IEEE 802.14

The 802.14 working group is concerned with broadband cable(BK) networks, which have already been started by the 802.6 working group. IEEE 802.14 aims to provide digital communication services over branched bus systems of optical fiber and/or coaxial cable, as already used in CATV systems. This means the use of existing cable TV networks for the purpose of communication, i.e. bidirectional use.

The 802.14 standard should support constant and variable bit rates( CBR, VBR) and be able to operate connectionless ( CL) and connection-oriented( CO). Bidirectional communications should support point-to-point links, multipoint links, and broadcast.

In the standard, the MAC standards and the PHY standards shall be compatible to the existing IEEE 802 standards. Furthermore, compatibility to emerging standards in the video area and to ATM as well as to analog and digital television picture transmissions with HDTV shall be created. Data rates between 5 Mbit/s and 30 Mbit/s are being discussed for the return channel. The extension of such a CATV network should reach up to 160 km in round trip, single path up to 80 km. Compatibility with the IEEE 802.1 architecture for management and internetworking is maintained. For connectionless and connection-oriented data service, the ISO/ IEC standardIS 10039 MAC service definition is adhered to. The installed network structure is a tree topology with hybrid fiber-optic coax cables( HFC)

The IEEE 802.14 working group has since been disbanded.