80211pWAVE

80211pWAVE is a hypothesized extension of the IEEE 802.11p standard for vehicular environments, intended to augment the WAVE framework with higher data rates, improved quality of service, and enhanced security for vehicle-to-everything communications. The concept sits at the intersection of dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) and the Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) stack, aiming to preserve backward compatibility with existing 802.11p devices while introducing modular enhancements for future deployments.

In proposed designs, 80211pWAVE retains the 5.9 GHz spectrum and the basic OFDM physical layer of 802.11p but adds optional higher-order modulation, dynamic channel selection, and advanced MAC scheduling to support mixed traffic—safety messages, cooperative perception data, and infotainment. It envisions improved channel coexistence and multi-channel operation, along with strengthened authentication and privacy protections drawn from IEEE 1609.2 security services. A new network layer could enable more efficient routing of safety information and multi-hop dissemination for cooperative perception.

Status and reception: As of now, 80211pWAVE is a conceptual proposal rather than an accepted standard. It is referenced in academic discussions and pilot studies as a direction for upgrading V2X capabilities, though it faces challenges in regulatory alignment, interoperability with legacy devices, and spectrum management. Potential benefits include lower end-to-end latency for critical messages and richer data exchange for traffic management and autonomous driving use cases, at the cost of greater design complexity and deployment considerations.

See also: IEEE 802.11p, WAVE, ITS-G5, DSRC, IEEE 1609 family, V2X.