WiMAX: The Great Wireless Hope

WiMAX: The Great Wireless Hope

Abstract:

One of the most talked about developments for next generation wireless broadband deployment is a technology commonly referred to as WiMAX. WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the trade name for a group of wireless technologies that emerged from the IEEE 802.16 Wireless MAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Network) family of standards. Expected to propel the propagation of broadband wireless access (BWA), WiMAX is slated to provide the “last mile” connection in wireless MANs — essentially bringing wireless connectivity to the masses. It allows data throughput as high as 70 Mbps, at distances stretching a few miles. Built on a packet platform, WiMAX is optimized for supporting IP, Ethernet, VLAN and ATM services.

While many technologies currently available for fixed broadband wireless can only provide line of sight (LOS) coverage, the technology behind WiMAX has been optimized to provide excellent non line of sight (NLOS) coverage with essential features such as OFDM technology, adaptive modulation and error correction. WiMAX’s advanced technology provides the best of both worlds – large coverage distances of up to 50 kilometers under LOS conditions and typical cell radii of up to 8 km under NLOS conditions. Furthermore, WiMAX has many optional features, such as ARQ, sub-channeling, diversity, and space-time coding that will prove invaluable to operators wishing to provide quality and performance that rivals wireline technology.

WiMAX promises to expand the availability of broadband service to residences and businesses that are currently under-served, including low-density rural locations in developed countries and open up the new era for the rapid growth of broadband. It will also provide a flexible solution to end users for whom current provisioning timeframes are prohibitive, or for whom, wired infrastructure is not available.

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