WiMAX

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WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for

Microwave Access)

WiMAX base station equipment with a sector antenna and wireless modemon top

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a family of wireless communication

standards based on the IEEE 802.16 set of standards, which provide multiple physical layer (PHY)
and Media Access Control (MAC) options.
The name "WiMAX" was created by the WiMAX Forum, which was formed in June 2001 to promote
conformity and interoperability of the standard, including the definition of predefined system profiles
for commercial vendors.[1] The forum describes WiMAX as "a standards-based technology enabling
the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL".[2] IEEE
802.16m or WirelessMAN-Advanced was a candidate for the 4G, in competition with the LTE
Advanced standard.
WiMAX was initially designed to provide 30 to 40 megabit-per-second data rates,[3] with the 2011
update providing up to 1 Gbit/s[3] for fixed stations.

Contents
 [hide]

1Terminology
2Uses of WiMAX
o 2.1Internet access
o 2.2Middle-mile backhaul to fiber networks
o 2.3Triple-play
3Connecting
o 3.1Gateways
o 3.2External modems
o 3.3Mobile phones
4Technical information
o 4.1The IEEE 802.16 Standard
o 4.2Physical layer
o 4.3Media access control layer
o 4.4Specifications
o 4.5Integration with an IP-based network
o 4.6Spectrum allocation
o 4.7Spectral efficiency and advantages
o 4.8Inherent limitations
o 4.9Silicon implementations
o 4.10Comparison
5Conformance testing
6Associations
o 6.1WiMAX Forum
o 6.2WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance
o 6.3Telecommunications Industry Association
7Competing technologies
o 7.1Harmonization
o 7.2Comparison with other mobile Internet standards
8Development
9Interference
10Deployments
11See also
12Notes
13References
14External links

Terminology[edit]
WiMAX refers to interoperable implementations of the IEEE 802.16 family of wireless-networks
standards ratified by the WiMAX Forum. (Similarly, Wi-Fi refers to interoperable implementations of
the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN standards certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance.) WiMAX Forum certification
allows vendors to sell fixed or mobile products as WiMAX certified, thus ensuring a level of
interoperability with other certified products, as long as they fit the same profile.
The original IEEE 802.16 standard (now called "Fixed WiMAX") was published in 2001. WiMAX
adopted some of its technology from WiBro, a service marketed in Korea.[4]
Mobile WiMAX (originally based on 802.16e-2005) is the revision that was deployed in many
countries, and is the basis for future revisions such as 802.16m-2011.
WiMAX is sometimes referred to as "Wi-Fi on steroids"[5] and can be used for a number of
applications including broadband connections, cellular backhaul, hotspots, etc. It is similar to Long-
range Wi-Fi, but it can enable usage at much greater distances.[6]

Uses of WiMAX[edit]
The bandwidth and range of WiMAX make it suitable for the following potential applications:

Providing portable mobile broadband connectivity across cities and countries through various
devices.
Providing a wireless alternative to cable and digital subscriber line (DSL) for "last mile"
broadband access.
Providing data, telecommunications (VoIP) and IPTV services (triple play).
Providing Internet connectivity as part of a business continuity plan.
Smart grids and metering
Internet access[edit]
WiMAX can provide at-home or mobile Internet access across whole cities or countries. In many
cases this has resulted in competition in markets which typically only had access through an existing
incumbent DSL (or similar) operator.
Additionally, given the relatively low costs associated with the deployment of a WiMAX network (in
comparison with 3G, HSDPA, xDSL, HFC or FTTx), it is now economically viable to provide last-mile
broadband Internet access in remote locations.
Middle-mile backhaul to fiber networks[edit]
Mobile WiMAX was a replacement candidate for cellular phone technologies such
as GSM and CDMA, or can be used as an overlay to increase capacity. Fixed WiMAX is also
considered as a wireless backhaul technology for 2G, 3G, and 4G networks in both developed and
developing nations.[7][8]
In North America, backhaul for urban operations is typically provided via one or more copper
wire line connections, whereas remote cellular operations are sometimes backhauled via satellite. In
other regions, urban and rural backhaul is usually provided by microwave links. (The exception to
this is where the network is operated by an incumbent with ready access to the copper network.)
WiMAX has more substantial backhaul bandwidth requirements than legacy cellular applications.
Consequently, the use of wireless microwave backhaul is on the rise in North America and existing
microwave backhaul links in all regions are being upgraded.[9] Capacities of between 34 Mbit/s and
1 Gbit/s [10] are routinely being deployed with latencies in the order of 1 ms.
In many cases, operators are aggregating sites using wireless technology and then presenting traffic
on to fiber networks where convenient. WiMAX in this application competes with microwave radio, E-
line and simple extension of the fiber network itself.
Triple-play[edit]
WiMAX directly supports the technologies that make triple-play service offerings possible (such
as Quality of Service and Multicasting). These are inherent to the WiMAX standard rather than being
added on as Carrier Ethernet is to Ethernet.
On May 7, 2008 in the United States, Sprint Nextel, Google, Intel, Comcast, Bright House, and Time
Warner announced a pooling of an average of 120 MHz of spectrum and merged with Clearwire to
market the service. The new company hopes to benefit from combined services offerings and
network resources as a springboard past its competitors. The cable companies will provide media
services to other partners while gaining access to the wireless network as a Mobile virtual network
operator to provide triple-play services.
Some analysts[who?] questioned how the deal will work out: Although fixed-mobile convergence has
been a recognized factor in the industry, prior attempts to form partnerships among wireless and
cable companies have generally failed to lead to significant benefits to the participants. Other
analysts point out that as wireless progresses to higher bandwidth, it inevitably competes more
directly with cable and DSL, inspiring competitors into collaboration. Also, as wireless broadband
networks grow denser and usage habits shift, the need for increased backhaul and media service
will accelerate, therefore the opportunity to leverage cable assets is expected to increase.

Connecting[edit]

A WiMAX USB modem for mobile access to the Internet

Devices that provide connectivity to a WiMAX network are known as subscriber stations (SS).
Portable units include handsets (similar to cellular smartphones); PC peripherals (PC Cards or USB
dongles); and embedded devices in laptops, which are now available for Wi-Fi services. In addition,
there is much emphasis by operators on consumer electronics devices such as Gaming consoles,
MP3 players and similar devices. WiMAX is more similar to Wi-Fi than to other 3G cellular
technologies.
The WiMAX Forum website provides a list of certified devices. However, this is not a complete list of
devices available as certified modules are embedded into laptops, MIDs (Mobile Internet devices),
and other private labeled devices.
Gateways[edit]
WiMAX gateway devices are available as both indoor and outdoor versions from several
manufacturers including Vecima Networks, Alvarion, Airspan, ZyXEL, Huawei, and Motorola. The list
of deployed WiMAX networks and WiMAX Forum membership list [11] provide more links to specific
vendors, products and installations. The list of vendors and networks is not comprehensive and is
not intended as an endorsement of these companies above others.
Many of the WiMAX gateways that are offered by manufactures such as these are stand-alone self-
install indoor units. Such devices typically sit near the customer's window with the best signal, and
provide:

An integrated Wi-Fi access point to provide the WiMAX Internet connectivity to multiple devices
throughout the home or business.
Ethernet ports to connect directly to a computer, router, printer or DVR on a local wired network.
One or two analog telephone jacks to connect a land-line phone and take advantage of VoIP.
Indoor gateways are convenient, but radio losses mean that the subscriber may need to be
significantly closer to the WiMAX base station than with professionally installed external units.
Outdoor units are roughly the size of a laptop PC, and their installation is comparable to the
installation of a residential satellite dish. A higher-gain directional outdoor unit will generally result in
greatly increased range and throughput but with the obvious loss of practical mobility of the unit.
External modems[edit]

Airstream 1200 USB Modem

USB can provide connectivity to a WiMAX network through what is called a dongle. Generally these
devices are connected to a notebook or net book computer. Dongles typically have omnidirectional
antennas which are of lower gain compared to other devices. As such these