IEEE and the IEEE Standards Association have published new standards to address the discovery of available services in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). The groups expect the new WLAN discovery standards to benefit network operators and end users.

The IEEE 802.11aq amendment, approved in June, defines parameters for pre-association queries between wireless networks and devices. Defining the parameters facilitates a rich exchange of information between the wireless access point and the user’s device, enabling users to quickly and effortlessly discover what types of services are supported before making the decision to connect and streamlining the device discovery process.

WLAN Discovery Standards

Storing and caching available services with access points enables operators to differentiate service offerings from their local competitors, which the IEEE says will result in more revenue generation opportunities.

 “Connecting to a WLAN without first being able to easily discover whether a given service is supported by that network is often a source of frustration for end users,” said Stephen McCann, chair of the IEEE 802.11aq task group, in a prepared statement. “The IEEE 802.11aq amendment mitigates these situations by permitting users to quickly determine what services are available prior to actually connecting their devices. IEEE 802.11aq also delivers a critical competitive advantage through service differentiation in crowded market environments.”