Journal Editorial Board Editor-in-ChiefProf. Thomas Byeongnam YOON, PhD.
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ICACT Transactions on the Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Editors
Prof. Jun-Chul Chun, Kyonggi University, Korea
Dr. JongWon Kim, GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology), Korea
Dr. Xi Chen, State Grid Corparation of China, China
Prof. Arash Dana, Islamic Azad university , Central Tehran Branch, Iran
Dr. Pasquale Pace, University of Calabria - DEIS - Italy, Italy
Dr. Mitch Haspel, Stochastikos Solutions R&D, Israel
Prof. Shintaro Uno, Aichi University of Technology, Japan
Dr. Tony Tsang, Hong Kong Polytechnic UNiversity, Hong Kong
Prof. Kwang-Hoon Kim, Kyonggi University, Korea
Prof. Rosilah Hassan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia(UKM), Malaysia
Dr. Sung Moon Shin, ETRI, Korea
Dr. Takahiro Matsumoto, Yamaguchi University, Japan
Dr. Christian Esteve Rothenberg, CPqD - R&D Center for. Telecommunications, Brazil
Prof. Lakshmi Prasad Saikia, Assam down town University, India
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Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)Dr. Youssef SAID, Tunisie Telecom, Tunisia
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Dr. Gopal Chandra Manna, BSNL, India

Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)Dr. Il Kwon Cho, National Information Society Agency, Korea
Prof. Jiann-Liang Chen, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Prof. Ruay-Shiung Chang, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan
Dr. Vasaka Visoottiviseth, Mahidol University, Thailand
Prof. Dae-Ki Kang, Dongseo University, Korea
Dr. Yong-Sik Choi, Research Institute, IDLE co., ltd, Korea
Dr. Xuena Peng, Northeastern University, China
Dr. Ming-Shen Jian, National Formosa University, Taiwan
Dr. Soobin Lee, KAIST Institute for IT Convergence, Korea
Prof. Yongpan Liu, Tsinghua University, China
Prof. Chih-Lin HU, National Central University, Taiwan
Prof. Chen-Shie Ho, Oriental Institute of Technology, Taiwan
Dr. Hyoung-Jun Kim, ETRI, Korea
Prof. Bernard Cousin, IRISA/Universite de Rennes 1, France
Prof. Eun-young Lee, Dongduk Woman s University, Korea
Dr. Porkumaran K, NGP institute of technology India, India
Dr. Feng CHENG, Hasso Plattner Institute at University of Potsdam, Germany
Prof. El-Sayed M. El-Alfy, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia
Prof. Lin You, Hangzhou Dianzi Univ, China
Mr. Nicolai Kuntze, Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology, Germany
Dr. Min-Hong Yun, ETRI, Korea
Dr. Seong Joon Lee, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, korea
Dr. Kwihoon Kim, ETRI, Korea
Dr. Jin Woo HONG, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Inst., Korea
Dr. Heeseok Choi, KISTI(Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information), korea
Dr. Somkiat Kitjongthawonkul, Australian Catholic University, St Patrick's Campus, Australia
Dr. Dae Won Kim, ETRI, Korea
Dr. Ho-Jin CHOI, KAIST(Univ), Korea
Dr. Su-Cheng HAW, Multimedia University, Faculty of Information Technology, Malaysia
Dr. Myoung-Jin Kim, Soongsil University, Korea
Dr. Gyu Myoung Lee, Institut Mines-Telecom, Telecom SudParis, France
Dr. Dongkyun Kim, KISTI(Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information), Korea
Prof. Yoonhee Kim, Sookmyung Women s University, Korea
Prof. Li-Der Chou, National Central University, Taiwan
Prof. Young Woong Ko, Hallym University, Korea
Prof. Dimiter G. Velev, UNWE(University of National and World Economy), Bulgaria
Dr. Tadasuke Minagawa, Meiji University, Japan
Prof. Jun-Kyun Choi, KAIST (Univ.), Korea
Dr. Brownson ObaridoaObele, Hyundai Mobis Multimedia R&D Lab , Korea
Prof. Anisha Lal, VIT university, India
Dr. kyeong kang, University of technology sydney, faculty of engineering and IT , Australia
Prof. Chwen-Yea Lin, Tatung Institute of Commerce and Technology, Taiwan
Dr. Ting Peng, Chang'an University, China
Prof. ChaeSoo Kim, Donga University in Korea, Korea
Prof. kirankumar M. joshi, m.s.uni.of baroda, India
Dr. Chin-Feng Lin, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan
Dr. Chang-shin Chung, TTA(Telecommunications Technology Association), Korea

Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)Dr. Che-Sheng Chiu, Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories, Taiwan
Dr. Chirawat Kotchasarn, RMUTT, Thailand
Dr. Fateme Khalili, K.N.Toosi. University of Technology, IranDr. Izzeldin Ibrahim Mohamed Abdelaziz, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia , Malaysia
Dr. Kamrul Hasan Talukder, Khulna University, Bangladesh
Prof. HwaSung Kim, Kwangwoon University, Korea
Prof. Jongsub Moon, CIST, Korea University, Korea
Prof. Juinn-Horng Deng, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan
Dr. Yen-Wen Lin, National Taichung University, Taiwan
Prof. Junhui Zhao, Beijing Jiaotong University, China
Dr. JaeGwan Kim, SamsungThales co, Korea
Prof. Davar PISHVA, Ph.D., Asia Pacific University, Japan
Ms. Hela Mliki, National School of Engineers of Sfax, Tunisia
Prof. Amirmansour Nabavinejad, Ph.D., Sepahan Institute of Higher Education, Iran

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Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)Journal Procedure
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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

Volume. 8 Issue. 3

6J

1 IEEE 802.15.4 Now and Then: Evolution of the LR-WPAN Standard

1198

Alberto Gallegos Ramonet*, Taku Noguchi**College of Information Science and Engineering Ritsumeikan University Shiga, Japan

2 Classify and Analyze the Security Issues and Challenges in Mobile banking in Uzbekistan

1211

Azamjon Abdullaev *, Mohammed Abdulhakim Al-Absi *, Ahmed Abdulhakim Al-Absi **, Mangal Sain*, Hoon Jae Lee ** Dongseo University, Busan, Republic of Korea** Kyungdong University Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea

Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)

ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

1198

IEEE 802.15.4 Now and Then: Evolution of the
LR-WPAN Standard
Alberto Gallegos Ramonet* , Taku Noguchi**College of Information Science and Engineering
Ritsumeikan University
Shiga, Japanramonet@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp, noguchi@is.ritsumei.ac.jp

Abstract—For 15 years, the popular IEEE 802.15.4 standard
has served as de facto standard for applications with low latency
and small energy consumption requirements. During this time, it
has evolved and dramatically extend its original purpose. With
thousand of possible parameters and combinations, its objectives
are not as clear as they were when it was first introduced. In
this paper, we present a concise and chronological descriptionof the standard highlighting the main features introduced byeach one of its revisions as well as a notion of its usage. A
compendium of this kind can be valuable to researchers working
on implementations and improvements and to users seeking ageneral reference. This is relevant now more than ever because
the standard must coexist with hundreds of other standards
that are also constantly evolving. As presented in this document
and despite its popularity and importance, there are very few
capable IEEE 802.15.4 simulators and these are often outdated
and incomplete. The aim of this paper is to provide a quickreference but also present the evolution of the standard and its
future directions. Similarly, we hope that this study fosters thecreation of new implementations, particularly new simulations
modules.
Index Terms—LR-WPAN, protocols, survey, WSN, simulations,Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, modulations

I. I NTRODUCTION
Networks in our homes, offices, and mobile devices areconstantly evolving. Not all network-enabled devices areconnected to the Internet nor do they need to be. For example, devices found in our homes such as electric doors,
televisions, and air conditioning systems may benefit fromsharing information between each other, but in most cases,
using the internet to connect these appliances may not bea cost effective solution because of the unnecessary addedcomplexity, communication overhead, and unwanted privacy
concerns. In such cases, internet independent networks area preferred choice. Independent networks used in WirelessSensor Networks (WSN) are an example.
Manuscript received Dec 18, 2018. This work was in part supportedby the JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 19K11955, and a follow-up of theinvited journal to the accepted & presented paper of the 21th International
Conference on Advanced Communication Technology (ICACT2019).
Alberto Gallegos Ramonet, is an Assistant Professor at College of Information Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga prefecture,
1-1-1 Noji-Higashi, Kusatsu, CO 525-8577 Japan (Corresponding author email: ramonet@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp).
Taku Noguchi, is a Professor at College of Information Science andEngineering, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga prefecture, 1-1-1 Noji-Higashi,
Kusatsu, CO 525-8577 Japan (e-mail: noguchi@is.ritsumei.ac.jp).

The IEEE 802.15.4 standard was released in 2003 [1] todescribe such types of networks. WSN have been developed
for strict power constraints in specialized applications with low
latency or for applications characterized by disruptive connections. In this paper, we present a chronological descriptionof the IEEE 802.15.4 standard known as Low-Rate Wireless
Personal Area Networks (LR-WPAN). Furthermore, this study
describes the MAC behaviors and the available options of
its physical layers and also clarifies the often overlooked
formation of semi-mesh networks and available simulations.
Despite the popularity of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, to
our knowledge, no other authors have presented any similar
evolutionary summary of the standard. The present work is
an extension of our own observations first introduced in [2].
This document is relevant for multiple reasons. For instance,
the standard includes an extensive collection of physical layer
options and MAC layer improvements that are not available
in all revisions. In some cases, drastic changes make certain
implementations obsolete or incompatible. Moreover, official
IEEE standard descriptions assume the knowledge of priorrevisions, making such documents hard to navigate without
having a general idea of the standard such as the one presented
in this study. Consequently, new improvements and implementations can be convoluted and time consuming to develop. It
is also worth noting that implementations and simulations of
the standard are considerably behind the most recent revisions.
For example, Zigbee, arguably the most popular commercial
implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, only until
recently (V3.0) supported the 2011 revision of the standard [3]despite the existence of amendments as late as 2019. Owing tothese reasons, we believe that users and implementers will findthe summary presented in this document relevant and useful.
This paper is organized as follows: Section II describes thecomplete evolution of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, highlighting differences between each revision. Section III presents
a brief description of some of the most popular simulationand physical implementations, followed by our conclusions.
Finally, a complete IEEE 802.15.4 PHY evolution Table canbe found in the Appendix. The Table summarize all datarates
and modulations of the standard to date (2019).

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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

II. E VOLUTION OF THE IEEE 802.15.4 S TD .
A. IEEE 802.15.4 (2003)
Initially released in 2003, the IEEE 802.15.4 standard [1]defines the interconnection of LR-WPAN devices. It uses
the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance(CSMA/CA) to access the medium and support star and peerto-peer topologies. Its architecture layout can be described interms of blocks based on the open systems interconnection(OSI) seven-layer model in which each block (also called
layer) has a specific task and provides services to upper
blocks. The Physical layer (PHY) or layer 1, contains theradio frequency (RF) transceiver with a low-level control
mechanism. The 2003 standard defines two PHYs: a 2450
MHz band PHY operating with a Optional Offset QuadraturePhase-Shift Keying (O-QPSK) modulation and a maximum
data rate over-the-air of 250 kb/s. The standard also describes
the less commonly used 915/868 Mhz band PHY with a Binary
Phase-Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation and data rates of 40
kb/s and 20 kb/s, respectively. Both of these PHY use a direct
sequence spread spectrum (DSSS). The MAC layer (Media
Access Control or layer 2) provides access to the physicalchannel. Although the standard primarily consists of these twolayers, the standard also describes an additional Logical Link
Control (LLC) and a Service Specific Convergence Sublayer(SSCS) between the MAC layer and the next layer to facilitatecommunication. The implementation details of the upper layers are beyond the scope of the standard. Transmission of data
can be performed with or without the help of beacon messages.
In a beacon-enabled Personal Area Network (PAN), a single
Full Functional Device (FFD) acts as a PAN coordinator while
the remaining devices are either FFD or Reduced Functional
Devices (RFD). Different from a beacon-enabled PAN, in a
non-beacon enabled PAN, devices compete for the medium at
all times.

1199

superframe. A superframe is formed by 16 time slots inwhich a beacon is always sent during the first time slot.
Similarly, each of these time slots consist of multiple backoff
periods formed by symbols. A symbol is a representation oftime in bits. For example, in the IEEE 802.15.4 standard
that uses a O-QPSK modulation, 1 symbol is equivalent to
4 bits (0.016 ms in a 250-kbps connection). A Beacon Interval (BI) is defined by aBaseSuper f rameDuration × 2BO
symbols. The Beacon Order (BO) is a user defined integer
between 0 and 14 and aBaseSuper f rameDuration is aconstant equal to 960 symbols. The BI includes both theactive and inactive periods of time. The inactive period is
optional with no transmissions, and the radio transceiver canbe turned off to preserve energy. The active portion depends
on the user defined variable Superframe Order (SO) and its
length is described by the Superframe Duration (SD). The
SD is equal to aBaseSuper f rameDuration × 2SO symbols
for 0 ≤ SO ≤ BO ≤ 14. The active portion is further divided
into a Contention Access Period (CAP) and Contention Free
Period (CFP). In the CAP, devices contend for the transmission of data using a slotted version of the CSMA/CA
algorithm. Time slots are formed by multiple backoff periods (1 backoff period is equivalent to 20 symbols). Operations within the CAP always occur on the boundary of a
backoff period. The CFP is an optional part of the active period
but if it is used, it must always be located at the end of theactive period. The CFP is divided into Guaranteed Time Slots(GTS), which are assigned to specific devices for transmission
without contention. A maximum of 7 GTS can be assigned.
Their length directly depends on the maximum size of the CFP
and the total number of GTS assigned.

Fig. 2: IEEE 802.15.4 Semi-mesh topology in single PAN.

Fig. 1: Beacon-enabled mode superframe description.

In a beacon-enabled PAN, the PAN coordinator transmits
in intervals beacons containing a superframe structure thatdefines an active period of time between beacons. The superframe is used to realize synchronized communication between
the PAN devices. Figure 1 summarizes the structure of a

One aspect often overlooked by official IEEE 802.15.4 standard documents and researchers is the beacon-enabled function
in semi-mesh topologies (full-mesh or mesh is only achievableby implementation on higher layers). While the standard statesthat this configuration is possible, little to no details areprovided on the means to achieve this in multiple revisions.
Figure 2 presents an example of the ways of achieving a semimesh topology. While only one PAN coordinator exists in astar topology PAN, it is possible to have extra coordinators
to create a semi-mesh network (tree topology). PAN coordinators differ from coordinators in the sense that only PAN
coordinators can initialize the network (association process)and give commands to other coordinators for administering
the network. Each coordinator transmits its own beacons that
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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 20191200

Pre-establishing the start time helps reduce beacon collisions
among PAN coordinators.
C. IEEE 802.15.4a (2007) - Amendment 1

Fig. 3: Outgoing and Incoming superframe relationship in a semi-mesh
Network.

contain the information of its superframe. The transmitted
superframe helps synchronize data transmissions between acoordinator and its associated devices. In a semi-mesh topology, a PAN coordinator transmits a superframe to its associateddevices, but also, one or more of these devices can act ascoordinators and therefore, transmit another superframe to its
own associated devices. The transmitted superframe is known
as the outgoing superframe and the received superframe is
known as incoming superframe. In Figure 3, it is possible
to observe this superframe relationship for one segment of
the semi-mesh network previously presented in Figure 2.
When the coordinator 6 wishes to transmit data to its PAN
coordinator 0, the coordinator 6 uses the incoming superframe
information (superframe 1). Similarly, if the coordinator 6
wishes to transmit data to its associated device node 7, it
will use the outgoing superframe information that originatedfrom itself (superframe 2). An incoming superframe uses the
beacon reception time from its coordinator (RxBeaconTime)
as a reference to the beginning of the superframe. An outgoingsuperframe uses its beacon transmission time (TxBeaconTime)
as a reference to the beginning of the superframe.
B. IEEE 802.15.4 (2006)
The 2006 revision [4] was the first revision after the standard
was introduced in 2003. In this revision, a field in the Frame
Control Field (FCF) of the MAC Header was added to easily
verify the version in use. The biggest changes in this revision
are in the physical layer. The 2003 original 868/915 MHz
bands employed a BPSK modulation. Optionally, an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation on the 868/915 MHz
bands can be used in this revision. This modulation effectively
increases the offered data rate to 250 kb/s for both bands. The
same data rate could only be achieved on the 2450 MHz bandin the 2003 revision. In addition to the 868/915 MHz bands
BPSK and ASK modulations, an O-QPSK modulation wasadded. This modulation offers an increased data rate of 100
kb/s and 250 kb/s, respectively, when compared to the original
BPSK modulation. O-QPSK modulation was only possible on
the 2450 MHz band in the 2003 revision. As for MAC layer
enhancements, the 2006 revision enables specification beacons
start times via a parameter in the MAC layer primitives.

IEEE 802.15.4a [5] is the first amendment to the 2006
revision. It introduces two new PHYs: the Ultra-wide Band
(UWB) and the Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS). UWB operates
at frequencies of 3 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz to 10 GHz, and lessthan 1 GHz (16 channels). UWB has a maximum over-theair data rate of 851 kb/s with optional data rates of 110 kb/s,
6.81 Mb/s, and 27.24 Mb/s using a combined modulation of
Burst Position Modulation (BPM) and BPSK. On the other
hand, CSS operates in the PHY 2450 MHz with supports fordata rates of 1000 kb/s or 250 kb/s. The UWB enables theuse of precision ranging (calculation of the distance between
two devices) using the Two-Way Ranging (TWR) protocol thatenables ranging calculation without a common time reference.
D. IEEE 802.15.4c (2009) - Amendment 2
The second amendment [6] to the 2006 revision adds two
extensions to the physical layer: One 780 MHz PHY with the
O-QPSK modulation and another 780MHz PHY with the newmodulation M-ary Phase Shift Keying (MPSK). Both these
additions are meant to be used in China and have a maximum
data rate of 250 kb/s, regardless of the modulation used.
E. IEEE 802.15.4d (2009) - Amendment 3
Similar to 2nd, the 3rd amendment to the 2006 revision [7]adds extensions to the physical layer exclusively for Japan.
These extensions include two additional PHY: a PHY in
the 950 MHz band with a Gaussian Frequency-Shift Keying(GFSK) modulation with a maximum data rate of 100 kb/s
and a PHY in the 950 MHz band using the BPSK modulation
with a data rate of 20 kb/s.
F. IEEE 802.15.4 (2011)
The 2011 revision [8] compiles all changes made in the last
3 amendments after the 2006 revision into a single document.
In this revision, the standard dropped the concept of Service
Specific Convergence Sublayer (SSCS) and instead exclusively
focuses on PHY and MAC layer topics. Because of the lackof a flexible MAC layer, the 2011 revision gave birth tonumerous alternative MAC layer proposals that satisfy therequirements of different types of applications. In time, thestandard addressed these concerns and officially introduced
variants to the MAC layers in the form of MAC behaviors in
subsequent amendments.
G. IEEE 802.15.4e (2012) - Amendment 1
While most amendments prior to this one focus on PHY
layer additions, IEEE 802.15.4e [9] proposed significant
changes to the MAC layer. These changes impacted thestandard in 2 ways. First, it relegated the previous MAC layer
to an all-purpose legacy status. Second, it reworked the MAC
layer to a modular and specialized design in the form of
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MAC behaviors. These MAC behaviors introduce a level offlexibility never present in the previous versions and, therefore,
include a point of interest often surveyed and evaluated byresearchers [10]. IEEE 802.15.4e describe 5 MAC behaviors:
RFID. The standard specifies the MAC behavior called
BLINK, which is a specific kind of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) [11]. RFID BLINK transmits encrypted dataand is well suited for applications that involve sensitive
information, which is the reason for its wide use in contactless
credit card transactions and transportation systems worldwide.
Devices connecting with RFID do not require prior associationor acknowledgement.
AMCA. The Asynchronous Multichannel Adaptation MAC
behavior is designed to work in environments with low channel
quality because of noise or the presence of a large number ofdevices in a non-beacon enabled network. These problems cancause link asymmetry, which leads to a rapid degradation incommunication. To combat this, during an active scan, AMCA
tests the link quality on all available channels through requests
made by the coordinator. This way, AMCA selects the channel
with the highest link quality for either listening or transmitting
at any given time.
DSME. The Deterministic Synchronous Multichannel Extension MAC behavior is targeted at applications that require
high levels of reliability or deterministic latency. Examples
include applications in industrial automation in which the lossof data represents a serious problem and applications in healthmonitoring where a guaranteed timely response is necessary.
Simultaneously, DSME can also handle densely populated
networks such as sensor networks. Similar to the beaconenabled mode in the legacy MAC, synchronized transmissions
are performed using superframes structures, but these superframes are contained in multiframes structures. DSME multisuperframe structures are described in Figure 4. Like before, asuperframe is formed by a CAP and a CFP. In DSME, a single
channel is used for the association process, which involves
the transmission of Enhanced Beacons (EB) and transmissions
during the CAP. The EB is a new addition to the standard andis composed of Information Elements (IE). IE are introduced
for the first time in this amendment but are also used inother standards such as the IEEE 802.11. IE enables a more
flexible use of the fields because they possess variable sizes,
greatly extending the functionality of the frame that uses them.
Different from the legacy MAC beacon-enabled, the CFP in
DSM is capable of allocating up to 7 GTS for each available
channel (16 channels). Alternatively, the slots can be assigned
to perform Group Acknowledgment (GACK). With a GACK,
it is possible to combine several acknowledgments to be sent toall devices communicating within the same superframe. Thisfeature helps reduce latency and energy consumption.
Another unique feature of DSME is CAP reduction. Except
for the first superframe CAP in the multi-frame, DSME cancompletely eliminate subsequent CAPs in the multi-frame
and use the time gained to effectively increase the time for
exclusive transmissions in CFP operations. DSME Beacon
Interval (BI) is equal to aBaseSuper f rameDuration x 2BO
symbols where aBaseSuper f rameDuration is equal to960 symbols and the Beacon Order (BO) is an integer

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Fig. 4: DSME multi-superframe structure.

between 0 and 14. The superframe duration (SD)isequivalent
toaBaseSuper f rameDuration x 2SO
symbols, where SO is the superframe order and isrelated to the BO in 0 ≤ SO ≤ BO ≤ 14. Likewise,
the Multi-superframe Duration (MD) is the result of
aBaseSuper f rameDuration x 2 MO symbols where MO is
the Multi-superframe Order and relates to both SO and BO
in 0 ≤ SO ≤ MO ≤ BO ≤ 14. To overcome interference
as a result of noise present in a given channel, DSMA cancheck the link quality and use channel adaptation to switch a
GTS (assigned to a specific device) to a different channel ina consecutive time slot. On the other hand, channel hopping,a well-known technique, can be used to set a predefinedsequence to hop between channels during the whole frametransmission.
LLDN. The Low Latency Deterministic Networks MAC
behavior was specifically designed for factory automation or
implementations with similar requirements and limitations.
LLDN is exclusive used in centralized networks (star topology) that require latencies as low as 10 ms for more than
100 devices connected to a single coordinator. Examples of
LLDN applications include, but are not limited to robots,
airport logistics, conveyors, automatic packing, cargo, etc.
In LLDN there can be two types of devices; devices thatcan only send data to the coordinator (uplink capable) or
devices that can do both, send and receive data from thecoordinator (uplink and downlink capable). LLDN has asuperframe structure in which the first time slot is assigned tothe beacon and the remaining slots of equal size are assigned
to specific devices in the network. Multiple devices can be
assigned to a single slot and they contend for the medium using
CSMA/CA. In LLDN, superframe time slots have a specificorder and purpose: a) The beacon timeslot which is always
present. b) The management timeslots: downlink and uplinktimeslots. The existence of management slots is optional anddepends on whether or not the macLLDNmgmtTS flag is set
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Fig. 6: TSCH frequency hopping mechanism.

Fig. 5: LLDN superframe structure.

true. c) The uplink timeslots are used for transmissions fromthe devices to the coordinator. In addition, the first uplink slots
can be used for re-transmissions if specified by the Group
Acknowledgment (GACK) field in the beacon. Alternatively,
re-transmissions can also be set using an LL-Acknowledgment
frame (command frame) sent in the bidirectional timeslots. d)
Bidirectional timeslots are used for multi-link communication
between the coordinator and its devices. The slot size andnumber of slots for each usage are indicated by the macLLDN
attributes, as shown in Figure 5.
TSCH. The Time Slotted Channel Hopping MAC behavior
was created for robustness. TSCH applications include theoil and gas industry, chemical and pharmaceutical production,
or applications prone to collisions caused by the saturationof the network. TSCH considers a deterministic response
as the most important aspect of communication. Different
to DSME, TSCH support semi-mesh and star topologies. In
TSCH, superframes are replaced with slotframes. Slotframes
repeat cyclically and are formed by a sequence of timeslots.
Each timeslot has an incremental Absolute Slot Number(ASN) that indicates the total number timeslots elapsed since
the beginning of the network. Transmissions inside thesetimeslots can occur with or without contention. In addition,
in TSCH, it is possible to use concurrent slotframes, eachwith independent timeslot configurations. However, all slotframes are aligned to the same timeslot boundaries. Unlike thechannel diversity used in DSME, TSCH relies on a channel
hopping mechanism to achieve communication. The frequency
f used in a transmission between two nodes is defined by
f = F[( ASN + channelO f f set)%NChannels] where channel Offset is an integer between 0 and 15, NChannels is the
hopping sequence length, and F denotes a lookup table. In
this manner, a different frequency is obtained for the same
link in different time slots. TSCH behavior is summarized in
Figure 6.
H. IEEE 802.15.4f (2012) - Amendment 2
The 2nd amendment [12] to the 2011 revision has two new
PHY. First, the Low-rate PRF Ultra-Wide Band (LRP UWB)

optimized for low complexity RFID transmitters (tags) exhibits
a level of interoperability only present with the UWB PHY in
previous revisions. LRP UWB offers 3 modes: a) Base modewith an On-Off-Keying (OOK) modulation and a bit rate of1000 kb/s. b) Extended mode with an OOK modulation and a
bit rate of 250 kb/s. c) Long-range mode with a Manchester
Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) and a maximum bit rate of
31.25 kb/s.
The second PHY is a 2450 MHz band PHY with a Minimum
Shift Keying (MSK) modulation and a maximum bit rate of
250 kb/s for RFID applications. The 2450 MHz band is theIndustrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band and therefore,
multiple standards operate on this band (e.g. Wifi, Lr-Wpan,etc). Moreover, small unused gaps in the spectrum on theedges of these frequencies tend to exist. MSK 2450MHz PHY
takes advantage of those spaces and is capable of using up to
42 possible narrowband channels that fall on these unused
gaps, gracefully coexisting with existing devices using thesame band. Alternatively, MSK can operate on the much lesssaturated 433 MHz band with bit rates of 31.25, 100 or 250
kb/s.
I. IEEE 802.15.4g (2012) - Amendment 3
IEEE 802.15.4g [13], known as the Smart Utility Networks(SUN) standard, was created to be used in the emerging Smart
Grids (SG). SGs are electrical grids capable of bidirectionalenergy flow and communication [14]. SUN PHYs are often
used in smart metering applications with long-range, lowpower requirements. This amendment introduces three PHY
with multiple data rates to choose from. The PHY names
are described by its modulation names: a) Frequency Shift
Keying (FSK). b)Offset Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (OQPSK), which extends the frequency ranges of the 2011
modulation O-QPSK. c) The Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing (OFDM), which uses DSSS and MDSSS. Allof these PHY are designed to be used with Multiple data
rates and in multiple regions (MR). However, smart-metering
applications tend to use the internationally agreed 920 Mhz
band (frequencies 902 Mhz to 928Mhz) with a 2FSK and 50kbps as the most common modulation and data rate choice[15]. While FSK and O-QPSK are well known modulations
techniques used in multiple standards, OFDM is generally
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reserved for more specialized systems, and it was until 2012that was adapted to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard to be used
on low powered devices. OFDM purpose is to offer higher
data rates over longer distances and combat multi-path fading.
Multi-path fading occurs when transmitted signals bouncing
off obstacles take different paths and arrive to the receiver atslightly different times. As a result, the overall received signal
becomes the sum of these reflections which can be interpretedby the receiver as interference [16]. To combat multi-pathfading, OFDM divides a frequency band into multiple setsof frequencies called subcarriers. Subcarriers are far apartenough from each other to avoid interfering with one another.
Each subcarrier is modulated according to a Modulation and
Coding Scheme (MCS): BPSK, QPSK or 16-QAM. Additionally, subcarriers must be grouped in one of four different
ways formally called options. In other words, the transmitted
OFDM symbol is the result of the combination of multiple
modulated subcarriers grouped by an option. Each one ofthese subcarries carries pieces of the transmitted information.
With this technique OFDM can achieve data rates as highas a high order modulation. A complete list of OFDM data
rates according to the option and MCS can be found on
Table III. Furthermore, OFDM can recover lost data using
Forward Error Correction (FEC) or reducing the amount oflost data with Frequency repetition on some MCS (More than
two subcarriers transmit the same information as a redundancy
measure) [17].
Vendors often offer a SUN PHY paired with a portionof the IEEE 802.15.4e for its MAC implementation (TSCH
behavior).
Some of the SUN PHY frequencies established in thisamendment have been updated or discarded in later amendments.
J. IEEE 802.15.4j (2013) - Amendment 4
This amendment [18] introduces a single PHY for the2380 MHz band with a maximum bit-rate of 250 kb/s. Its
use is restricted to transmission data (no voice) in devices
for monitoring, diagnosing, and treating of patients. These
devices must be compliant with the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) rules for Medical Body Area Networks(MBAN).
K. IEEE 802.15.4k (2013) - Amendment 5
This amendment added 2 more PHYs: a) A DSSS PHY
with either BPSK or O-QPSK modulation schemes. b) A FSKPHY with 3 possible modulations; a Gaussian FSK (GFSK),
Position-based FSK (P-FSK), and Position-based Gaussian
FSK (P-GFSK). These PHY are designed for Low Energy,
Critical Infrastructure Monitoring (LECIM) applications. Different to its IEEE 802.15.4 PHY counterparts, LECIM PHY
are designed to operate with extremly low energy because they
are required to last with the original battery supply for many
years (in the order of 20 years or more). To achieve this,LECIM uses low data rates but favors long range operations.
LECIM can use a wide range of low data rates using either

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BPSK or O-QPSK modulations (Table II). LECIM data rates
are calculated using the Equation 1 [19, pp. 58-61].
DataRate = F EC ∗ModulationRate ∗ ChipPer Symbol
SpreadFactor(1)

In the Equation 1, BPSK modulation is used when
ChipPer Symbol = 1 and O-QPSK modulation is used when
ChipPer Symbol = 2. The Forward Error Correction (F EC)
is equal to 0.5. With the combination of the available
ModulationRates and SpreadFactor s LECIM datarates canbe obtained. For example, the lowest possible O-QPSK data
rate with a ModulationRate of 200 ksym/s and the largest
SpreadFactor of 32768 would be 3 b/s. Usage of particular
data rates or restrictions of specific bands depend on local regulations. One of the main features introduced in the 802.15.4k
MAC layer is the ability to use priority channel access(PCA). PCA enables the allocation of high-priority messages
in the CAP period of the superframe structure. Experiments
performed by Gebremedhin et al. [20] demonstrated that undersome conditions, PCA messages can greatly improve thelatency of emergency messages while slightly affecting theperformance of normal messages.
L. IEEE 802.15.4m (2014) - Amendment 6
The IEEE 802.15.4m amendment [21] objective was tore-purpose the unused frequency space left by some TV
channels in the VHF and UHF TV broadcast bands. Originally, some space occupied by some TV channels was left
unused to prevent TV channels from interfering with one
or in some cases TV channels were left unused to comply
with local regulations. These empty spaces are known as TV
White Spaces (TVWS) and its value depends on its wideavailability, uniformity among regions and its potential for
longer range communications. A 2.4 Ghz signal might travel
several kilometers in the right conditions, but UHF (470 698 MHz) can travel for many miles. Such characteristics
make it an attractive cost-effective solution to be use inrural areas. However, it is worth noting that in urban areas,
the existing TVWS (i.e. 600 - 700 MHz) are increasingly
becoming unavailable because of a high demand in cellular
frequencies and other wireless services. The IEEE 802.15.4m
TVWS PHY support multiple data rates in bands ranging from54 MHz to 862 MHz, aided by 3 modulation schemes: FSK(2FSK and 4FSK), OFDM (BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM), and
NB-OFDM (BPSK,QAM,16-QAM,64-QAM). The availabilityof TVWS channels change from region to region as well aschannel usage and the TV channel length. In the US, Canada,
Japan and other countries that comply with the FCC (Federal
Communications Commission) rules, the TV channels lengthis 6 MHz while in UK and Europe channels length is 8 MHz.
The US use both, VHF as well as UHF TV broadcast bands(37 possible channels of 6 Mhz), however, most countries
use TVWS in the UHF TV band exclusively, each one with
their particular channelization and regional rules. For example,
UK and Europe both use the UHF band from 470 to 790
MHz (40 possible TV channels of 8 Mhz) while Japan [22]uses the UHF band from 470 to 710 MHz (40 possible TV
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channels of 6 Mhz). The coexistence of IEEE 802.15.4m
with other standards using TVWS such as IEEE 802.11af
and 802.22b have been explored in [23]. IEEE 802.15.4m
MAC layer supports a superframe variant called TMCTP(TVWS Multichannel Cluster Tree PAN). The TMCTP superframe (Figure 7) is a modified version of the superframe
first introduced in the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 [1] (Section II-A).
The main difference to the original superframe is that thisversion includes a Beacon Only Period (BOP) in the last partof the superframe Active Period. BOPs are subdivided into
Dedicated Beacon Slots (DBS) one of which is allocated toeach PAN coordinator connected to a Super PAN Coordinator(SPC). DBSs are formed by a different number of Base Slots
as required for each PAN. Using the BOP, a SPC maintainexclusive communication with other PAN coordinators to keep
synchronization among multiple PANs (Figure 8).

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specifically designed for vehicles capable of moving up to 600
km/h. IEEE 802.15.4p devices are deployed on locomotives,base stations, railyard locations and can be useful to vehicular
networks in general. This standard enable data rates of up to 1
Mbit/s over frequencies in the narrow bands VHF, UHF, andSHF bands (161, 216, 217, 220, 450, 770, 896, 915, 928,
2450, 4965, 5800 MHz) operating in contiguous and noncontiguous channel bandwidths as narrow as 12.5 kHz and as
wide as 2Mhz [25, pp. 386]. The standard includes multiple
modulation technique options: GMSK, QPSK, and DPSK
among others. A full list of the frequencies and modulations
introduced for this amendment can be found in Table I.
Railroads and transit authorities around the globe often use
proprietary protocols and communication systems, the adoption of the IEEE 802.15.4p standard allows these authorities
to overcome these systems interoperability challenges plan for
flexible and scalable future railroad communication networks.
N. IEEE 802.15.4 (2015)
IEEE 802.15.4-2015 [25] is the third revision of the standard. As its predecessors, this combines all the PHYs additions
and MAC enhancements since the 2011 revision in a single
document. Additional corrections to the document are editorial
in nature.
O. IEEE 802.15.4n (2016) - Amendament 1

Fig. 7: TMCTP Superframe.

The first amendment [26] to the 2016 revision present
another PHY alternative for the transmission of medical information in China. The China Medical Band (CMB) defines the174-216 MHz, 407-425 MHz, and 608-630 MHz bands. The
standard restricts the use of these bands for voice applications.
P. IEEE 802.15.4q (2016) - Amendment 2

Fig. 8: TVWS Multichannel Cluster Tree PAN (TMCTP).

M. IEEE 802.15.4p (2014) - Amendment 7
This amendment [24] addressed the need for a communication standard in Rail Communications Control (RCC) systems.
Previous to this standard, there were no IEEE 802 standards

IEEE 802.15.4q [27] introduced two PHY for 2.4 GHz
and multiple sub-gigahertz bands with data rates up to 1
Mb/s. These PHYs were designed for ultra low-cost (lowcomplexity) and ultra-low power applications. To achieve this,the standard used two new modulations: the Rate Switch
Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (RS-GFSK) and the Ternary
Amplitude Shift Keying (TASK). TASK use a ternary sequencespreading followed by an ASK modulation.
IEEE 802.15.4q RS-GFSK modulation uses a simple but
ingenious way to combine 2GFSK and 4GFSK during thetransmission of the Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) also
known as frame. RS-GFSK main characteristic is that the combined resulting modulation bandwidth is close to identical. RSGFSK switching rate mode is optional and must use 2GFSK
modulation when disabled. However, when enable (indicatedby the Rate Switch bit in the PHR) the frame’s synchronization
Header (SHR) and PHY header (PHR) shall be transmittedusing 2GFSK while the PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU)
shall be transmitted using 4GFSK with the same symbol
rate used by the 2GFSK transmission of the SHR and PHR(Figure 9). Nodes communicating with sufficient link budget
can use Rate Switch to reduce the active time for transmitting
and receiving and therefore, save energy. The highest data
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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

rate specified in in RS-GFSK modulation is 2.5 times higher
than the available SUN FSK PHYs with the added advantage
of lower interference due to the use of the Gaussian filter,
resulting in fewer collisions and retransmissions. Furthermore,IEEE 802.15.4q utilize shorter preambles. Therefore, is moreenergy efficient than standards IEEE 802.15.4f, 802.15.4g and802.15.4k.

Fig. 9: PPDU (frame) to be transmitted using RS-GFSK with rate switching
option enabled.

RS-GFSK provided options to interoperate with existing
SUN FSK PHYs. Consequently, smart metering, smart irrigation, and home network applications benefit from these PHYs.

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•

Failed Transmissions measurement. It estimates the propagation quality of specific links as part of the channel
selection algorithm.
• Deferred Transmissions measurement. It helps to determine the level of congestion in the channel caused byother coexisting networks.
• Retry Histogram. It provides a histogram with the numberof retries from a single transmission during a determinate
space of time.
• Noise Histogram. Reports the noise power of non-IEEE
802.15 devices in a specific channel during a specificperiod of time.
• Channel Usage. Display the total Channel time usedduring a sequence of Rx and Tx frames during a periodof time.
• Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) Measurementof the Radio Frequency power received. While RSSI is acommon management function in other standards, it was
first introduced to the IEEE 802.15.4 in this amendment.
• Energy Detection (ED). The ability of the receiver todetect energy level present on the current channel fromother transceivers or ambient energy.

Q. IEEE 802.15.4u (2016) - Amendment 3
The third amendment to the 2015 revision [28] brought the
866 Mhz PHY to India. This PHY defined the 865-867 MHzband with an option for multiple bit-rates to choose from and3 possible modulations: SUN FSK, OFDM, O-QPSK.
R. IEEE 802.15.4t (2017) - Amendment 4
A new PHY was introduced in this amendment [29], which
was designed to operate on devices that require a shortburst of information at high speeds (up to 2 Mb/s) followed
by long sleep periods, contributing to extended battery life.
This amendment uses the same 2400-483.5 MHz frequencies
occupied by the O-QPSK PHY in place of MSK modulation.
S. IEEE 802.15.4v (2017) - Amendment 5
This amendment [30] changed multiple SUN PHY frequency ranges, including their channel ranges. The changes
conceded the use of the 870-876 MHz and the 915-921 Mhz inEurope, the 902-928 MHz in Mexico, the 902-907.5 in Brazil
and the 915-928 MHz in Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand.
In addition, frequency range changes are made to the LECIM
and TVWS PHYs.
T. IEEE 802.15.4s (2018) - Amendment 6
In this amendment [31], several MAC layer primitives andcommands were added as part of the Spectrum Resource
Measurements (SRM) toolkit. These changes are the mostsignificant additions to the MAC layer since 802.15.4e-2012.
SRM enables the measure, transmission, and request of information concerning the state of the channel. The MAC layer
can report this information to higher layers for its usage. For
example, SRM information can be used to create more precise
and cost effective routing protocols in upper layers. Some of
the SRM introduced features include:

U. IEEE 802.15.4x (2019) - Amendment 7
IEEE 802.15.4x [32] is the last amendment to date.
Similar to the IEEE 802.15.4v-2017 standard, this amendment further extends the SUN PHYs (first introduced inIEEE 802.15.4g-2012). New 2FSK modulation data rates tobe use in narrow bands are added as well as the extension of
the SUN OFDM PHY with a data rates up to 2.4 Mb/s and
SUN O-QPSK with additional data rate options in multiple
regions.
III. IEEE 802.15.4 IMPLEMENTATIONS
At times, the accuracy of simulation results can be questionable; however, without the simulation results, large scale andcostly experiments cannot be performed. The IEEE 802.15.4
is a popular protocol with multiple revisions. Despite its
popularity, new revisions are gradually being adopted. By far,the 2003 and 2006 revisions are the most implemented. 2012
revisions or later, brought highly specialized PHYs and MAC
behaviors limited to specific industries and applications. Their
implementation in simulations is somehow rare in comparison
to the legacy standard. Examples of popular IEEE 802.15.4
implementations include the following:
The Ns-2 WPAN module [33] is among the first simulationsof the standard. Its latest version (2.35) completely supports
the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 protocol, and is to date, one of themost complete implementations of the standard with beaconand non-beacon support for semi-mesh and star topologies(No support for inactive periods). Unfortunately, it exhibits
certain disadvantages that were inherited from ns-2; lackof documentation and coding standards, unrealistic packet
formats, unnecessary overhead, and lack of maintenance. Its
modules are coded in C++ while scenarios require OTcl
scripting language.
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Castalia (v3.3) [34] is an OMNET++ based simulator. In
addition to the basic 802.15.4-2006 MAC standard, Castalia
supports 3 more MAC layers: TunableMac, TMAC, and IEEE
802.15.6. Castalia only supports beacon-enabled modes in star
topologies with the optional GTS (No support for non-beacon,Indirect-transfers or semi-mesh topology). Castalia supports
PHYs modulations QPSK, BPSK, PSK, and FSK, unlike the2006 revision of the standard. C++ and NED languages areused in OMNET++ modules.
Ns-3 [35] is a simulator with an active community thatdevelops new modules. Some of these modules even include
emulation and hardware integration support. The latest versionof the Ns-3 (V3.29) LR-WPAN module supports a full PHY
IEEE 802-15.4-2006 set with a non-beacon mode MAC for astar topology PAN (No association or beacon-enabled mode
MAC options). The module exhibits promising performance;
however, the module still has several limitations compared toother simulators. Its code base is C++ and it supports Python
bindings.
The OPNET simulator provides an IEEE 802.15.4-2003
model [36] that supports beacon-enabled modes in star typologies (No support for association, Non beacon-enabled mode orsemi-mesh topology). Similar to OMNET++, OPNET provides
a robust GUI. Modules are build using Proto-C, C, or C++. A
major drawback of OPNET is the requirement of a license.
OpenZB [37] is an open source, real hardware implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 with beacon-enabled modes
for star and mesh topologies on CrossBow MICAz and TelosB
motes. TinyOs, as its name implies is an operative system
specifically designed to create easy modules for microcontrollers. Some of the most popular modules are created for
microcontrollers commonly used in Wireless Sensor Networks(WSN). OpenZB is completely programmed using the nesC
language (as required by TinyOS). OpenZB is not the only
implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4 on TinyOS. In fact,other authors have documented [38], [39] their experiences
implementing parts of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for TinyOS.
Zigbee [40], used by the industry and hobbyist alike is arguably the most popular implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4
standard. A common misconception is that IEEE 802.15.4 is
Zigbee. Zigbee includes IEEE 802.15.4 PHY and some ofits MAC layers but it also includes upper layers (routing,security, applications, etc). In other words, Zigbee is a fullstack solution. Zigbee is developed by the Zigbee Alliancewhich is formed by various groups (manufacturers, users, etc)with the objective of solving IEEE 802.15.4 interoperability
problems and ensure that products from different vendors that
use the Zigbee stack are compatible with one another. Its latest
revision (Zigbee V3.0) includes a 2011 revision of the IEEE
802.15.4 standard. Additionally, the PHY IEEE 802.15.4g
bundle with the IEEE 802.15.4e TSCH MAC behavior can befound in the Zigbee product formally named ”JupiterMesh”.
Zigbee mayor drawback is that its a closed source solution andnone of its conforming layers can be modified in any way.

1206

IV. C ONCLUSIONSIn this paper, we presented a complete and uptodate compendium of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The standard was
initially envisioned for applications with low range and low
energy consumption requirements. In recent years, the standard
have evolved to handle an extensive range of application
operating on multiple bands and modulations. While monitoring and medical were the most common implementations
when the standard was first introduced, its focus have now
turned to grid networks and smart metering applications inrecent revisions. Vendors and users alike, however, have not
be able to keep pace with the changes. Most of the standard
introduced features are little known by most users. Likewise,
simulations and hardware implementations of the standard are
rarely complete and even popular simulators are significantly
behind from the latest revisions of the standard. It is thewish of the authors that the current document help users tonavigate these differences and better understanding each oneof the standard specifications for any given situation. Future
networks performance will depend on the standard choice andthe ability of these standards to support smooth coexistencewith other protocols. With, literally, thousands of possiblecombinations to choose from, network specialists will haveto depend more on simulations and a deep understanding of
the available standards.
A PPENDIX
Table I list all IEEE 802.15.4 PHY with their modulations
and data rates, sorted by year of introduction. Channelingspecifications and regional restrictions are not specified in thisTable.
Amendments v-2007 and x-2009 are extensions on theIEEE 802.15.4g-2012 and for this reason, in Table I are
included in the SUN PHYs differentiated by their font color.
Table II list all the LECIM data rates used for narrow bands
while Table III list all possible data rate combinations for the
OFDM modulation in the standard (IEEE 802.15.4x OFDM
data rates additions are indicated with different font color).
In the Table I, IEEE 802.15.4q RS-GFSK modulation data rates are described in pairs (2GFSK, 4GFSK).
For example, the band 901 can transmit its PPDU withmodulation RS-GFSK (rate switch enabled) with either
the data rate pair [4.8 (2GFSK), 9.6 (4FSK)] or the pair[9.6 (2GFSK), 19.2 (4GFSK)]. If the rate switch is not enabled only the 2GFSK data rate is used (see Section II-P).

Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)

ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019
TABLE IIEEE 802.15.4 PHY evolution.
PHY
Band NameIEEE 802.15.4-2003

2450 (World Wide)
915 (US)868 (EUR)

Bit-Rate(kb/s)

SymbolRate(ksym/s)

2400-2483.5 O-QPSK *DSSS

250

62.5

40
20
250
250
250
100
250 /
1000
110/850
6810
27240
250
250
100
20

40
20
50
62.5
12.5
25
166.667 /166.667

BPSK *DSSSASK*PSSO-QPSK*DSSS
868-868.6
ASK*PSSO-QPSK*DSSSIEEE 802.15.4a-2007 2400-2483.5
DQPSK →
2450
DQCSK *CSSUWB sub-Ghz
250-750UWB low
3244-4742
BPM-BPSKUWB high
5944-10234
IEEE 802.15.4c-2009
779-787
O-QPSK780 (China)
MPSK
950-956
2GFSKIEEE 802.15.4d-2009
950 (Japan)
BPSK *DSSSIEEE 802.15.4-2006

TABLE I a(Continued) IEEE 802.15.4 PHY evolution.

Frequencies Modulation Spread Spectrum(MHz)

902-928868-868.6
902-928915 (US)868 (EUR)

0.12/0.98(Mhz)

7.80(Mhz)
15.60(Mhz)
62.5
62.5
100
20

IEEE 802.15.4f-2012

433
2450
LRP UWB

433.05-434.79
2400-2483

MSK

31.25/100/250 31.25/100/250

6289.6-9185.6

PPM
OOK

250
31.25
250/1000250
31.25
250/1000IEEE 802.15.4g-2012
IEEE 802.15.4v-2017
IEEE 802.15.4x-2019

SUN
169 (EUR)
450 (US)

169.400-169.475

470 (China)

470-510780 (China)

863 (EUR)

867 (Singapore)

450-470779-787

863-870866-869870 (EUR)

870-876896 (US)901 (US)896-901
901-9021207

2FSK
2.4 / 4.8
2.4/4.8
4FSK
9.6
4.8
2FSK
4.8
4.8
4FSK
9.6
4.8
2FSK
10/20/50/100 10/2050/100
4FSK 2FSK
200 150
100 150
O-QPSK
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
OFDM(Opt. 4) Table III
N/A
2FSK
10/20/50/10010/20/50/100
4FSK
200
100
O-QPSK
31.25-500 7.8125-125
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
OFDM
Table III
N/A
2FSK
10/20/50/10010/20/50/100
4FSK 2FSK
200 150
100 150
OFDM (Opt. 4) Table III
N/A
2FSK
10/20/50/10010/20/50/100
150/200/300 150/200/300
OFDM (Opt. 3,4) Table III
N/A
O-QPSK
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
2FSK
10/20
10/20
50/100/150 50/100/150
OFDM (Opt. 4) Table III
N/A
O-QPSK
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
2FSK
10/20/40
10/20/40
2FSK
10/20/40
10/20/40

PHY
Band Name

Frequencies(MHz)

Spread Spectrum

915-a (Mexico/US)

902-928

2FSK928-960
950-958

2FSK
2FSK

Modulation -Bit-Rate(kb/s)

SymbolRate(ksym/s)

10/20
10/20
150/200/300150/200/300
915-b (Brazil)902-907.5
OFDM (Opt. 1-4)
Table III
N/A
915-928
O-QPSK
31.25-500 7.8125-125915-c (AU/NZ)
915-928
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
915-d (EUR)
915-921
2FSK
10/20
10/20
915-e (Philipines)
915-918
150/200/300150/200/300
902-907.5 OFDM (Opt. 3,4)(Opt. 1-4) Table III
N/A
O-QPSK
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
915 (US)
902-928
2FSK
10/20
10/20
50/100/200 50/100/200
917 (Korea)
917-923.5
O-QPSK
31.25-500 7.8125-125
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
OFDM(Opt. 1-4)
Table IIIN/A
919 (Malaysia)
919-923
2FSK
10/20
10/20
150/200/300150/200/300
OFDM (Opt. 1-4)
Table IIIN/A
O-QPSK
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
920 (Japan)
920-928
2FSK
50/100/200 50/100/200
4FSK
400
200
O-QPSK
6.25-50 1.5625-12.5
OFDM
Table III
N/A
920-a (China)
920.5-924.5
2FSK
10/20
10/20
50/100/150 50/100/150
OFDM (Opt.4)(Opt. 1-4) Table III
N/A
920-b (H.K, Sing.
920-925
O-QPSK
6.25-50
1.56-12.5
Thailand,Vietnam)

928 (US)950 (Japan)

1427 (US)1427-1518
2450 (World Wide) 2400-2483

IEEE 802.15.4j-2013

2380

2360-2400

4FSK
O-QPSK
OFDM
2FSK
2FSK
O-QPSKOFDM
O-QPSK *DSSS

10/20/40
10/20/40
10/20
10/20
50/100/200 50/100/200
400
200
6.25-50 1.5625-12.5
Table III
N/A
10/20/40
10/20/40
50/150/200 50/150/200
31.25-500 7.8125-125
Table III
N/A
250

62.5

25/12.5

25/12.5

37.5/25/
12.5
37.5/25/
12.5
Table II

37.5/25/
12.5
37.5/25/
12.5-

Table II-IEEE 802.15.4k-2013

LECIM
169
433
470
780
863
915
922
917
920
921
2450

2FSK/P-FSK
2GFSK/P-GFSK
433.050-434.790
2FSK/P-FSK
2GFSK/P-GFSK
470-510
2FSK/P-FSK
779-7872GFSK/P-GFSK
863-870
BPSK/O-QPSK
902-928915-928
917.1-963.5
920-928921-928
2400-2483.5 BPSK/O-QPSK
169.400-169.475

Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)

ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019
TABLE I b
(Continued) IEEE 802.15.4 PHY evolution.
PHY
Band Name

Modulation Frequencies
Spread Spectrum(MHz)

Bit-Rate(kb/s)TABLE I c(Continued) IEEE 802.15.4 PHY evolution.
SymbolRate(ksym/s)IEEE 802.15.4m-2014

TVWS
CH.2 (US/Canada)
CH.5-6 (US/Canada)
CH.7-13 (US/Canada)
CH.14-20 (US/Canada)
CH.21-36 (US/Canada)
CH.38-51 (US/Canada)
CH.21-60 (UK/Europe)(others)

54-60
76-88
174-216470-512512-608614-698
470-790790-8621208

2FSK
50/100/200/300 50/100/200/300
4FSK
400
200
OFDM (BPSK) 390.625/1562.5
N/A
OFDM (QPSK) 781.250/3125
OFDM (16-QAM) 1562.5/6250
NB-OFDM (BPSK)
156/234
312/468
NB-OFDM (QAM)
NB-OFDM (16-QAM) 624/936
NB-OFDM (64-QAM) 936/1404/1638

PHY
Band Name

Frequencies Modulation - Bit-Rate(MHz) Spread Spectrum (kb/s)

470

470-510

RS-GFSK(9.6,19.2)(50,100)(150,300)(500,1000)
250
1000

TASK

202.38/101.19

896
915

928

160.170-161.580

216-217217-220220-222450-470769-775
799-805806-821851-866896-901935-940902-928928-960

2450
4965

2400-2483.5
4940-4990

5800

5725-5850

GMSK
C4FM
QPSK
Pi/4 DQPSK

9.6/19.2
9.6/19.2
9.6/19.2/38.4 4.8/9.6/19.2
16/32
8/16
16/32/36
8/16/18779-787

RS-GFSK(50,100)(150,300)(500,1000)
250

TASK

485.71/242.85

863-876

RS-FSK(50,100)(150,300)(500,1000)
1000
500

TASK

485.71/242.85

50
150
500
1000
500
-

182.14/75.89

GMSK
C4FM
QPSK
Pi/4 DQPSKDPSK*DSSSBPSK*DSSS
GMSK
C4FM
QPSK
Pi/4 DQPSKBPSK*DSSSDPSK*DSSSBPSK*DSSSDPSK*DSSSBPSK*DSSS

9.6/19.2
9.6/19.2
9.6/19.2/38.4 4.8/9.6/19.2
16/32
8/16
16/32/36
8/16/18[24]
40
40
9.6/19.2
9.6/19.2
9.6/19.2/38.4 4.8/9.6/19.2
16/32
8/16
16/32/36
8/16/18
40
40
[24]
40
40
[24]
40
40

169

169.400-169.475

RS-GFSK433

433.050-434.790

RS-GFSK

(4.8,9.6)(9.6,19.2)(4.8,9.6)(9.6,19.2)(50,100)

TASK

202.38/101.19

896

896-901

RS-GFSK

901

901-902

RS-GFSK

915

902-928

RS-GFSK

TASK

4.8
9.6
4.8
9.6
50
-

RS-GFSK

(4.8,9.6)(9.6,19.2)(50,100)(150,300)(500,1000)
250
1000

4.8
9.6
50
150
500
250
1000

(4.8,9.6)(9.6,19.2)(50,100)(4.8,9.6)(9.6,19.2)(50,100)(150,300)(500,1000)
250
1000
485.71/242.85

4.8
9.6
50
9.6
9.6
50
150
500
250
1000
-

182.14/75.89

918
917

915-921917-923.5

RS-GFSKRS-GFSK928

928-960

RS-GFSK

1427
2450

1427-1518
2400-2483.5

RS-GFSK

75.89/31.62

450-470

50
150
500
250
-

182.14/75.89

863

IEEE 802.15.4q-2016

450

9.6
50
150
500
250
1000
-

75.89/31.62

780

IEEE 802.15.4p-2014

RCC
161
216
217
220
450
770
800
806

SymbolRate(ksym/s)

TASK(50,100)(150,300)
250(4.8,9.6)(9.6,19.2)

50
150
250
4.8
9.6

(50,100)(150,300)(500,1000)
250
1000

50
150
500
250
1000
-

809.5/404.76
303.57/126.48

IEEE 802.15.4n-2016

195 (China)
416 (China)
619 (China)

174-216407-425608-630IEEE 802.15.4u-2016

866 (India)

865-867

IEEE 802.15.4t-2017

24002483.5

2450

2GFSK

50/100/20050/100/200

O-QPSK
2FSK

250/500 62.5/125
10/20
10/20
50/100/15050/100/150
OFDM (Opt. 4) Table III
N/A
O-QPSK
6.25-50 1.56-12.5
MSK

2000

250

Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)

ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

1209

TABLE IIIEEE 802.15.4k LECIM BPSK and O-QPSK data rates (kbps).
Spreading
Factor
16
32
64
128
256
512
1024
2048
4096
8192
16384
32768

200
6.25 / 12.5 kbps
3.125 / 6.25 kbps
1.5625 / 3.125 kbps
0.7813 / 1.5625 kbps
0.3906 / 0.7813 kbps
0.1953 / 0.3906 kbps
0.0977 / 0.1953 kbps
0.0488 / 0.0977 kbps
0.0244 / 0.0488 kbps
0.0122 / 0.0244 kbps
0.0061 / 0.0122 kbps
0.0031 / 0.0061 kbps

40012.5 / 25 kbps
6.25 / 12.5 kbps
3.125 / 6.25 kbps
1.5625 / 3.125 kbps
0.7813 / 1.5625 kbps
0.3906 / 0.7813 kbps
0.1953 / 0.3906 kbps
0.0977 / 0.1953 kbps
0.0488 / 0.0977 kbps
0.0244 / 0.0488 kbps
0.0122 / 0.0244 kbps
0.0061 / 0.0122 kbps

Modulation Rate (ksym/s)
600
800
18.75 / 37.5 kbps
25 / 50 kbps
9.375 / 18.75 kbps
12.5 / 25 kbps
4.6875 / 9.375 kbps
6.25 / 12.5 kbps
2.3438 / 4.6875 kbps
3.125 / 6.25 kbps
1.1719 / 2.3438 kbps
1.5625 / 3.125 kbps
0.5859 / 1.1719 kbps
0.7813 / 1.5625 kbps
0.293 / 0.5859 kbps
0.3906 / 0.7813 kbps
0.1465 / 0.293 kbps
0.1953 / 0.3906 kbps
0.0732 / 0.1465 kbps
0.0977 / 0.1953 kbps
0.0366 / 0.0732 kbps
0.0488 / 0.0977 kbps
0.0183 / 0.0366 kbps
0.0244 / 0.0488 kbps
0.0092 / 0.0183 kbps
0.0122 / 0.0244 kbps

TABLE IIIOFDM datarates according to the MCS and option selected.
MCS 0
BPSK
(*Fq. Rep.)
MCS 1
BPSK
(*Fq. Rep.)
MCS 2
QPSK
(*Fq. Rep.)
MCS 3
QPSK
MCS 4
QPSK
MCS 5
16-QAM
MCS 6
16-QAM

option 1

option 2

option 3

option 4

100 kbps

50 kbps

25 kbps

12.5 kbps

200 kbps

100 kbps

50 kbps

25 kbps

400 kbps

200 kbps

100 kbps

50 kbps

800 kbps

400 kbps

200 kbps

100 kbps

1200 kbps

600 kbps

300 kbps

150 kbps

1600 kbps

800 kbps

400 kbps

200 kbps

2400 kbps

1200 kbps

600 kbps

300 kbps

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availability in japan,” in 2012 IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference(VTC Fall), Sep. 2012, pp. 1–5.
[23] C. Sum, M. Zhou, L. Lu, F. Kojima, and H. Harada, “Performanceand coexistence analysis of multiple ieee 802 wpan/wlan/wran systems
operating in tv white space,” in 2014 IEEE International Symposium on
Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks (DYSPAN), April 2014, pp. 145–
148.
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Std 802.15.4e-2012, IEEE Std 802.15.4f-2012, IEEE Std 802.15.4g2012, IEEE Std 802.15.4j-2013, IEEE Std 802.15.4k-2013, and IEEE
Std 802.15.4m-2014), pp. 1–45, May 2014.
[25] “IEEE standard for low-rate wireless networks,” IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015(Revision of IEEE Std 802.15.4-2011), pp. 1–709, April 2016.
[26] “IEEE standard for low-rate wireless networks – amendment 1: Physicallayer utilizing china medical bands,” IEEE Std 802.15.4n-2016 (Amendment to IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015), pp. 1–27, April 2016.
[27] “IEEE standard for low-rate wireless networks –amendment 2: Ultra-low
power physical layer,” IEEE Std 802.15.4q-2016 (Amendment to IEEE
Std 802.15.4-2015 as amended by IEEE Std 802.15.4n-2016), pp. 1–52,
April 2016.
[28] “IEEE standard for low-rate wireless networks–amendment 3: Use of
the 865 mhz to 867 mhz band in india,” IEEE Std 802.15.4u-2016(Amendment to IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015 as amended by IEEE Std
802.15.4n-2016 and IEEE Std 802.15.4q-2016), pp. 1–18, Feb 2017.
[29] “IEEE standard for low-rate wireless networks–amendment 4: Higher
rate (2 mb/s) physical (phy) layer,” IEEE Std 802.15.4t-2017 (Amendment to IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015 as amended by IEEE Std 802.15.4n2016, IEEE Std 802.15.4q-2016, and IEEE Std 802.15.4u-2016, pp. 1–
25, April 2017.
[30] “IEEE standard for low-rate wireless networks - amendment 5: Enabling/updating the use of regional sub-ghz bands,” IEEE Std 802.15.4v2017 (Amendment to IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015, as amended by IEEE Std
802.15.4n-2016, IEEE Std 802.15.4q-2016, IEEE Std 802.15.4u-2016,
and IEEE Std 802.15.4t-2017), pp. 1–35, June 2017.
[31] “Ieee standard for low-rate wireless networks amendment 6: Enabling
spectrum resource measurement capability,” IEEE Std 802.15.4s-2018(Amendment to IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015 as amended by IEEE Std
802.15.4n-2016, IEEE Std 802.15.4q-2016, IEEE Std 802.15.4u-2016,
IEEE Std 802.15.4t-2017, IEEE Std 802.15.4v-2017, and IEEE Std
802.15.4-2015/Cor 1-2018), pp. 1–51, June 2018.
[32] “Ieee standard for low-rate wireless networks - amendment 7: Defining enhancements to the smart utility network (sun) physical layers(phys) supporting up to 2.4 mb/s data rates,” IEEE Std 802.15.4x-2019(Amendment to IEEE 802.15.4-2015 as amended by IEEE 802.15.4n2016, IEEE 802.15.4q-2016, IEEE 802.15.4u-2016, IEEE 802.15.4t2017, IEEE 802.15.4v-2017, IEEE 802.15.4s-2018, and IEEE 802.15.42015/Cor. 1-2018), pp. 1–30, April 2019.
[33] J. Zheng and M. J. Lee, “A comprehensive performance study of ieee802.15. 4,” Sensor network operations, vol. 4, pp. 218–237, 2006.
[34] A. Boulis, “Castalia userś manual v3.2,” NICTA, 2011.
[35] Nsam, “Ns-3 discrete event simulator,” http://www.nsnam.org, accessed
Jan. 07. 2017.
[36] P. Jurčı́k and A. Koubâa, “The ieee 802.15.4 opnet simulation
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[37] A. Cunha, A. Koubaa, R. Severino, and M. Alves, “Open-zb: an opensource implementation of the ieee 802.15.4/zigbee protocol stack ontinyos,” in 2007 IEEE International Conference on Mobile Adhoc andSensor Systems, Oct 2007, pp. 1–12.
[38] J. Flora and P. Bonnet, “Never mind the standard here is the tinyos
802.15. 4 stack,” University of Copenhagen, Technical Report, vol. 6,
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15. 2019.

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Alberto Gallegos Received his B.E. degree in computer science from Guadalajara University, Jalisco,
Mexico in 2005. He later received his M.S. and
PH.D. degrees in Engineering from Ritsumeikan
University, Shiga, Japan in 2014 and 2018 respectively. He joined the College of Information Scienceand Engineering at Ritsumeikan University in 2018,
where he is currently Assistant Professor. His current
research interests include but are not limited to
Wireless Sensor Networks and routing protocols.
Taku Noguchi Received his B.E., M.E. and Ph.D.
degrees in communications engineering from Osaka
University, Osaka, Japan in 2000, 2002 and 2004, respectively. He joined College of Information Scienceand Engineering at Ritsumeikan University in 2004,
where he is currently a Professor. His research interests include performance analysis and the designof computer networks and wireless networks. He isa member of IEEE, IEICE and IPSJ.

Copyright ⓒ 2019 GiRI (Global IT Research Institute)

ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

1211

Classify and Analyze the Security Issues andChallenges in Mobile banking in Uzbekistan
Azamjon Abdullaev *, Mohammed Abdulhakim Al-Absi *, Ahmed Abdulhakim Al-Absi **, Mangal
Sain*, Hoon Jae Lee ** Dongseo University, Busan, Republic of Korea** Kyungdong University Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
azamjon.a.sobirovich@gmail.com, mohammed.a.absi@gmail.com, absiahmed@kduniv.ac.kr, mangalsain1@gmail.com,
hjlee@dongseo.ac.kr
Abstract—Due to advancement and growth in mobile
technology, mobile banking is now included in our lives. in
Uzbekistan, Mobile banking is a subset of Mobile-services where
all banks provide Internet banking service uses SSL encryptionof data transmitted from the user's computer to the bank system
and vice versa. Security measure allows the users to exclude a
previously common type of fraud. The security in crowded
enterprise architecture is a concern that encompasses user’s
mobile clients, web applications, mobile devices, back -end
applications and networks. All systems interfaces can undergo aform of attacks and it needs to be secured. The main objective of
this work is to classify and analyze the Security issues andchallenges in Mobile banking in Uzbekistan.

Keyword—Internet banking, Mobile Banking, Challenges
Mobile Banking in Uzbekistan, Security Issue.

I. INTRODUCTION

T

HE internet has both the attributes and advantages that
can transcend the limits of space and distance facilitating
the delivery of service ―anywhere at any time‖ from any
internet-enabled device. These technological advances have———————————————————————
Manuscript received on Jan. 1, 2019. This work was supported by theInstitute for Information and Communications Technology Promotion(Grant Number: 2018-0-00245) and it was also supported by the Basic
Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of
Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (Grant
Number: NRF2016R1D1A1B01011908), and a follow-up of theinvited journal to the accepted & presented paper entitled ―Security
Challenge and Issue of Mobile Banking in Republic of Uzbekistan: A Stateof Art Survey‖ of the 21th International Conference on Advanced
Communication Technology (ICACT2019).
Azamjon Abdullaev. Currently, he is a Master student in the Departmentof Computer Engineering at Dongseo University, South Korea. (e-mail:azamjon.a.sobirovich@gmail.com)
Mohammed Abdulhakim Al-Absi. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student in the
Department of Computer Engineering at Dongseo University, South Korea.
(e-mail: mohammed.a.absi@gmail.com)
Ahmed Abdulhakim Al-Absi. Author is an assistant professor and head ofsmart computing department at Kyungdong University - Global Campus inSouth Korea. (e-mail: absiahmed@kduniv.ac.kr)
Mangal Sain. Author is an Assistant Professor in the Department ofComputer Engineering, Dongseo University, South Korea. (e-mail:mangalsain1@gmail.com)
Hoon Jae Lee. Currently, he is a professor in the Department ofInformation Communication Engineering at Dongseo University, South
Korea (corresponding author, phone: +82-10-2801-3735, email:hjlee@dongseo.ac.kr)

enabled consumers to avail of banking services without theneed to physically visit a bank. Financial institutions have also
identified the opportunities these technological advancespresent to attract new customers, develop and maintaincurrent customer relationships, cross-selling of products anddevelop new innovative service offerings.
For today, online banking is one of the modern tools, whichallow banks to increase their profitability and increase theirprofitability client base. This article examines the world-wideissues and challenges online banking as well as an overview
of the current status of online banking in Uzbekistan.
A mobile phone is a device that widespread technology thatturns into a part of every person in the information era. Mobilebanking is a framework that permits clients of a monetaryorganization to direct various budgetary exchanges through acell phone, for example, cell phone or personal digitalassistant. Mobile Banking indicates to arrangement andbenefits of saving money and monetary administrations withthe assistance of mobile telecommunication devices. Banking
is one of the big financial foundations that explore theopportunity of technology where this technology allowed theservices to have the best customer experience and comfort.
Technologies perform a significant role in the banking sector.
The development of mobile devices nowadays, mobilebanking is one of the important strategies in the banking
industry. Mobile banking is a mobile computing application
which supports customers with mobile banking service.
Whenever and what they want, the users be able to mobilebanks such as short messages. Mobile banking [1] hasemerged as a popular mode of banking in many developed
and developing countries. Access to mobile data services canbe a distinct part depending on technology or performance
type. The current population of Uzbekistan is 32,520,015 asof Tuesday, November 6, 2018, based on the latest United
Nations estimates.
Depend on the International Telecommunication Union,
the number of mobile users in 2017 [2] exceeds more than 7billion. In 2000, their number was estimated to be 1 billion. In
turn; the number of Internet users reached 4.2 billion. The
number of mobile subscribers in Uzbekistan has increased by
1.4 million in 2017 compared to 2016 and amounted to 22.8
million people in January 2018.
Nowadays, internet banking helps the users and customers.

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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

Customers can money transfer, check out their accountdetails, get their bank account statements and pay money
sitting in the comfort of their offices and at home. On the other
hand, the biggest limitation of internet banking needs apersonal computer and internet connection. And this is a little
problem in developing countries if we consider mostdeveloping countries especially in Uzbekistan. Despite
various initiatives, the level of internet connection in
Uzbekistan is still relatively low. Mobile banking can solve
this problem as it reduces the user's requirement to just theirmobile phones.
Payments for all mobile services in Uzbekistan (Ucell,
UzMobile CDMA, UzMobile GSM, UMS, Beeline,
Perfectum); Natural gas and electricity payments; Internet
access charges (Sarkor Telecom, Uzonline, EVO, TPS);
Payments for fixed telephony; Payments for IPTV; Payments
for cable television (UzDigital TV, Stars TV); [3] Payments
within the system, Customers can transfer funds from plastic
card through the special account opened to them bytransferring funds from other plastic cards to the mobile
bank's special number, i.e. non-cash Payments; Individuals
Monthly payments for loans received from Bank branches;
One - time payments for goods and services purchased.
II. MOBILE PAYMENT CHARACTERISTICS
In developing countries for example in Uzbekistan, mobilebanking providers rely on agents to acquire customers andmanage liquidity. They reach sensitive customer informationsuch as the mobile number, user name, and other credentials
used for authentication and identification purpose. These
factors are not well equipped to keep customer sensitive
information and can be easily lead to information leakage.
The failure of a service provider to protect or control sensitive
information is a serious threat to business processes andpotential customer security.
There are some conditions for the mobile payment service
to be acceptable as a market payment service: Universality: where the mobile banking should givetransactions services among Business to Businesses(B2B), Customer to Customer (C2C), andBusinesses to Customer (B2C)
 Interoperability: combining technologies as one
system based on standards
 Security, Privacy and Trust: customers go to the bankand give their personal information and also
depositing their money. However, there should betrust between the customer and the bank so thecustomer can trust the mobile banking payment
service and make sure that his personal information
not be misused.
 Simplicity and Usability: mobile banking payment
services should able to fit the customer’s
convenience.
 Cross border payments: mobile banking should be
widely accepted in the word-wide Cost and Speed: where speed it’s very important in themobile payment that convenience merchants andcustomers.

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III. BANKING SYSTEM AND MOBILE BANKING INUZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan has 29 commercial banks, including 5
state-owned banks, 13 state-owned banks, 5 foreign banks,
and 6 private banks. There are 8,610 credit institutions
nationwide, including microfinance institutions andcommercial bank branches. The Uzbek banking systemremains under State control through a series of regulatory
measures, legislation, declarations and complex practices.
Most bank assets are still in state-owned or state-controlledbanks, and most of the loans are directed by the government
or directed to develop a pre-determined industrial sector. By
limiting the role of banks as a financial intermediary to reformthe slow financial system, it limits the ability of citizens andprivate companies to access credit and other financial services[21].
Mobile banking in Uzbekistan, primarily by Hamkorbank
and its international financial corporation and the AsianDevelopment Bank, was developed by a hamkormobile
platform in May 2009 [4]. It was an independent platform
allowing operators to save, receive, transfer, withdraw
money, as well as buy goods and services.
Remote service for individuals - this is a system that allows
you to control your bank account from anywhere using amobile phone or the Internet browser [5].
IV. SYSTEM OPPORTUNITIESPayments for cellular operators and fixed telephony,
Internet providers and digital television services, Utility
payments, Single-time payments for Consumer Goods andServices, and other payments, payments for consumer andmortgage loans, seeing and replenishing of account status,
obtaining information on deposit balances and interest
accrued, online Smart Visa balances and its get information
about turnover [6]. Payments to the budget, transfer of bonus
cards from card to card, online conversion, connecting Visa
and Union Pay cards and checking account status and more.
We can see from Table I [20], three banks controlled
59.9% of the total assets banking in 2018 compared to 86.9%
in 2001. The National Bank of Uzbekistan controlled 76% of
the banking sector in 2001 where 30.9% in January 2018. The
national bank of Uzbekistan controlling 19.5% and 18.5% of
the deposit and market loan shares in 2018. The foreign
ownership controlled 7.7% of the sector in 2018. However,there is 0.8% of the share of the bank with no state ownershipis increased in 2001 to 13% in 2018.
TABLE IUZBEKISTAN’S BANKING SYSTEM OWNERSHIP AND CONCENTRATION
Market Share (Percentage of Banking Assets)

Market shareof the top
three banks
Market shareof the top
five banks
State-owned
banks

2001

2014

2016

2018

86.6

50.6

49.7

59.9

91.3

63.7

62.9

71.8

82.2

41.2

41.4

48.8

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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019
Shareholdingbanks withindirect state
ownership
Banks withforeignownership

6.1

35.5

33.7

33.2

0.9

8.7

9.9

7.7

The main provider mobile platform in Uzbekistan CLICK
was founded in November 2011. The activity of the company
is the development of software products for commercial
banks, organizations, individuals, their adaptation to various
hardware and software complexes and further improvement.
software products are protected by the current legislation of
the Republic of Uzbekistan [7]. "CLICK" system is a mobilebanking system that allows mobile operators to pay forservices of cellular operators, Internet providers and othercompanies; traditional and internet-shop purchases,
card-to-card transfers, and more. Key features of the CLICK
system: transfer from card to card
 "CLICK Terminal" service
 Manage the accounts you have sent to you Auto payment service
 View payment history
 An online check of account balances Repayment of received loans
 SMS notifications
The advantages of the click system are as follows;
Hammerliness: Usage of a USSD-request on a negativebalance and without the use of the Internet, even if the user's
number is blocked, can pay at any time from his bank account.
In order to use the system, you do not need to install any
software on the phone: USSD-request can be sent from any
mobile phone [8].
Proximity: Opportunity to replenish the balance andmanage your bank account, without having to go to the bankbranches and paying for the recent payment receipt or
payment acceptance and payment system locations
opportunity to pay without leaving home. The entire payment
system is in the pocket of each subscriber.
In order to connect to the system, it is not required to open
special accounts in the bank and deposit funds to anotherdeposit. Our system allows you to "bind" your number to any
existing account of an individual.
V.

SECURITY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN
MOBILE BANKING

Mobile banking has become a big challenge for banks
because of the fast development of mobile technologies suchas 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. In Uzbekistan, most of people use
the ATM machine as well as online banking services.
However, they are afraid of mobile banking due to the theft ofmobile handset and misuse.
A. Security issues and Mobile banking with WirelessApplication Protocol
New technology has made people access to the internet
much easier. Users connect their mobile devices to WAP and

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GPRS, access various banking services, such as transferringmoney from one account to another and paying the cost ofitems purchased. In Uzbekistan, mobile devices have become
widespread and are becoming necessary for consumers,
entrepreneurs and business people alike. Although thesedevices are relatively small and inexpensive but have multiple
features. Portable devices have built-in special devices, suchas accelerometers, cameras, removable media readers andGPS receivers. It also integrates many wireless technologies
such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Near Field
Connection (NFC) and Mobile Interface (CDMA or GSM).
The interconnect network is connected to the world. At thesame time, security and convenience are important factors in
the growth of mobile banking and mobile device trading.

Fig. 1. Security aspect in the WAP architecture

Wireless Application Protocol is used for communication
among devices where the customer uses it to realize thefunctionality of internet banking. For secure and successfultransmission between the customer and bank, the encryption
data process has been used but this is not good enough tosecure the sensitive data among the customer and bank. The
transmission needs to be more security methods with highmemory storage capacity. We are unable to apply a complex
cryptographic systems due to the mobiles have a low
computational capacity [9]. Table II shows the Security
threads for mobile banking.
Because of the technology development is increasing day
by day, it is important to provide very good end-to-end
security Fig. 1. However, it is very difficult to provide
security using WAP because at the gateway the data is notencrypted while switching of protocol process [10]There are two technologies are using for mobile banking
namely Wireless Internet Gateway (WIG) (short message
service) and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). Security
is very important before you provide the services [11]TABLE II
SECURITY THREADS FOR MOBILE BANKING
Danger Identification regarding Mobile banking
Security issues and Mobilebanking with WirelessApplication Protocol
Security threads for mobile
Transaction and massage
bankingtransmission Using mobile
Banking
Third-party identification
password
Identification of password

Recently in Uzbekistan that banks had a chance longenough to communicate with customer’s mobile banking
applications so and with their performers - the developers, sothey are able to look at problems from different positions.
Often there are organizational problems when in their
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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

technical assignments for customers. The problem of data
storage, Mobile devices can be easily lost or just lose sight fora while. Meanwhile, they can say about their owners much
more than their board "brothers". Therefore, the problem ofdata storage on mobile devices is one of the most important.
When analyzing the security of mobile applications banking
often observes critical information in open form, which iseither simply stored in the application, or unconsciously"falls" in cache network requests, logs, crash dumps,
screenshots. An attacker when getting physical access, thedevice can download these critical files. Another equallyimportant issue is to work in an untrusted environment. Often
users put themselves their devices are at risk getting root
access on their Android device or installing jailbreak on iOS
devices. However, they often do not understand that when you
receive various free "bonuses" The OS’s built-in security
mechanisms are partially or completely disabled. This
increases the probability of infection of the device withmalicious code and implements a successful attack by anattacker. Worth noting is the problem of application
distribution. It concerns only mobile operating systems withmany app stores, and first of all, the Android OS. For
Android, there is a huge number of stores (Google Play,
Samsung Apps, Yandex market, Amazon mobile app
distribution, Slide Me, etc.). Some of them are installed bydefault. As a result, one store may contain the legitimate
application, and in another - its modified version withmalicious functionality.
There are also unofficial applications for banks that often
represent "Wrappers" over Internet sites. We recommend use
only official apps, but banks need to monitor store
applications to detect fakes.
Code deobfuscation occurs in Android applications. In
IOS, it is absolutely missing. The situation is similar with
anti-debug technicians as for channel security data transfer.
This is a problem for mobile banking. But mobile devices aregood that provides freedom of movement and choosing aplace to connect to the network on your own.
B. Authentication Risks and Issues
The people like to use the mobile phone anywhere they goso they use the mobile banking application while they are
moving and in any situation. The Security mechanism can bedone by identifying the customer’s pin number, phone number
etc.
Authentication Model: two kinds of services are provided
to the customer’s one is the direct bank services to thecustomer and the second one is the bank will share theservices to the third-party provider.
C. Bank provides the service directly to the customer
Architecture
If a customer wants to transfer money using mobile banking
he has to authenticate himself to the bank sever using afirewall then the server will verify the customer security
password and pin number then the bank will allow him tocomplete the process for money transfer[12]. This method has
security issues for instance system crash, server failure andmalevolent intrusion [13]. However, banks don’t prefer using
this method Fig. 2.

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Fig. 2. Service directly to customer Architecture

D. SMS Spoofing Attack
The spoofing attack is the most serious attack in SMS
mobile banking where the attacker can send a message to thesender number so most of the organism doesn’t use mobilebanking using SMS [14]E. Mobile banking virus attacks
There are many types of viruses, Trojan and malicious
internet program [15]. For instance, Trojan can get the
password from the web easily and from the operating systemcached information. Zeus Trojan is used for stealing the
password and the authentication number for the mobilebanking transactions [16]VI. MOBILE PAYMENT SECURITY FRAMEWORK
In fact, mobile phone payments can be divided into
payments close to the field and remote payments. Near-fieldpayments include an RFID-based mobile payment framework
and an NFC-based mobile payment framework. Payment is
not yet popular and is limited. In the case of a request, theprotection of unencrypted information is not yet effective. In
addition, some attackers convert NFC-enabled mobile phones
to point-of-sale (POS) devices for non-contact cardtransactions as well as point-of-sale (POS) frauds in
Portuguese phone mode.

Fig. 3. The framework consists of three parts: a transaction interface, aserver-side and a mobile client.

Mobile Client: The application appears in the client
application and sales application in Fig. 3 because theapplication needs to complete the user's work. The two
applications use the same program structure as they are used
to perform the payment.
VII. INTERFACES DESIGN AND MOBILE PAYMENT SECURITY
PROCESSES
This frame adds the idea of face recognition to secure user
accounts. At the same time, a third-party regulatory body has
been added to manage the user's assets. If the user logs on to
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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019the system using Uname and Psd, the payment process is asfollows Fig. 4:

1215

catch. The app has no relationship with the trust store of thedevice to enforce security using static SSL certificates. It's noteasy to destroy fixed-coded stores in your app. The app must
be compiled, edited, and reassembled, and cannot sign thesame Android activation key used by the original developer of
the app. Table IV shows the present Uzbekistan mobilebanking implementation solutions.
TABLE IVUZBEKISTAN MOBILE BANKING IMPLEMENTATIONS SOLUTIONS

IX. MOBILE BANKING ANALYSIS
Central Bank of Uzbekistan Tashkent, [17] on 1 April 2013

Fig. 4. Mobile Payment Security Processes and Interfaces Design

1) Find what you need and confirm the order with thedealer. Once the merchant receives the customer's request,
they must send the request to a third-party regulatory agency,
which includes the product name, unit price, amount, etc. The
total price is sent after your third party certificate.
2) You need to provide a PayPal password after thecustomer has received and confirmed the total price. When athird party confirms the payment password, a request is sent toan external image to the client.
3) Once verification of identity and password has been
completed, the issuing institution transfers the amountnecessary for the transaction to the third-party account. He
then sends the seller a notice of receipt to inform the customerof the third-party vendor that the goods will be delivered.
4) The customer needs to confirm it to the third party thatreceives the goods online. After that, the amount of payment
necessary to the third party is transferred to the acquirer. At
this point, the deal is over.
In this case, four request APIs are displayed in Table III tofacilitate access to their mobile phone applications andidentity technology.
TABLE III
NECESSARY FOR THE FACE AUTHENTICATION
API Name
Function Description
Face Detection API

Transmission
Speed

Cost for Bank
ServerUsability

GPRS isgenerally cheaper
than SMS.

One SMSmessage for
reply

Multiple SMS
reply messages
required.

Mobile phone
WAP browser
interface.

It requires nomenu. The userinterfacedepends on how
the users
interact with
their mobile
phones to send
SMS messages.

Menu-baseduser interface.

Compatibility

Requires mobile
phone to be WAP
capable and
GPRS, EDGE or
3G enabled.

SecurityStandard WTLS
protocol. No End
to Endencryption.

Cost for
Customer

It depends on theamount of datarequired to be
sent.

Detect human face in images, thenthe detected face will be marked

PCA Processing API

Do 2DPCA to existing data

Face Matching API

Compare two processed face images

Grayscale Conversion API

WAP
SMS &USSD
SMS &WIG
The transfer rate of any mobile banking solution depends
on several factors. This depends on the signal strength
received by the user's mobile phone. Thus, this depends
on the user's location, network traffic, the number of basestation towers around the user's mobile device, etc. All
these factors affect the transfer rate and you cannot doreal experiments.

Put color image convert into grayimagesVIII. SECURING MOBILE BANKING ON ANDROID WITH SSLCERTIFICATE PINNING

Let's say you want to exchange some sensitive data between
your application and a server. SSL should do the trick, but inmany cases, you'll have to send sensitive data between yourapplication and server. Take mobile banking applications forexample. The last thing you want is a malicious hacker to steal
someone's bank account info – or worse, their money [18].
Security is crucial for a mobile banking solution, so you'll
be using SSL to keep that data safe and secret. But there's a

Any mobile
phone that can
support USSD
and SMS can
use this service.
USS
D String sent inplaintext.
Authentication
relies on IMEI.
USS
D is for free.
One SMSmessagerequired

Requiresmobile phone to
be SIM
Application
Toolkit (SAT)compatible. It is
SIM card
dependent.
USSD string
and SMSmessagetransmitted inplaintext.
Multiple SMS
messagesrequired.

the number of users of distance banking services in
Uzbekistan made up over 149,000, the central bank noted thatthe number of SMS-banking and mobile banking services
made up 106,925 units and internet banking 42,098 units as of
1 April 2013.
Compared to 1 January 2013, the number of users of SMS
banking and mobile banking service rose by 37,600 andinternet banking – by 2,930 units Fig. 5.

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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 201921

Kapitalbank

2803

3907

6710

22
23

Ravnaq Bank
Davr-Bank
Credit Standard
Bank

64
704

33
-

97
704

34

215

249

25

Invest Finance Bank

1028

431

1459

26

Amirbank

52

38

90

27

Asia Alliance Bank

610

329

939

28
29

Hi-Tech Bank
Orien Finans Bank

298
396

82
502

380
898

TOTAL

42098

10692514902324

Fig. 5. Number of users of distance banking services

According to the central bank, the National Bank of
Uzbekistan (34,300 users), Ipoteka Bank (30,314 units) andMicrocreditbank (15,477 units) are leading on a number ofusers of distance banking services as showing in the Fig. 6 andTable V.

1216

Fig. 7 shows [19], [20], the number of ATMs andinformation terminals for 100,000 adults have so fast grown;
the development of non-cash bank payment system was notsilky. However, the growth rate of bank cards on an annual
basis is much faster than the initial increase in ATM cards.
In general, Uzbekistan's prudent and cautious approachseems to have achieved its goal. It helps to avoid the double
crises faced by most economies in transition, thereby
protecting social stability and reducing the negative impact ofstructural reforms on employment and economic growth. Thechange in state ownership, the introduction of credit bureaux
and mortgage registration, and the rapid development of
non-cash payment methods show that the banking industry is
gradually being integrated into market-based systems.

Fig. 6. Number of users of distance banking services by type of system
TABLE VMOBILE BANKING SERVICES OFFERED BY SOME OF THE BANKSIN UZBEKISTANInternet
SMS-banking
No
Name of the Bank
banking
and mobile
Total
Users
banking users
National Bank of
1
4227
30071
34298
Uzbekistan
2
Uzpromstroybank
2042
1348
3390
3
Agrobank
1765
749
2514
4
Ipoteka-Bank
3158
27255
30413
5
Microcreditbank
2385
13062
15447
6
People's Bank
1204
1204
7
Savdogarbank
459
459
Qishloq Qurilish
8
1239
8692
9931
Bank
9
Turon Bank
981
613
1594
10
Hamkor Bank
4147
4767
8914
11
Asaka Bank
1503
8513
10106
12
Ipak Yoli Bank
3229
2042
5271
Uzbek-Turkish
13
177
128
305
Bank
14
Trust Bank
1352
970
2322
15
Aloqabank
1226
1789
3015
KDB Bank
16
217
498
715
Uzbekistan
17
Turkiston bank
227
25
252
18
Sederat Iran
11
12
236
19

Samarkand Bank

6302

429

6731

20

Universalbank

258

425

683

Fig. 7. Bank Cards and ATMs

X. CONCLUSION
For today, online banking is one of the modern tools, whichallow banks to increase their profitability and increase theirprofitability client base. This article examines the world-wideissues and challenges online banking as well as an overview
of the current state of online banking in Uzbekistan. The
Uzbek banking system remains under State control through aseries of regulatory measures, legislation, declarations andcomplex practices. Most bank assets are still in state-owned orstate-controlled banks, and most of the loans are directed by
the government or directed to develop a pre-determinedindustrial sector. By limiting the role of banks as a financial
intermediary to reform the slow financial system, it limits theability of citizens and private companies to access credit andother financial services

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ICACT Transactions on Advanced Communications Technology (TACT) Vol. 8, Issue 3, May 2019

This work is to classify and analyze the Security issues andchallenges in Mobile banking in Uzbekistan. The majority of
the customers in Uzbekistan are using online banking or
ATM. However, around 40 % of customers are using mobilebanking where the remaining people 60% are not using thistechnology.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by the Institute for Information
and Communications Technology Promotion (IITP) grant
fundedbythe
Korea
government(MSIT)(No.2018-0-00245), And it was also supported by the Basic
Science Research Program through the National Research
Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of
Education, Science, and Technology (grant number:
NRF2016R1D1A1B01011908).
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Security Challenge and Issue of Mobile Banking in Republic of

1217

Uzbekistan: A State of Art Survey‖ International Conference on
Advanced Communications Technology (ICACT) February 17 ~ 20,
2019[21] Uzbekistan-bankingsystems
https://www.export.gov/article?id=Uzbekistan-Banking-Systems/ 2019
AZamjon Abdullaev was born in Uzbekistan
1992, received his BS degree in finance fromTashkent financial Institute in Uzbekistan
2011-2015. Currently, he is a Master candidate
student in the Department of Computer
Engineering at Dongseo University, Korea. His
research interests include Mobile Banking,Wireless Sensor Networks, Cryptography, andNetwork Security.
Mohammed Abdulhakim Alabsi was born in
Yemen 1987, received his BS in Computer
Application from Bangalore University in India.
He earned his (MS) degree at Dongseo
University, South Korea in 2018. Currently, he
is a PhD. student in the Department ofInformation and Communication Engineering
at Dongseo University, South Korea. His
research interests include IoT, VANET, UAV,
artificial intelligence, cryptology, network
security, computer networks and digitalcommunications.
Ahmed Abdulhakim Al-Absi was born in
Yemen 1984, he is an Assistant Professor andHead of Smart Computing Department at
Kyungdong University – Global Campus inSouth Korea. He earned his PhD in Ubiquitous
Computing at Dongseo University, South Korea
in 2016. His research interests include databasesystems, big data, hadoop, cloud computing,
distributed systems, parallel computing,high-performance computing, VANET, andbioinformatics. He received a Master of Science(MS) degree in Information Technology at
University Utara Malaysia, Malaysia in 2011
and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in
ComputerApplicationsat
Bangalore
University, India in 2008.
Mangal Sain was born in India 1979, received
the M.Sc. degree in computer application from
India in 2003 and the Ph.D. degree in computerscience in 2011. Since 2012, he has been an
Assistant Professor with the Department ofComputer Engineering, Dongseo University,
South Korea. His research interest includes
wireless sensor network, cloud computing,Internet of Things, embedded systems, andmiddleware. He has authored over 50
international publications including journals
and international conferences. He is a member
of TIIS and a TPC member of more than ten
international conferences.
HoonJae Lee was born in Korea 1962, received
his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in electronicengineering from Kyungpook National
University, Daegu, Rep. of Korea, in 1985,
1987, and 1998, respectively. He is currently aprofessor in the Department of Information
Communication Engineering at Dongseo
University. His current research interests
include Password Theory, Network Security,
Side-Channel Attack, and Information
Communication/Information Network.

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