OFDMA to provide multi-user transmission in 802.11ax requires accurate inter-user symbol synchronization to keep the orthogonality among the different OFDMA sub-channels or RUs.
In addition, the various nodes transmitting PPDUs on the RUs have to synchronize the end of their PPDUs transmission, Otherwise, if a node ends its transmission earlier, the unused RU could be acquired by an OBSS (Overlapping Base Station Subsystem) node, which may then initiate a new transmission.
This may cause interference with the following Block Acknowledgements (BAs) sent by the AP to the nodes.
This may also disturb the AP when receiving of the other on-going PPDUs.
To synchronize the end of their PPDUs transmission, the nodes must send data on their RUs until the end of the TXOP time duration indicated in the trigger frame. In practice, the nodes starts sending padding data (as defined in the document IEEE 802.11-15/617) if they end transmitting payload data before the end of the TXOP.
The bandwidth or width of the targeted composite channel is also signalled in the TF frame, meaning that the 20, 40, 80 or 160 MHz value is added. The TF frame is sent over the primary 20 MHz channel and duplicated (replicated) on each other 20 MHz channels forming the targeted composite channel. As described above for the duplication of control frames, it is expected that every nearby legacy node (non-HT or 802.11ac nodes) receiving the TF on its primary channel, then sets its NAV to the TXOP duration value specified in the TF frame. This prevents these legacy nodes from accessing the channels of the targeted composite channel during the TXOP.