final accepted proposal is not expected before 2008. Table 6-15: Wi-MESH Mesh Coordination Function (MCF) Features Wi-Mesh MCF feature Description Media access coordination Media access coordination in a multi-hop network to across multiple nodes avoid performance degradation and meet QoS guarantees. Support for QoS Traffic prioritisation within the mesh; flow control over multi-hop paths; load control and contention resolution mechanisms. Efficient RF frequency To mitigate performance loss resulting from hidden and spatial reuse and exposed stations, and allow for concurrent transmissions to enhance capacity. Scalability Enabling different network sizes, topologies and usage models. PHY independent Independent of the number of radios, channel quality, propagation environment and antenna arrangement (including smart antennas). Chapter Six Other WLAN Standards Although the wireless LAN landscape is now comprehensively dominated by the 802.11 family of standards, there was a brief period in the evolution of WLAN standards when that dominance was far from assured. From 1998 to 2000, equipment based on alternative standards briefly held sway. This short reign was brought to an end by the rapid market penetration of 802.11b products, with 10 million 802.11b based chipsets being shipped between 1999 and end-2001. The HomeRF and HiperLAN standards, which are now of mainly historical interest, are briefly described in the following sections. HomeRF The Home Radio Frequency (HomeRF) Working Group was formed in 1998 by a group of PC, consumer electronics and software companies, including Compaq, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft and Motorola, with the aim of developing a wireless network for the home networking market. The Working Group developed the specification for SWAP - Shared Wireless Access Protocol - which provided wireless voice and data networking. SWAP was derived from the IEEE's 802.11 and ETSI's DECT (digitally enhanced cordless telephony) standards and includes MAC and PHY layer specifications with the main character