Patent Description:
IEEE <NUM>. 11ay is the next generation of IEEE <NUM>. IEEE <NUM>. 11ad enables directional multi-gigabit (DMG) communications, and IEEE <NUM>. 11ay introduces enhanced DMG (EDMG). Both DMG and EDMG operate on the <NUM> unlicensed spectrum. IEEE <NUM>. 11ay can achieve up to <NUM> Gbps throughput with introduction of channel bonding, channel aggregation, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technologies.

Generally, in IEEE <NUM>. 11ad and IEEE <NUM>. 11ay, a wireless device, also referred to as an access point (AP), a personal basic service set (PBSS) or a station (STA), may indicate its support of capabilities to the network by transmitting a Capabilities Element in Association Request, Association Response, Reassociation Request, Reassociation Response, Probe Request and/or Probe Response frames, and/or in DMG Beacon and Information request and response frames. In IEEE <NUM>. 11n (which provides high-throughput (HT)) and IEEE <NUM>. 11ac (which provides very high-throughput (VHT)), the Capability Information field in the Capability Element includes a Supported Channel Width Set field (which is <NUM> bit in HT; and <NUM> bits in VHT), by which a STA declares its channel width capability.

Channelization used by EDMG STAs is proposed for IEEE <NUM>. 11ay, in which the maximum number of <NUM> channels to be bonded is <NUM> (maximum channel width is <NUM>). Also as proposed, EDMG supports two types of carrier aggregation: namely <NUM>) <NUM> + <NUM>; and <NUM>) <NUM> + <NUM>. Improvements to the Capability element and Operations element would be desirable to enable the PCP/AP and STA to communicate their capabilities for EDMG communications, including information for channel bonding and carrier aggregation. <NPL>, describes an EDMG extended schedule element.

<CIT> describes channel bonding based signal transmission.

The present disclosure describes example approaches that enable a transmitting device (e.g., an AP/PCP or STA) to communicate its capabilities or operation for channel bonding and/or carrier aggregation within a Capabilities element or Operations element, respectively. By including a Supported Channel Width field in the Capabilities element or Operations element, such EDMG capabilities and EDMG operations may be clearly and explicitly indicated.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a method for communicating support of operations for enhanced direction multi-gigabit communications as defined in claim <NUM>, and an apparatus for enhanced directional multi-gigabit communications as defined in claim <NUM>.

In examples described below, the present disclosure enables Supported Channel Width indication in EDMG Capabilities element and EDMG Operation element. Examples described herein may remove the ambiguity of channel bonding and channel aggregation features, compared to the conventional approach where only bitmap on supported channels is defined. The methods described herein may be implemented by any suitable wireless communication device, for EDMG communications in a wireless network.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of an example system <NUM> in which methods described herein may be implemented. The system <NUM> shown in <FIG> is a wireless local area network (WLAN) including an access point (AP) <NUM> and multiple stations (STAs) <NUM> within coverage (indicated by dotted line) of the AP <NUM>. In the example shown, there is only one STA <NUM> shown, however there may be multiple STAs <NUM>. Each STA <NUM> may be any suitable device capable of wireless communication, including mobile or stationary devices such as smartphones, laptops, mobile phones or tablet devices, for example, and the STAs <NUM> need not be the same as each other. The STAs <NUM> may also be referred to as terminals, user devices, user equipment (UE) or clients, for example. The AP <NUM> may be also referred to as a personal basic service set (PBSS) coordinate point (PCP) or a base station. The AP <NUM> may be implemented as a router, for example. The STA <NUM> may access a network <NUM> via the AP <NUM>.

The system <NUM> may support communication between the AP <NUM> and each STA <NUM>, as well as communication directly between STAs <NUM> (also referred to as device-to-device communication). Using directional antennas, the AP <NUM> may carry out multi-user transmissions (e.g., transmissions from the AP <NUM> to multiple STAs <NUM> simultaneously) by using the spatial reuse technique of MU-MIMO.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example processing unit <NUM>, which may be used to implement the methods and systems disclosed herein, for example the AP <NUM> and/or one or more of the STAs <NUM>. Other processing units suitable for implementing the present disclosure may be used, which may include components different from those discussed below. Although <FIG> shows a single instance of each component, there may be multiple instances of each component in the processing unit <NUM>.

The processing unit <NUM> includes one or more processing devices <NUM>, such as a processor, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a dedicated logic circuitry, or combinations thereof. The processing unit <NUM> may also include one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces <NUM>, which may enable interfacing with one or more appropriate input devices <NUM> and/or output devices <NUM>. The processing unit <NUM> includes one or more network interfaces <NUM> for wired or wireless communication with the network <NUM> (e.g., an intranet, the Internet, a P2P network, a WAN, a LAN, and/or a Radio Access Network (RAN)). The network interface(s) <NUM> may include wired links (e.g., Ethernet cable) and/or wireless links for intra-network and/or inter-network communications. The network interface(s) <NUM> may provide wireless communication via one or more transmitters/receivers or transceiver antennas <NUM>, for example. The antennas <NUM> may act together as an antenna array, in which case each antenna <NUM> may be referred to as an antenna element or radiating element of the antenna array. There may be a plurality of such antenna arrays. The processing unit <NUM> may also include one or more storage units <NUM>, which may include a mass storage unit such as a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive and/or an optical disk drive.

The processing unit <NUM> may include one or more memories <NUM>, which may include a volatile or non-volatile memory (e.g., a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), and/or a read-only memory (ROM)). The non-transitory memory(ies) <NUM> may store instructions (e.g., in the form of software modules) for execution by the processing device(s) <NUM>, such as to carry out the methods described in the present disclosure. The memory(ies) <NUM> may include other software instructions, such as for implementing an operating system and other applications/functions. In some examples, one or more data sets and/or module(s) may be provided by an external memory (e.g., an external drive in wired or wireless communication with the processing unit <NUM>) or may be provided by a transitory or non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include a RAM, a ROM, an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory, a CD-ROM, or other portable memory storage.

There may be a bus <NUM> providing communication among components of the processing unit <NUM>, including the processing device(s) <NUM>, I/O interface(s) <NUM>, network interface(s) <NUM>, storage unit(s) <NUM> and/or memory(ies) <NUM>. The bus <NUM> may be any suitable bus architecture including, for example, a memory bus, a peripheral bus or a video bus.

In <FIG>, the input device(s) <NUM> (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a touchscreen, and/or a keypad) and output device(s) <NUM> (e.g., a display, a speaker and/or a printer) are shown as external to the processing unit <NUM>. In other examples, one or more of the input device(s) <NUM> and/or the output device(s) <NUM> may be included as a component of the processing unit <NUM>. In other examples, there may not be any input device(s) <NUM> and output device(s) <NUM>, in which case the I/O interface(s) <NUM> may not be needed.

The AP <NUM> and STAs <NUM> may each include multiple antenna elements <NUM> forming antenna arrays, and may carry out appropriate beamforming and beam steering controls (e.g., using beamsteering circuits and/or beamsteering control modules implemented by the processing device <NUM> and processing unit <NUM>), in order to carry out directional wireless communication, including directional multi-gigabit (DMG) and enhanced DMG (EDMG) communications.

In IEEE <NUM>. <NUM>, the conventional EDMG Capabilities Element <NUM> is defined as shown in <FIG>. The Core Capability field <NUM> includes a Supported Channels Bitmap field <NUM> (using <NUM> bits), in which bit values of "<NUM>" and "<NUM>" indicate whether the channel is supported or not, respectively. However, this bitmap indication in the conventional EDMG Capabilities element is not able to provide full information on the STA's capabilities related to channel bonding and/or channel aggregation. For example, though the Supported Channels Bitmap field <NUM> may indicate support of two consecutive <NUM> channels, there is no way to distinguish whether there is channel bonding (<NUM>) or carrier aggregation (<NUM> + <NUM>). In the present disclosure, an improved capabilities element is described further below, which may address this and/or other drawbacks of the conventional capabilities element <NUM>.

In IEEE <NUM>. <NUM>, the conventional EDMG Operation element <NUM> is defined as shown in <FIG>. Together with the primary channel field <NUM>, the BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM> specifies the bandwidth that Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLPC) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) transmissions in the Basic Service Set (BSS) are allowed to occupy. The conventional BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM> is formatted as shown in <FIG>.

However, the <NUM>-byte BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM> defined in IEEE <NUM>. <NUM> can support BSS operations only up to <NUM> different types of channel bonding or channel aggregation. A previous patent application, <CIT> and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes an Operations element <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) in which the format of the BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM> in the conventional Operations field <NUM> is replaced with a EDMG Operating Channels field <NUM>, in which the BSS Operating Channels field <NUM> uses a bitmap to indicate the operating channels. However, as described with respect to the conventional Capabilities element <NUM>, it may be desirable to further modify this field to include channel width information (e.g., channel width for channel bonding and/or channel aggregation).

In IEEE <NUM>. 11ad, section <NUM>. <NUM>, a STA <NUM> is capable of operating on channels across regulatory domain. As described in the standard: "[t]he DMG Beacon or Announce frame transmitted by DMG STAs contains information on the country code, the maximum allowable transmit power, and the channels that may be used for the regulatory domain. " Optionally, the DMG Beacon or Announce frame may include a Country element. The Country element includes information to allow a STA <NUM> to identify the regulatory domain in which the STA <NUM> is located and to configure its physical layer (PHY) for operation in that regulatory domain. The Country element format <NUM> is specified in section <NUM>. <NUM> of IEEE <NUM> and shown in <FIG>. There may be multiple instances of the Triplet field <NUM>. Each instance of the Triplet fields <NUM> contains a First Channel Number field, Number of Channels field and Maximum Transmit Power Level field (not shown). The Operating Class field (which is in Request and Action Frames) indicates an operating class value defined in Annex E of IEEE <NUM>. The operating class is interpreted in the context of the country specified in the Beacon frame. For example, operating class in the <NUM> band in the United States is defined as shown in <FIG>.

In examples described herein, a Supported Channel Width field is described, to provide indication of EDMG capabilities and EDMG operations. In particular, a <NUM> bit long Supported Channel Width field and a <NUM> bit long Supported Channel Width field are described. It should be understood that there are presented as examples only, and other formats and bit lengths of the Supported Channel Width field may be used to convey the same information. The Supported Channel Width field may be implemented in a Capabilities element or Operation element, and transmitted as a beacon by a transmitting device (e.g., an AP <NUM> or STA <NUM>) to communicate the capabilities of the transmitting device or other management frames.

In some examples, the Supported Channel Width field may be <NUM> bits long. <FIG> is a table illustrating how the <NUM> bits of the example Supported Channel Width field may be used to indicate EDMG capabilities of an AP <NUM> or a STA <NUM>. In supported channel bonding/channel aggregation operations in the table of <FIG>, an entry of "<NUM>" denotes the channel width supported; and "-" denotes the channel width not supported. As shown in <FIG>, the first <NUM> bits of the Supported Channel Width field may be used to indicate whether the AP <NUM> or STA <NUM> supports single channel/channel bonding only, supports channel aggregation only, or supports both single channel/channel bonding as well as channel aggregation. The last <NUM> bits of the Support Channel width field may be used to indicate which channel(s) (if any) is(are) supported for channel bonding (or a single channel), and what channel aggregation (if any) is supported. The last <NUM> bits of the Support Channel width field may indicate the respective width(s) of the supported channel(s).

<FIG> illustrates how a <NUM> bit Support Channel Width field may be implemented in an example EDMG Capabilities element <NUM>. In this example Capabilities element <NUM>, the Core Capabilities field <NUM> is only <NUM> octets long, which is shorter than in the conventional Capabilities field <NUM> (see <FIG>). This shorter field may result in greater efficiencies. The disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> includes a Supported Channel Width field <NUM> in place of the Supported Channels Bitmap <NUM>. The Supported Channel Width field <NUM> may be only <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described with reference to <FIG> above), which is shorter than the Supported Channels Bitmap <NUM>. Further, the Reserved field <NUM> in the disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> may be only <NUM> bits long, which is shorter than in the conventional Core Capabilities field <NUM>. The other fields of the disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> may be the same as in the conventional Core Capabilities field <NUM>. Other fields of the disclosed Capabilities element <NUM> may be the same as the conventional Capabilities element <NUM>.

In another example, shown in <FIG>, the Capabilities element <NUM> may include a Core Capabilities field <NUM> that is <NUM> octets long, as in the case of the conventional Capabilities element <NUM> (see <FIG>). The disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> in this example includes both a Supported Channel Bitmap field <NUM> as well as a Supported Channel Width field <NUM>. The Supported Channel Bitmap field <NUM> may be the same as the Supported Channel Bitmap field <NUM> defined for the conventional Capabilities element <NUM>. The Reserved field <NUM> may be only <NUM> bits long, shorter than in the conventional Core Capabilities field <NUM>, so that <NUM> bits may be used for the Supported Channel Width field <NUM>. The example Capabilities element <NUM> of <FIG> may enable use of the Support Channel Bitmap field <NUM> to indicate the capability of an AP <NUM> or STA <NUM> to operate in each one of a plurality of channels in a regulatory domain indicated by Country element and Operating Class.

<FIG> shows an example EDMG Operation element <NUM> that may be used to transmit a <NUM> bit Supported Channel Width field, and may be used together with the Capabilities element <NUM> or <NUM>. In the disclosed Operation element <NUM>, an Operating Channels field <NUM> and an Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may be used in place of the BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM> of the conventional Operation element <NUM> (see <FIG>). The Operating Channels field <NUM> and an Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may each be only <NUM> octet long, which together is shorter than the conventional BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM>, and thus may provide greater efficiencies. The disclosed Operations Channels field <NUM> may be similar to the respective Operations Channels field <NUM> of the Operations element <NUM> described in <CIT>. The disclosed Operation element <NUM> may have the addition of the Operating Channel Width field <NUM>. The Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may include a Supported Channel Width field <NUM>, which is <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described above with reference to <FIG>), as well as a <NUM> bit Reserved field <NUM>. The inclusion of the Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may thus enable the Operation element <NUM> to indicate the channel bonding/aggregation capabilities as well as operating channels and channel width.

In other examples, the Supported Channel Width field may be <NUM> bits long, as shown in <FIG>. The example <NUM> bit Supported Channel Width field conveys the same information as the example <NUM> bit Supported Channel Width field (see <FIG>), but in a different format. In the example <NUM> bit Supported Channel Width field, bit values are set as follows. Bit B0 is set to be "<NUM>" if channel bonding is supported; and "<NUM>" if channel bonding is not supported. Bits B1B2 are set to be "<NUM>" if <NUM> operation is supported; "<NUM>" if <NUM> and <NUM> operation is supported; "<NUM>" if <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> operation is supported; and "<NUM>" if <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> operation is supported. If bit B0 is set to "<NUM>", bits B1 and B2 are ignored. Bit B3 is set to be "<NUM>" if channel aggregation is supported; and "<NUM>" if channel aggregation is not supported. Bit B4 is set to be "<NUM>" if <NUM> + <NUM> operation is supported; and "<NUM>" if <NUM> + <NUM> and <NUM> + <NUM> operation is supported. If bit B3 is set to "<NUM>", bit B4 is ignored.

<FIG> illustrates how a <NUM> bit Support Channel Width field (e.g., as described above) may be implemented in an example EDMG Capabilities element <NUM>. The Capabilities element <NUM> of <FIG> may be similar to the Capabilities element <NUM> of <FIG>, with the difference that the Support Channel Width field <NUM> in the example of <FIG> is <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described with reference to <FIG> above), rather than <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described with reference to <FIG> above).

In this example Capabilities element <NUM>, the Core Capabilities field <NUM> is only <NUM> octets long, which is shorter than in the conventional Capabilities field <NUM> (see <FIG>). This shorter field may result in greater efficiencies. The disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> includes a Supported Channel Width field <NUM> in place of the Supported Channels Bitmap <NUM>. The Supported Channel Width field <NUM> may be only <NUM> bits long, which is shorter than the Supported Channels Bitmap <NUM>. Further, the Reserved field <NUM> in the disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> may be only <NUM> bits long, which is shorter than in the conventional Core Capabilities field <NUM>. The other fields of the disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> may be the same as in the conventional Core Capabilities field <NUM>. Other fields of the disclosed Capabilities element <NUM> may be the same as the conventional Capabilities element <NUM>.

In another example, shown in <FIG>, the Capabilities element <NUM> may include a Core Capabilities field <NUM> that is <NUM> octets long, as in the case of the conventional Capabilities element <NUM> (see <FIG>). The Capabilities element <NUM> of <FIG> may be similar to the Capabilities element <NUM> of <FIG>, with the difference that the Support Channel Width field <NUM> in the example of <FIG> is <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described with reference to <FIG> above), rather than <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described with reference to <FIG> above).

The disclosed Core Capabilities field <NUM> in this example includes both a Supported Channel Bitmap field <NUM> as well as a Supported Channel Width field <NUM>. The Supported Channel Bitmap field <NUM> may be the same as the Supported Channel Bitmap field <NUM> defined for the conventional Capabilities element <NUM>. The Reserved field <NUM> may be only <NUM> bits long, shorter than in the conventional Core Capabilities field <NUM>, so that <NUM> bits may be used for the Supported Channel Width field <NUM>. The example Capabilities element <NUM> of <FIG> may enable use of the Support Channel Bitmap field <NUM> to indicate the capability of an AP <NUM> or STA <NUM> to operate a subset of channels in a regulatory domain indicated by Country element and Operating Class.

<FIG> shows an example EDMG Operation element <NUM> that may be used to communicate a <NUM> bit Supported Channel Width field (e.g., as described above) and may be used together with the Capabilities element <NUM> or <NUM>. The Operation element <NUM> of <FIG> may be similar to the Operation element <NUM> of <FIG>, with the difference that the Support Channel Width field <NUM> in the example of <FIG> is <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described with reference to <FIG> above), rather than <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described with reference to <FIG> above).

In the disclosed Operation element <NUM>, an Operating Channels field <NUM> and an Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may be used in place of the BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM> of the conventional Operation element <NUM> (see <FIG>). The Operating Channels field <NUM> and an Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may each be only <NUM> octet long, which together is shorter than the conventional BSS Operating Bandwidth field <NUM>, and thus may provide greater efficiencies. The disclosed Operations Channels field <NUM> may be similar to the respective Operations Channels field <NUM> of the Operations element <NUM> described in <CIT>. The disclosed Operation element <NUM> may have the addition of the Operating Channel Width field <NUM>. The Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may include a Supported Channel Width field <NUM>, which is <NUM> bits long (e.g., as described above with reference to <FIG>), as well as a <NUM> bit Reserved field <NUM>. The inclusion of the Operating Channel Width field <NUM> may thus enable the Operation element <NUM> to indicate the channel bonding/aggregation capabilities as well as operating channels and channel width.

<FIG> is a table illustrating another example of how a <NUM>-bit long Supported Channel Width field may be implemented to indicate EDMG capabilities and EDMG operations of an AP <NUM> or a STA <NUM>. Where the Support Channel Width field is implemented in an EDMG operation element, the Supported Channel Width field may be provided in an Operating Channel Width field. In <FIG>, an entry of "<NUM>" denotes a supported channel width; and "-" denotes a non-supported channel width. The table in <FIG> may be similar to the table of <FIG>, described above. However, in the table of <FIG>, the entries for "<NUM>" value of bits B0 and B1 are reserved and the entries for "<NUM>" value of bits B0 and B1 correspond to the entries shown in <FIG> for "<NUM>" value of bits B0 and B1. In the example shown in <FIG>, it is not necessary to have entries for indicating channel aggregation support only (i.e., without supporting single channel/channel bonding).

The present disclosure describes examples of a Supported Channel Width field, which may be included in an Operating Channel Width field. The Supported Channel Width field may be <NUM>-bits long or <NUM>-bits long in some examples. Generally, the Operating Channel Width field may include bit positions with bit values that can be selectively set to indicate the capability and operation of a transmit device from among defined options, the defined options including: capability and operation for channel bonding only, capability and operation for carrier aggregation only, and capability and operation for both channel bonding and carrier aggregation.

Where the Supported Channel Width field is <NUM> bits long, the bit values of <NUM> bits may be set to indicate a capability and operation of the transmit device from among defined options, the defined options including: the transmit device can perform channel bonding, the transmit device can perform carrier aggregation, and the transmit device can perform both channel bonding and carrier aggregation; and another <NUM> bits are used together to indicate the respective channel width. The bit values of another <NUM> bits of the Supported Channel Width field may be set to indicate the respective channel width(s) of the supported channel(s).

Where the Supported Channel Width field is <NUM> bits long, the bit value of a first bit may be set to indicate whether the transmit device has channel bonding capability and the bit value of a second bit may be separately set to indicate whether the transmit device has carrier aggregation capability. The bit value of another a pair of bits may be set to indicate channel width for channel bonding, and the bit value of a third bit may be set to indicate channel width for carrier aggregation.

The Supported Channel Width field, regardless of length, may be included in the Capabilities element or the Operation element. The Supported Channel Width field may be contained in the Operating Channel Width field, in the Operation element.

The Capabilities element and Operation element described herein may be used by the STA and AP for initial information request/response, for example. In an example operation, a Capabilities element including a Supported Channel Width field (e.g., as described above with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG> or <FIG>) may be transmitted in a beacon by a STA, to communicate its channel bond and/or carrier aggregation capabilities. The AP may respond with an Operation element to similarly inform the STA of its channels and capabilities.

In the present disclosure, methods for Supported Channel Width indication in an EDMG Capabilities element and an EDMG Operation element are described. Inclusion of a Supported Channel Width field in the Capabilities element and the Operation element may more clearly and explicitly provide information regarding channel bonding and channel aggregation capabilities or operation of a STA or AP, compared to the conventional approach. Using the examples disclosed herein, channel bonding and/or carrier aggregation capabilities or operation may be communicated as part of a Capabilities element or Operation element, respectively, rather than in separate transmissions, which may lead to greater efficiencies.

Although the present disclosure describes methods and processes with steps in a certain order, one or more steps of the methods and processes may be omitted or altered as appropriate. One or more steps may take place in an order other than that in which they are described, as appropriate.

Although the present disclosure is described, at least in part, in terms of methods, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the present disclosure is also directed to the various components for performing at least some of the aspects and features of the described methods, be it by way of hardware components, software or any combination of the two. Accordingly, the technical solution of the present disclosure may be embodied in the form of a software product. A suitable software product may be stored in a pre-recorded storage device or other similar non-volatile or non-transitory computer readable medium, including DVDs, CD-ROMs, USB flash disk, a removable hard disk, or other storage media, for example. The software product includes instructions tangibly stored thereon that enable a processing device (e.g., a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute examples of the methods disclosed herein.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the subject matter of the claims. The described example embodiments are to be considered in all respects as being only illustrative and not restrictive. Selected features from one or more of the above-described embodiments may be combined to create alternative embodiments not explicitly described, features suitable for such combinations being understood within the scope of this disclosure.

Claim 1:
A method for communicating support of operations for enhanced direction multi-gigabit, EDMG, communications, the method comprising:
transmitting, by a transmit device, an operation element including an operating channel width field having four bits;
wherein a first bit and a second bit of the operating channel width field have bit values selected from one of:
a first pair of bit values "<NUM>" and "<NUM>", for the first and second bits respectively, to indicate the transmit device supports operation using single channel or channel bonding and also supports operation using carrier aggregation of two <NUM> channels; or
a second pair of bit values "<NUM>" and "<NUM>", for the first and second bits respectively, to indicate the transmit device supports operation using single channel or channel bonding, supports operation using carrier aggregation of two <NUM> channels, and also supports operation using carrier aggregation of two <NUM> channels.