DEFINITIONS - 16

source mesh station (STA): A mesh STA from which a MAC service data unit (MSDU) enters the mesh
basic service set (MBSS). A source mesh STA may be a mesh STA that is the source of an MSDU or a
proxy mesh gate that receives an MSDU from a STA outside of the MBSS and forwards the MSDU on a
mesh path.
space-time block coding/spatial multiplexing (STBC/SM): A combination of STBC and SM where one
spatial stream is transmitted using STBC and one or two additional spatial streams are transmitted using SM.
space-time streams: Streams of modulation symbols created by applying a combination of spatial and
temporal processing to one or more spatial streams of modulation symbols.
spatial multiplexing (SM): A transmission technique in which data streams are transmitted on multiple
spatial channels that are provided through the use of multiple antennas at the transmitter and the receiver.
spatial stream: One of several streams of bits or modulation symbols that might be transmitted over
multiple spatial dimensions that are created by the use of multiple antennas at both ends of a
communications link.
station (STA): A logical entity that is a singly addressable instance of a medium access control (MAC) and
physical layer (PHY) interface to the wireless medium (WM).
station service (SS): The set of services that support transport of medium access control (MAC) service
data units (MSDUs) between stations (STAs) within a basic service set (BSS).
subscription service provider (SSP): An organization (operator) offering connection to network services,
perhaps for a fee.
subscription service provider network (SSPN): The network controlled by a subscription service provider
(SSP). The network maintains user subscription information.
Supplicant: An entity at one end of a point-to-point LAN segment that is being authenticated by an
Authenticator attached to the other end of that link. (IEEE Std 802.1X-2004)
Supplicant address (SPA): The medium access control (MAC) address of the IEEE 802.1X Supplicant.
temporal encryption key: The portion of a pairwise transient key (PTK) or group temporal key (GTK) used
directly or indirectly to encrypt data in medium access control (MAC) protocol data units (MPDUs).
temporal key (TK): The combination of temporal encryption key and temporal message integrity code
(MIC) key.
temporal message integrity code (MIC) key: The portion of a transient key used to ensure the integrity of
medium access control (MAC) service data units (MSDUs) or MAC protocol data units (MPDUs).
time unit (TU): A measurement of time equal to 1024 μs.
traffic category (TC): A label for medium access control (MAC) service data units (MSDUs) that have a
distinct user priority (UP), as viewed by higher layer entities, relative to other MSDUs provided for delivery
over the same link. Traffic categories are meaningful only to MAC entities that support quality of service
(QoS) within the MAC data service. These MAC entities determine the UP for MSDUs belonging to a
particular traffic category using the priority value provided with those MSDUs at the MAC service access
point (MAC_SAP).