[infosync] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has approved a new wireless standard, dubbed 802.16a, for Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs). The new specification operates in bands ranging from 2 GHz to 11 GHz. Similar to the 802.11b Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or WiFi specification, 802.16a provides for an Ethernet-like connection with ranges spanning all or large portions of a city or metropolitan area.