Method and apparatus for operating a basic service set (BSS)

1. A method for operating a Basic Service Set (BSS), the method comprising:

announcing, by a first wireless device to a second wireless device, a BSS operating channel, wherein the first wireless device has at least one of a first transmission power capability and a first bandwidth capability, the second wireless device has at least one of a second transmission power capability that is less than the first transmission power capability and a second bandwidth capability that is narrower than the first bandwidth capability, and wherein the BSS operating channel is at least one of a punctured operating channel and an unpunctured operating channel;

associating, by the second wireless device, with the first wireless device via the announcement of the BSS operating channel from the first wireless device; and

exchanging frames between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in the BSS operating channel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

announcing, by the first wireless device to the second wireless device, a group of subchannels, wherein each subchannel includes at least one 20 MHz channel, and wherein each subchannels is included in the BSS operating channel;

parking the second wireless device in at least one subchannel via a negotiation between the first wireless device and the second wireless device; and

exchanging frames between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in at least one subchannel that the second wireless device is parked in.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:

announcing, by the first wireless device to the second wireless device, a dummy primary 20 MHz channel for each subchannel that does not include a primary 20 MHz channel, and wherein the dummy primary 20 MHz channel is an unpunctured 20 MHz channel.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein an operating bandwidth of the second wireless device that does not cover the primary 20 MHz channel covers the dummy primary 20 MHz channel when changing the operating bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:

announcing, by the first wireless device, operating parameters for the second wireless device parked in one subchannel.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein different operating parameters for the second wireless device parked in at least one 20 MHz channel include at least one of Enhanced Distribution Channel Access (EDCA) parameters and multi-user (MU) EDCA parameters.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless device transmits soliciting frames and the second wireless device transmits responding frames that are each transmitted in the same TXOP; and

wherein the responding frames are included in a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) whose bandwidth is narrower than the PPDU that includes the soliciting frames.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first wireless device uses trigger information carried in at least one of a trigger frame and a triggered response scheduling (TRS) field to announce the bandwidth and the operating parameters for transmission of the responding frame; and

wherein the responding frame is included in a Trigger-Based (TB) PPDU.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein transmission of the TB PPDU is the last transmission of a TXOP.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the TB PPDU is transmitted in a TXOP protected by a Request-to-Send (RTS) frame and a Clear-to-Send (CTS) frame in a non-High Throughput (non-HT) duplicate PPDU.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless device announces the bandwidth and the operating parameters of the second wireless device; and

wherein the second wireless device determines the bandwidth and the operating parameters for transmission of the responding frame from the first wireless device's announcement.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein exchanging frames between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in the BSS operating channel further comprises:

dividing, by the first wireless device, the BSS operating channel into subchannels;

parking the second wireless device in a subchannel for at least one of a permanent period and at a specific period of time known by the first wireless device and the second wireless device; and

transmitting multiple SUB-PPDUs in a PPDU on the subchannel, wherein the SUB-PPDUs are in non-overlapped subchannels and different SUB-PPDUs have at least one of a same PPDU format and a different PPDU format.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the PPDU with multiple SUB-PPDUs with an MU PPDU format transmitted by the first wireless device allows multiple Broadcast resource units (RUs) in the PPDU, and wherein the Broadcast RUs are identified by different Association Identifier (AID) values in each SUB-PPDU with the MU PPDU format when more than one Broadcast RU exists.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein parking the second wireless device in the subchannel involves parking in a negotiated subchannel at a specific Target Wake Time (TWT) service period (SP) via a TWT Subchannel Selective Transmission (SST).

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the announcement of the BSS operating channel from the first wireless device announces at least one of a 20 MHz unpunctured channel and a 40 MHz unpunctured channel via at least one of a per-20 MHz bitmap and a per-40 MHz bitmap.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the announcement of the BSS operating channel from the first wireless device identifies a channel segment via a center frequency of the channel segment for at least one of an 80 MHz BSS operating channel, a 160 MHz BSS operating channel, and a 320 MHz BSS operating channel.

17. A first wireless device, the first wireless device comprising:

a processor configured to:

establish a Basic Service Set (BSS) operating channel, wherein the BSS operating channel is at least one of a punctured operating channel and an unpunctured operating channel;

announce at least one of the punctured operating channel and the unpunctured operating channel of the BSS operating channel to a second wireless device;

associate with the second wireless device via the announcement of the BSS operating channel from the first device; and

exchange frames with the second wireless device in the BSS operating channel.

18. A method for operating a Basic Service Set (BSS), the method comprising:

in a punctured transmission, announcing, by a first wireless device to a second wireless device, a BSS operating channel, wherein the first wireless device has at least one of a first transmission power capability and a first bandwidth capability, the second wireless device has at least one of a second transmission power capability that is less than the first transmission power capability and a second bandwidth capability that is narrower than the first bandwidth capability, and wherein the BSS operating channel is at least one of a punctured operating channel and an unpunctured operating channel;

associating, by the second wireless device, with the first wireless device via the announcement of the BSS operating channel from the first wireless device; and

exchanging frames between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in the BSS operating channel.