successful IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), which was originally designed for 1 and 2 Mb/s traffic, and is now being upgraded to support 600 Mb/s in 802.11n and being considered as a high-throughput (up to 1 Gb/s) wireless interface for the nomadic scenarios of the next generation of wireless systems. Similarly, enhancements to the IEEE 802.16 standard for wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs) are being considered to develop a mobile air interface with support for up to 100 Mb/s in high mobility scenarios. This continuous evolution of the IEEE 802.11 WLAN and 802.16 WMAN standards is made possible with new innovation and contribution from both academia and industry. Given the rapid growth of these technologies, it is important to understand what new application scenarios have triggered the recent developments within WLAN and WMAN standards, how they are evolving, the technological challenges they face, and the opportunities for both the industry and research communities. In this issue, from a large number of submissions, we have selected five key articles for inclusion, which provide the reader with ongoing developments in these standards, technology roadmaps, current research challenges, and comprehensive evolution of these technologies, as well as deployment experience and application requirements.