The IEEE, which is an acronym for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is the group that created all the 802 standards. This also includes the wireless standards in the 802.11 space. The IEEE has been around since 1884 although it was not always called the IEEE. In 1963, the AIEE (American Institute of Electrical Engineers) and the IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) merged. This came about from the existence of two separate standards bodies that were made up of many of the same people. Instead of them arranging two different meetings with each other for very similar objectives, they decided to merge the two organizations. Many brilliant minds, including Thomas Edison, were part of the AIEE, which is now known as the IEEE.
The IEEE is a governing body that created the 802 standards for network communications. The requirements needed to create an IEEE standard have a well-defined process that has seven layers. These layers allow the standard to move from thought to a written, defined, and approved IEEE standard. The seven-step process is outlined as follows:
1. Call for interest
2. Study group
3. Task group
4. Working group ballot
5. Sponsor ballot
6. Standards board approval
7. Publication
The process starts out with a call for interest in which the IEEE kicks off a meeting about a peculiar standard. In our case, this would most likely be a new wireless standard. The IEEE has a large scope, well over the small wireless subsection that relates to our example. Once the call for interest has been performed, a meeting will take place. In this meeting, attendees discuss the need for this type of standard and whether or not it is even needed. Depending on how they react to this initial meeting, the IEEE can continue with this standard or can stop it here. If they decide to continue, the next step is to develop a study group of participants tolook into this further. This group would work together to discuss and decide if they are willing to commit to the next phase, in which a standard will be drafted. Once the study group moves to the task group, they are going to start writing the standard draft. Once the draft is finished, it will need to go to a working group ballot. At this point, the standard must receive a 75 percent approval rate until it can move to the next step. Most of the time, many drafts are created in this phase until one finally receives the required votes. This is when the most disagreement and time-consuming discussion takes place. Frequently, this is because each vendor involved with a particular standard has already invested R&D dollars into something that another group member may want to change. This political battle takes place until a vote reaches the 75 percent mark needed to move to the next step. After the vote meets the 75 percent mark, it goes through another ballot in which executive members of the IEEE vote on it. After this phase, it goes to the IEEE to approve and publish.
