Wimax

WiMAX/802.16e Outline - Alex

802.16e – WiMAX Gone Mobile

Need for WiMAX/802.16e
➢ Broadband access is expensive
➢ Broadband services do not reach all areas (Last Mile)
➢ Wireless technologies like WiFi offer sparse coverage.
➢ Limited mobility with WiFi and other wireless networks.

WiMAX/802.16e technology would solve all of these problems by providing:
➢ The high speed ofbroadband.
➢ Wireless rather than wired access, therefore it is a lot less expensive than cable or DSL and much easier to extend to suburban and rural areas.
➢ Broad coverage like the cell phone networks instead of small WiFi hotspots.
➢ Low capital expenditures to set up.
➢ The average CPE prices for LMDS gear are $4,000 a unit and a base station is $100,000.
➢ Local Multipoint DistributionService is a broadband wireless access technology that uses microwave signals.
➢ $500 per CPE and $15,000 per base station (WiMAX). Eventually down to the price range of today's LAN WiFi cards.
➢ Airspan's new indoor EasyST.
➢ It would cost $3 billion in equipment, base station, sites, and labor and set-up costs to build a network reach to over 90 percent of the mainland population.

AWiMAX Base Station;
➢ WiMAX requires a base station to send out the microwave signals, similar to a cell phone tower.
➢ It is connected to the Internet using a standard wired high-speed connection, such as a T3 line. But as opposed to a traditional Internet Service Provider which divides that bandwidth among customers via wire, it uses microwave links to divide that bandwidth.
➢ To connect toanother WiMAX base station it must be in line-of-sight.
➢ Te connection to a second base station is referred to as a backhaul.

A WiMAX receiver;
➢ The receiver and antenna could be a small box or PCMCIA card, or they could be built into a laptop the way WiFi access is today.
➢ There are 2 types of connections or services;
▪ Non-line-of-sight, WiFi sort of service, where a smallantenna on your computer connects to the base station.
o Frequency range of 2 GHz to 11 GHz
o Signal Range of 5 miles.
o Since it uses lower-wavelengths the transmission of are not as easily disrupted by physical obstructions, they are better able to diffract, or bend, around obstacles.
▪ Line-of-sight service, where a fixed dish antenna points straight at the WiMAX basestation from a rooftop or pole
o Frequency 10-66 GHz
o Signal Range of 30 miles.
o The line-of-sight connection is stronger and more stable, so it's able to send a lot of data with fewer errors.

How WiMAX/802.16e Works
➢ WiMAX operates similar to WiFi but at higher speeds, over greater distances, greater number of users.

Advantages
➢ The most significant advantage ofWiMAX compared to existing wireless technologies is the range.
➢ WiMAX has a communication range of up to 30 miles. This can cover over 2800 square miles, enough to blanket an entire city.
➢ By using a WiMAX system, companies/ residents no longer have to rip up buildings or streets or lay down expensive cables.
➢ The theoretical maximum data transfer rate is 280Mbps per base station (orantenna);
➢ 802.16e can support a 70Mbps shared data rate. This is enough bandwidth to support more than 60 businesses at once with T1-type connectivity.
➢ It can also support over a thousand homes with 1 Mbps DSL-level connectivity.
➢ Also, there will be a reduction in latency for all WiMAX communications.

Disadvantages
➢ Line-of-sight (LOS) is required for long distance connections (5-30mile).
➢ Heavy rains can disrupt the service.
➢ Other wireless electronics in the vicinity can interfere with the WiMAX connection and cause a reduction in data throughput.

Previous Versions
➢ 802.16a supported the 2GHz to 11GHz frequencies without the need for line-of-sight transmission.

➢ 802.16b emphasized on protocols that guaranteed a high quality of service.

➢ 802.16c dealt...