WiMAX

A Seminar Report Submitted to

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
ANANTAPUR

in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the

award of the Degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

By
PAIDA SREEHARI
(13BF1A04D7)

ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

SRI VENKATESWARA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
(Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & Affiliated to JNTUA, Ananthapuramu)
Karakambadi Road, TIRUPATI – 517507 2016- 2017
 SRI VENKATESWARA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
(Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & Affiliated to JNTUA, Ananthapuramu)
Karakambadi Road, TIRUPATI – 517507

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar Report entitled “WiMAX” is being submitted

by PAIDA SREEHARI bearing Roll No. 13BF1A04D7, in partial fulfilment of the

requirements for the award of Bachelor of Technology in ELECTRONICS AND

COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING to the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological

University Anantapur, Anantapuramu.

SEMINAR CO-ORDINATOR HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

(Mrs. A.V. KIRANMAI) (Prof. D. SRINIVASULU REDDY)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratefulness and sincere thanks to Prof. D.

SRINIVASULU REDDY, Head of the Department of ELECTRONICS AND
COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING, for his kind help and encouragement during
the course of my study and in the successful completion of the seminar.

I have great pleasure in expressing my hearty thanks to our beloved Principal

DR.N.SUDHAKAR REDDY for his support and encouragement.

I would like to thank our parents and friends, who have the greatest
contributions in all my achievements.

Sreehari. P
( 13BF1A04D7)
 ABSTRACT

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a wireless digital

communication technology, based on the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN wireless
metropolitan area network (MAN) standards. It can provide broadband wireless access
(BWA) up to 50 km for fixed stations (e.g., desktop PCs), and 5 - 15 km for mobile stations
(e.g., notebooks, computers, mobile phones, personal media players, and PDAs).

The newest version of the IEEE 802.16 standard, dubbed 802.16m or Mobile
WiMAX™ 2.0, could drive mobility up to 350 km/hr and push the data transfer speed up to
1 Gbps. Draft one of 802.16m is expected to deliver performance of over 300 Mbps in 4x4
MIMO configurations using 20-MHz channels and will likely be finalized in 2011.As
compared to a wireless technology like Wi-Fi, WiMAX is more immune to interference,
allows more efficient use of bandwidth and is intended to allow higher data rates over
longer distances. Because it operates on licensed spectrum, in addition to unlicensed
frequencies, WiMAX provides a regulated environment and viable economic model for
wireless carriers. These benefits, coupled with the technology's global support (e.g.,
ongoing worldwide deployments, spectrum allocation and standardization), make it the
popular choice for quick and cost-effective delivery of super-fast broadband wireless access
to underserved areas around the world.
 Table of Contents

Chapter Title Page

No. No.

1 Introduction 1
2 What is Wimax? 2
2.1 Standards associated with Wimax 3
3 Why Wimax? 6
4 Wimax Technology 9
4.1 Technological Features 9
4.2 Technology Wimax Design 11
4.3 Types of Wimax 12
5 Wimax Technology Challenge 14
6 Wimax - A complement to fixed and mobile access 17
7 Wimax spectrum and regulation issues 20
8 Relationship with different wireless technologies 24
9 Conclusion 25
10 References 26
 List of figures

Sl. Images Page

No. No.

2.1 Wireless Standards 3

2.2 Types of 802.16 4
3.1 Data Rates 7
4.1 Radio Access Requirements 9
4.2 Wimax Tower 12
 List of Tables

Sl. Tables Page

No. No.

4.1 Deployment contents corresponding with

system requirements 10
5.1 Typical Cell Size and Throughput 16
8.1 Relationship with Different Wireless
Technologies 24
 ABBREVIATIONS
AES - Advanced Encryption Standard

AMC - Adaptive Modulation and Coding

AP - Access Point

BS - Base Station

BWA - Broadband Wireless Access

CPE - Customer Premises Equipment

DES - Data Encryption Standard

DL - Down Link

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line

EAP - Extensible Authentication Protocol

FDD - Frequency Division Duplex

GSM - Global System for Mobile communications

HSPA - High Speed Downlink Packet Access

IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

LAN - Local Area Networks

LOS - Line-of-Sight

MAC - Media Access Control

MAN - Metropolitan Area Network

MBWA - Mobile Broadband Wireless Access

NLOS - Non-Line-of-Sight

OFDM - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

OFDMA - Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access

PAN - Personal Area Network

PDA - Personal Digital Assistant

PHI - Packet Handler Interface
QAM - Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

QoS - Quality of Service

QPSK - Quadrature Phase Shift Keying

TDD - Time Division Duplex

UL - Up Link

UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunication System

VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol

WAN - Wide Area Network

WCDMA - Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

WEP - Wireless Equivalent Privacy

Wi-Fi - Wireless Fidelity

WiMAX - Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network

WLL - Wireless Local Loop

 WiMAX
CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) has been serving enterprises and operators for
years, to the great satisfaction of its users. However, the new IP-based standard
developed by the IEEE 802.16 is likely to accelerate adoption of the technology. It will
expand the scope of usage thanks to: the possibility of operating in licensed and
unlicensed frequency bands, unique performance under Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS)
conditions, Quality of Service (QoS) awareness, extension to nomadicity, and more. In
parallel, the WiMAX forum, backed by industry leaders, will encourage the widespread
adoption of broadband wireless access by establishing a brand forthe technology and
pushing interoperability between products.

The purpose of this White Paper is to highlight and assess the value of WiMAX
as the right solution to:

extend the currently limited coverage of public WLAN (hotspots) to citywide

coverage (hot zones)

the same technology being usable at home and on the move,

blanket metropolitan areas for mobile data-centric service delivery,

offer fixed broadband access in urban and suburban areas where copper quality is
poor or unbundling difficult,

bridge the digital divide in low-density areas where technical and economic
factors make broadband deployment very challenging. In addition to these uses,
this paper will highlight other potential applications, such as telephony or an
effective point-to multipoint backhauling solution for operators or enterprises.

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CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS WIMAX?

WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile

wireless broadband access as an alternative to wired broadband like cable and DSL.
WiMAX provides fixed, nomadic, portable and, soon, mobile wireless broadband
connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. In a typical cell
radius deployment of three to ten kilometers, WiMAX Forum Certified™ systems can be
expected to deliver capacity of up to 40 Mbps per channel, for fixed and portable access
applications.

This is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with

T-1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity. Mobile
network deployments are expected to provide up to 15 Mbps of capacity within a typical
cell radius deployment of up to three kilometers. It is expected that WiMAX technology
will be incorporated in notebook computers and PDAs by 2007, allowing for urban areas
and cities to become "metro zones" for portable outdoor broadband wireless access.

USES:

The bandwidth and range of WiMAX make it suitable for the following potential
applications:

• Connecting Wi-Fi hotspots with other parts of the Int

• Providing a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for "last mile” broadband access.

• Providing data and telecommunications services.

• Providing a source of Internet connectivity as part of a business continuity plan.

That is, if a business has a fixed and a wireless Internet connection, especially from
unrelated providers, they are unlikely to be affected by the same service outage.

Department of ECE, SVCE 2

 WiMAX
2.1 Standards Associated With Wimax

2.1 Wireless Standards

IEEE 802.16 :

IEEE 802 refers to a family of IEEE standards dealing with local area networks
and metropolitan area networks. More specifically, the IEEE 802 standards are restricted
to networks carrying variable-size packets. (By contrast, in cell-based networks data is
transmitted in short, uniformly sized units called cells. Isochronous networks, where data
is transmitted as a steady stream of octets, or groups of octets, at regular time intervals,
are also out of the scope of this standard.) The number 802 was simply the next free
number IEEE could assign, though “802” is sometimes associated with the date the first
meeting was held — February 1980.

The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards,

which was established by IEEE Standards Board in 1999, aims to prepare formal
specifications for the global deployment of broadband Wireless Metropolitan Area
Networks. The Workgroup is a unit of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee. A
related future technology Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) is under
development in IEEE 802.20.

Although the 802.16 family of standards is officially called Wireless MAN, it has
been dubbed “WiMAX” (from "Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access") by
an industry group called the WiMAX Forum. The mission of the Forum is to promote
and certify compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products.

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 WiMA
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2.2 Types of 802.16

• In January 2003, the IEEE approved 802.16a as an amendment to IEEE 802.16-

2001, defining (Near) Line-Of- Sight capability.

• In July 2004, IEEE 802.16REVd, now published under the name IEEE 802.16-
2004, introduces support for indoor CPE (NLOS) through additional radio
capabilities such as antenna beam forming and OFDM sub-channeling.

• Early 2005, an IEEE 802.16e variant will introduce support for mobility.

See Figure 2.2 for the applications associated with each of these standards The WiMAX
Forum intends to do for 802.16 what the Wi-Fi Alliance did for 802.11:

• harmonize standards and certify interoperability between equipment from

different vendors. Standardized interoperable solutions will result in mass mass
volume and bring down cost

• promote and establish a brand for the technology

WiMAX, the reality beyond the hype

As mentioned above, WiMAX can offer very high data rates and extended coverage.
However,

Department of ECE, SVCE 4

 WiMAX
75 Mbit/s capacity for the base station is achievable with a 20 MHz channel in
bestpropagation conditions. But regulators will often allow only smaller
channels (10 MHz orless) reducing the maximum bandwidth.

Even though 50 km is achievable under optimal conditions and with a reduced

data rate (a few Mbit/s), the typical coverage will be around 5 km with indoor
CPE (NLOS) and around 15 km with a CPE connected to an external
antenna(LOS).

Department of ECE, SVCE 5

 WiMAX
CHAPTER 3

WHY WIMAX?

WiMAX stands for wireless interoperatibility for microwave access. WiMAX is

expected to do more for Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and what Wi-Fi has done
for local area networks (LANs)? WiMAX is not projected to replace Wi-Fi, but to
complement it by connecting Wi-Fi networks to each other or the Internet through high-
speed wireless links. You can therefore use WiMAX technology to extend the power and
range of Wi-Fi and cellular networks. However, in developing countries, WiMAX may
become the only wireless technology because Wi-Fi and cellular have not penetrated
areas that can be reached with WiMAX technology.

Range

The wide range of the WiMAX technology depends on the height of the
antennas, if they are installed at the suitable position from where there is no barrier
between the transmitter and receiver, and then we can get better range and service from
it. Even though the frequency for operation of WiMAX is not definite, the most likely
band at 3.5GHz is higher in frequency than the 3G bands at around 2.1 GHz. Range will,
as a result, be lower, perhaps somewhere between 50% and 75% of the range of 3G.
WiMAX can therefore support 30 to 50 kilometres distance with Line-of-Sight (LOS)
links. As far as Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) links in concerned WiMAX can support the
broad range from 3 to 10 kilometres using advanced modulation algorithm that can
overcome many interfering objects that Wi-Fi systems cannot pass through.

Data Rates

The technology used for WiMAX is Orthogonal Frequency Division

Multiplexing (OFDM), it is not appreciably more supernaturally efficient then the
technology commonly used for 3G that is Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
(WCDMA). However OFDM is coupled with a high channel bandwidth, that allows
greater data rates. So, on average, for an equivalent spectrum allocation, users will see
similar data rates. In specific simulations, where there are few users, it is possible that
WiMAX will provide a higher data rate than 3G. However, in commercial systems, such
simulations are likely rare.

Department of ECE, SVCE 6

 WiMAX
3.1 DATA RATES

Data rates

Timing

It is normally believed that WiMAX will enter into the market some five years
after 3G is well established. This drawback in time is likely to be important since without
a convincing advantage only a few service providers will choose to move from 3G to
WiMAX. However, those yet to deploy a system may find the choice balanced between
the two technologies.

Cost

The network costs of WiMAX will be likely to be higher than for 3G because of
the reduced range and hence the necessity to build more cells. The subscriber subsidy
costs may be lower if WiMAX is built into processor chips, although this may not apply
if users wish to have WiMAX handsets.

Quality of Service (QoS)

Excellent Quality Of service management donates from variety of WiMAX

features. Just as on a Wi-Fi network, WiMAX users share a data pipe and QoS can
degrade as more users are added to the network. Using the QoS features of WiMAX
service providers can guarantee certain users specific bandwidth amounts by limiting the
bandwidth consumption of other users.

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Grant request mechanism for accessing to network is the first aspect of Quality of
Service. The WiMAX functioning of disagreement allocates only a fixed amount of time
to be given to these grant requests. Disagreement refers to the act of competing for
access to the network. Because of the limited amount of time available, bandwidth
cannot be consumed by contention requests. When a disagreement request comes into
the network, the system compares the request with a service level agreement for the user
making the request, and they are granted, or denied, access accordingly.

Link by link modulation schemes is another benefit of WiMAX Quality of

Service. In other words, the base station can use different modulation schemes for
different links. The modulation scheme used is related directly to the distance of the link.
Rather than all users' links being downgraded by the user farthest away, link by link
modulation enables closer users to use higher data-rate modulation schemes

Department of ECE, SVCE 8

 WiMAX
CHAPTER 4
WIMAX TECHNOLOGY

4.1 Technological features

Various advanced technologies will be developed to meet services above and

consequently WiMAX will support seamless mobility and technologies such as the
technique for minimized power consumption of the terminal, fast link adaptation, and
efficient MAC for broadband services will be developed for high data rate transmission
in mobile environments.

4.1 RADIO ACCESS REQUIREMENS

For the phase I standardization, PG302 decided several system parameters and
Radio access requirements. Major system parameters include duplex scheme (TDD) and
multiple access (OFDMA) and Channel bandwidth (10MHz) as well. Any detailed
contents could be shown in Table 2. For the radio access requirements, some parameters
have been determined as follows:

• Frequency reuse factor is set as 1.

• Maximum guaranteed speed of user is 60 Km/h.

• Radius of service coverage can be a few Km.
• Maximum of spectral efficiency should be 6 bits/Hz/cell for downlink and 2
bits/Hz/cell for uplink, but the averages are 2 bits/Hz/cell for downlink and 1
bits/Hz/cell for uplink.

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 WiMAX
• Handoff latency should be less than 150 ms.
• Throughout per user should be 0.512 to 3 Mbps for downlink and 0.128 to 1
Mbps for uplink.

Table 4.1 shows the development contents in association with system

requirement. Requirements could be induced by consideration on radio access
requirements

Table 4.1
Deployment contents corresponding with system requirements

System Requirements Deployment contents

TDD to minimize required guard band
High spectrum efficiency 10 MHz broadband/OFDMA
To use AMC (Adaptive Modulation and Coding) supporting
64 QAM modulation with turbo code
Supporting frequency reuse factor ‘1’
Using Reed Solomon sequence based sub channel to
Supporting wide minimize other RASs interference
In the cell edge with band SINR area, the operation
coverage
guaranteed with low rate FEC
Supporting safety channel in order to reduce interference of
the cell edge area
Employing H-ARQ to enhanced link performance
Guaranteeing mobility up to 60 km/h speed
Supporting mobility Short OFDM symbol length can minimize the degradation
due to the mobility.
The pilot structure supporting channel estimation under
mobility
Employing variable duty rates of TDD DL/UL
Flexible resource 1:1, 2:1, 5:1 DL/UL ratios are available
allocation for multiple To support multiple subscriber scheduling algorithm,
subscriber management of the status of individual terminals and packet
scheduling algorithm are considered
Supporting various QoS Best effort/Real-time polling/Non-real-time polling
Handheld support Supporting sleep mode to reduce terminal power
consumption
TDD Smart Antenna To apply the Smart Antenna for low mobility user
(Optional feature)

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 WiMAX
4.2 Technology: WiMAX Design

The design of the WiMAX is ideal for challenges related with earlier versions of
wired and wireless access networks. At the same time the backhaul connects the
WiMAX system to the network, it is not an integrated part of WiMAX system. Normally
a WiMAX network consists of two parts, a WiMAX Base Station (BS) and a WiMAX
receiver also referred as Customer Premise Equipment (CPE).

Backhaul

Backhaul is actually a connection system from the Access Point (AP) back to the
provider and to the connection from the provider to the network. A backhaul can set out
any technology and media provided; it connects the system to the backbone. In most of
the WiMAX deployments circumstances, it is also possible to connect several base
stations with one another by use of high speed backhaul microware links. This would
also allow for roaming by a WiMAX subscriber from one base station coverage area to
another, similar to roaming enabled by cellular phone.

Receiver

A WiMAX receiver, which is also referred as Customer Premise Equipment

(CPE), may have a separate antenna or could be a stand-alone box or a PCMCIA card
that inserted in a laptop or a desktop computer. Access to a WiMAX base station is
similar to accessing a wireless access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi network, but the coverage is
more.

So far one of the biggest restrictions to the widespread acceptance of WiMAX

has been the cost of CPE. This is not only the cost of CPE itself, but also that of
installation. In the past, Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) have been predominantly
Line Of Sight (LOS), requiring highly skilled labour and a truck role to install and
provide a service to customer. The concept of a self-installed CPE has been difficult for
BWA from the beginning, but with the advent of WiMAX, this issue seems to be getting
resolvedBase Station (BS).

A WiMAX base station comprises of internal devices and a WiMAX tower. A

base station can normally covers the area of about 50 kilometres or 30 miles radius, but

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 WiMA
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some other and environmental issues bound the limits of WiMAX range to 10 km or 6
miles. Any wireless user within the coverage area would be able to access the WiMAX
services (Fig: 2). The WiMAX base stations would use the media access control layer
defines in the standard and would allocate uplink and downlink bandwidth to
subscribers according to their requirements on real time basis.

4.2 WIMAX TOWER

WIMAX TOWER

4.3 Types of WiMAX

The WiMAX family of standards concentrate on two types of usage models a

fixed usage model and a mobile usage model. The basic element that differentiates these
systems is the ground speed at which the systems are designed to manage. Based on
mobility, wireless access systems are designed to operate on the move without any
disruption of service; wireless access can be divided into three classes; stationary,
pedestrian and vehicular.

A mobile wireless access system is one that can address the vehicular class,
whereas the fixed serves the stationary and pedestrian classes. This raises a question

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 WiMA
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about the nomadic wireless access system, which is referred to as a system that works as
a fixed wireless access system but can change its location.

Fixed WiMAX

Service and consumer usage of WiMAX for fixed access is expected to reflect
that of fixed wire-line service, with many of the standards-based requirements being
confined to the air interface. Because communications takes place via wireless links
from Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) to a remote Non Line-of-sight (NLOS) base
station, requirements for link security are greater than those needed for a wireless
service. The security mechanisms within the IEEE 802.16 standards are sufficient for
fixed access service.

Another challenge for the fixed access air interface is the need to set up high
performance radio links capable of data rates comparable to wired broadband service,
using equipment that can be self installed indoors by users, as is the case for Digital
Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable modems. IEEE 802.16 standards provide advanced
physical (PHY) layer techniques to achieve link margins capable of supporting high
throughput in NLOS environments.

Mobile WiMAX

The 802.16a extension, refined in January 2003, uses a lower frequency of 2 to

11 GHz, enabling NLOS connections. The latest 802.16e task group is capitalizing on
the new capabilities this provides by working on developing a specification to enable
mobile WiMAX clients. These clients will be able to hand off between WiMAX base
stations, enabling users to roam between service areas.

Department of ECE, SVCE 13

 WiMAX
CHAPTER 5
WIMAX TECHNOLOGIES CHALLENGE

WiMAX, more flexibility and security

Unlike WLAN, WiMAX provides a media access control (MAC) layer that uses
a grant-request mechanism to authorize the exchange of data. This feature allows better
exploitation of the radio resources, in particular with smart antennas, and independent
management of the traffic of every user. This simplifies the support of real-time and
voice applications. One of the inhibitors to widespread deployment of WLAN was the
poor security feature of the first releases. WiMAX proposes the full range of security
features to ensure secured data exchange:

terminal authentication by exchanging certificates to prevent rogue devices,

user authentication using the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP),

data encryption using the Data Encryption Standard (DES) or Advanced

Encryption Standard (AES), both much more robust than the Wireless
Equivalent Privacy (WEP) initially used by WLAN. Furthermore, each service
is encrypted with its own security association and private keys.

WiMAX, a very efficient radio solution

WiMAX must be able to provide a reliable service over long distances to

customers using indoor terminals or PC cards (like today's WLAN cards). These
requirements, with limited transmit power to comply with health requirements, will
limit the link budget. Subchannelling in uplink and smart antennas at the base station
has to overcome these constraints. The WiMAX system relies on a new radio physical
(PHY) layer and appropriate MAC layer to support all demands driven by the target
applications. The PHY layer modulation is based on OFDMA, in combination with a
centralized MAC layer for optimized resource allocation and support of QoS for
different types of services (VoIP, real-time and non real-time services, best effort). The
OFDMA PHY layer is well adapted to the NLOS propagation environment in the 2 - 11
GHz frequency range. It isinherently robust when it comes to handling the significant

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 WiMA
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delay spread caused by the typical NLOS reflections. Together with adaptive
modulation, which is applied to each subscriber individually according to the radio
channel capability, OFDMA can provide a high spectral efficiency of about 3 - 4
bit/s/Hz. However, in contrast to single carrier modulation, the OFDMA signal has an
increased peak: average ratio and increased frequency accuracy requirements.
Therefore, selection of appropriate power amplifiers and frequency recovery concepts
are crucial. WiMAX provides flexibility in terms of channelization, carrier frequency,
and duplex mode (TDD and FDD) to meet a variety of requirements for available
spectrum resources and targeted services. An important and very challenging function of
the WiMAX system is the support of various advanced antenna techniques, which are
essential to provide high spectral efficiency, capacity, system performance, and
reliability:

• beam forming using smart antennas provides additional gain to bridge long
distances or to increase indoor coverage; it reduces inter-cell interference and
improves frequency reuse,

• transmit diversity and MIMO techniques using multiple antennas take advantage

of multipath reflections to improve reliability and capacity.

WiMAX technology can provide coverage in both LOS and NLOS conditions.
NLOS has many implementation advantages that enable operators to deliver broadband
data to a wide range of customers. WiMAX technology has many advantages that allow
it to provide NLOS solutions, with essential features such as OFDM technology,
adaptive modulation and error correction. 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. For the first time, broadband wireless operators will be able to deploy
standardized equipment with the right balance of cost and performance; choosing the
appropriate set of features for their particular business model.

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 WiMAX
System performance

Table 5.1 gives typical cell size and throughput at 3.5 GHz in various
configuration and environments.

Environment Typical cell size Sector throughput

Urban indoor (NLOS) channel 1 km (5/8 miles) 21 Mbit/s w.10MHz

Suburban indoor (NLOS) channel 2.5 km (1.5 miles) 22 Mbit/s w.10 MHz
Suburban outdoor (LOS) channel 7 km (4 miles) 22 Mbit/s w. 10 MHz
Rural indoor (NLOS) channel 5 km (3 miles) 4.5Mbit/s w.3.5 MHz
Rural outdoor (LOS) channel 15 km (9 miles) 4.5Mbit/s w.3.5MHz

5.1 Typical Cell Size and Throughput

Department of ECE, SVCE 16

 WiMAX
CHAPTER 6

WIMAX A COMPLEMENT TO A FIXED & MOBILE ACCESS

WiMAX integrates perfectly into existing fixed and mobile networks,

complementing them when needed. This section gives a more detailed analysis of
WiMAX integration into fixed and the mobile markets.

WiMAX for fixed wireless access

Nationwide broadband access has become a priority in many countries. In most

developed countries, the average broadband coverage will reach 90% in the coming
years. Still, in some rural areas of such countries, broadband coverage will not exceed
50%.The service gap can be categorized by two characteristics: the type of area (rural or
urban) and the level of national development (see Table 1). In developed countries, DSL
service deployment has been massive in urban and sub-urban deployments, whereas
coverage of remote areas - smaller towns and rural areas - is lagging behind.

Hurdles to overcome are the poor line quality of the installed copper base, the
large distances to the central offices or cabinets, or the low population density. In this
context, WiMAX, with its QoS support, longer reach, and data rates similar to DSL, is
naturally positioned as a viable first mile option to offer broadband access to residential
users.

In emerging countries, the main focus of broadband deployment is on urban and

suburban areas, and will remain so in the near future. The low POTS penetration and the
low quality of the copper pair prevent mass scale DSL deployment and foster the need
for alternate broadband technologies. In this context, WiMAX is positioned as an
excellent option. Moreover, the possibility of offering broadband services in
combination with voice services will gradually lead to narrowband WLL substitution.
Parameters such as availability of the copper, distance to the remote unit/central office,
backhauling costs, and teledensity will drive the choice for one or other of these
solutions. For further details, refer to the article "Providing Always-on Broadband
Access to Under-served Areas" in the Alcatel Telecommunication Review(Q4 2003).
WiMax is of interest for large enterprises with several locations in the same
metropolitan area. WiMax will permit Operator's bypass under license conditions:

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 WiMA
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building a metropolitan private network of IP lines at a very low cost (no civil works).
The comparison to leased lines rental fee is in favor of Wimax even for two sites only.

Deployment topologies

Several topology and backhauling options are to be supported on the WiMAX

base stations: wireline backhauling (typically over Ethernet), microwave Point-to-Point
connection, as well as WiMAX backhaul. See Figure 3. With the latter option, the base
station has the capability to backhaul itself. This can be achieved by reserving part of
the bandwidth normally used for the end-user traffic and using it for backhauling
purposes.

WiMAX, the natural complement to mobile and Wi-Fi networks

Mobile networks offer full mobility, nation-wide coverage voice support and
moderate data rates. WiMAX can then be positioned as a complementary solution by
offering higher bandwidth when required, in particular in dense urban areas. Public
WLAN, while offering clear benefits, is limited in coverage and mobility capabilities.
WiMAX by-passes these limitations and offers broadband connectivity in larger areas
(hotzones). Wi-Fi and WiMAX solutions are also complementary, with Wi-Fi being
more adapted for short-range, indoor connections (in particular in the enterprise and at
home) and WiMAX for long- range outdoor connections.

From nomadicity to Portable Internet

While nomadicity offers connectivity within the coverage area of a single base
station, Portable Internet implies session continuity throughout the network. In addition
a new generation of networks with multi-access (3G, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, DSL, FTTU, etc.)
enable end-users to enjoy an "Always Best Connected" experience when accessing their
applications via the best available network at home, on the pause, or on the move. See
Figure 4. WiMAX becomes an additional radio access solution in the global network
architecture.

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 WiMAX
The WiMAX CPE

In most case, a simple plug and play terminal, similar to a DSL modem,
provides connectivity. For customers located several kilometers from the WiMAX base
station, a self-install outdoor antenna may be required to improve transmission quality.
To serve isolated customers, a directive antenna pointing to the WiMAX base station
may be required. For customers requesting voice in addition to broadband services,
specific CPE will allow the connection of standard or VoIP phones. Ultimately, WiMAX
chipset will be embedded in data-centric devices.

Operator's business case

WiMAX is of interest for incumbent, alternate, and mobile operators. Some

business cases are possible.

• The incumbent operators can use the wireless technology as a complement to

DSL, allowing them to offer DSL-like services in remote, lowdensity areas that
cannot be served with DSL.

• For alternate operators, the wireless technology is the solution for a competitive
high-speed Internet with applicability in urban or sub-urban areas.

• The larger opportunity will come with the Portable Internet usage,
complementing fixed and mobile solution in urban and suburban areas.
Therefore it will enhance the business case by giving access to a large potential
of end users.

WiMAX, the obvious choice for operators

By integrating WiMAX into their networks, mobile operators can boost their
service with high bandwidth, when necessary, the same applications (messaging,
agenda, location-based services, …) being offered on both networks with a single
billing and subscriber profile. Mobile operators can also reuse existing radio sites and
backhauling equipment to facilitate the deployment of WiMAX. Fixed operators,
incumbent or alternate, will offer nomadic and Portable Internet usage as an addition to
their fixed access offering to complement their DSL and Wi-Fi bundle. For those having
deployed WiMAX for fixed access, this is also a natural evolution of their offering.

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CHAPTER 7

WIMAX SPECTRUM AND REGULATION ISSUES

WiMAX-compliant equipment will be allowed to operate in both licensed and

unlicensed bands. The minimum channel bandwidth for WiMAX usage is 1.75 MHz per
channel, while 10 MHz is considered as an optimum. Although 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
non-licensed bands are largely available, their usage could be limited to trials because
of the risks of interference preventing QoS commitments. The 2.5 and 3.5 GHz licensed
bands will be the most common bands for WiMAX applications. It should be noted that
the 5 GHz band is also partially licensed in some countries. Most countries have already
allocated licensed spectrum, generally to alternate operators. Nevertheless large
quantities of spectrum are still in process of allocation, and some countries have not
even defined any WiMAX licensed bands yet. WiMAX is designed to accommodate
either Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), which is more suited to enterprise traffic,
or Time Division Duplexing (TDD), which is more adapted to asymmetrical traffic.
Cohabitation of FDD and TDD techniques is possible within the same bands, provided
guard bands are implemented.

Throughput, Scalability, QoS, and Security

Throughput

By using a robust modulation scheme, IEEE 802.16 delivers high throughput at

long ranges with a highlevel of spectral efficiency that is also tolerant of signal
reflections. Dynamic adaptive modulation allows the base station to tradeoff throughput
for range. For example, if the base station cannot establish a robust link to a distant
subscriber using the highest order modulation scheme, 64 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude
Modulation), the modulation order is reduced to 16 QAM or QPSK (Quadrature Phase
Shift Keying), which reduces throughput and increases effective range.

Scalability

To accommodate easy cell planning in both licensed and license-exempt

spectrum worldwide, 802.16 supports flexible channel bandwidths. For example, if an
operator is assigned 20 MHz of spectrum, that operator could divide it into two sectors
of 10 MHz each, or 4 sectors of 5 MHz each. By focusing power on increasingly narrow

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sectors, the operator can increase the number of users while maintaining good range and
throughput. To scale coverage even further, the operator can re-use the same spectrum in
two or more sectors by creating proper isolation between base station antennas.

Coverage

In addition to supporting a robust and dynamic modulation scheme, the IEEE

802.16 standard also supports technologies that increase coverage, including mesh
topology and “smart antenna” techniques. As radio technology improves and costs drop,
the ability to increase coverage and throughput by using multiple antennas to create
“transmit” and/or “receive diversity” will greatly enhance coverage in extreme
environments.

Quality of Service

Voice capability is extremely important, especially in underserved international

markets. For this reason the IEEE 802.16a standard includes Quality of Service features
that enable services including voice and video that require a low-latency network. The
grant/request characteristics of the 802.16 Media Access Controller (MAC) enables an
operator to simultaneously provide premium guaranteed levels of service to businesses,
such as T1-level service, and high-volume “best-effort” service to homes, similar to
cable-level service, all within the same base station service area cell.

Security

Privacy and encryption features are included in the 802.16 standard to support
secure transmissions and provide authentication and data encryption.

Benefits of Standards

Standards are important for the wireless industry because they enable economies of
scale that can bring down the cost of equipment, ensure interoperability, and reduce
investment risk for operators. Without industry-wide standards, equipment manufacturers
must provide all the hardware and software building blocks and platforms for themselves,
including the fundamental silicon, the sub- scriber station, the base station, and the network
management software that is used to provision services and remotely manage the subscriber
station. With the 802.16 standard in place, suppliers can amortize their research and
development costs over much higher product volume.

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For example, a volume silicon supplier can supply the same standard component to
many equipment makers at a far lower cost than would be possible if the device
manufacturers were required to develop proprietary silicon for use only by their
equipment. Standards also specify minimum performance criteria for equipment,
enabling a common broadband wireless access baseline platform that equipment
manufacturers can use as the foundation for ongoing innovations and faster time to
market. With its broad industry support, the 802.16 standard lets device manufacturers
and solutions vendors do what they do best, achieving overall price/performance
improvements and opening mass-market opportunities that cannot be equaled by
proprietary approaches.

WiMAX Focuses on Interoperability

WiMAX (the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access Forum) is a

non-profit corporation formed by equipment and component suppliers, including Intel
Corporation, to promote the adoption of IEEE 802.16 compliant equipment by operators
of broadband wireless access systems. The organization is working to facilitate the
deployment of broadband wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.16 standard by
helping to ensure the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless access
equipment. In this regard, the philosophy of WiMAX for the wireless MAN is
comparable to that of the Wi-Fi* Alliance in promoting the IEEE 802.11 standard for
wireless LANs. In an effort to bring interoperability to Broadband Wireless Access,
WiMAX is focusing its efforts on establishing a unique subset of baseline features
grouped in what is referred to as “System Profiles” that all compliant equipment must
satisfy. These profiles will establish a baseline protocol that allows equipment from
multiple vendors to interoperate, and that also provides system integrators and service
providers with the ability to purchase equipment from more than one supplier. System
Profiles can address the regulatory spectrum constraints faced by operators in different
geographies. For example, a service provider in Europe1 operating in the 3.5 GHz band
who has been allocated 14 MHz of spectrum is likely to want equipment that supports
3.5 and/or 7 MHz channel bandwidths and TDD (time-division duplex) or FDD
(frequency-division duplex) operation. Similarly, a WISP in the U.S. using
licenseexempt spectrum in the 5.8 GHz UNII band may desire equipment that supports
TDD and a 10 MHz bandwidth. WiMAX will establish a structured compliance
procedure based upon the proven test methodology specified by ISO/IEC 96462. The

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process starts with standardized Test Purposes written in English, which are then
translated into Standardized Abstract Test Suites in a language called TTCN3. In
parallel, the Test Purposes are also used as input to generate test tables referred to as the
PICS (Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement) pro forma. The end result is a
complete set of test tools that WiMAX will make available to equipment developers so
they can design in conformance and interoperability during the earliest possible phase of
product development. Typically, this activity will begin when the first integrated
prototype becomes available. Ultimately, the WiMAX suite of conformance tests, in
conjunction with interoperability events, will enable service providers to choose from
multiple vendors of broadband wireless access equipment that conforms to the IEEE
802.16a standard and that is optimized for their unique operating environment.
Internationally, WiMAX will work with ETSI, the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute, to develop similar test suites for the ETSI HIPERMAN standard for
European broadband wireless metropolitan area access. WiMAX has key benefits for
operators. By choosing interoperable, standards-based equipment, the operator reduces
the risk of deploying broadband wireless access systems.

• Economies of scale enabled by the standard help reduce monetary risk.

• Operators are not locked in to a single vendor because base stations will
interoperate with subscriber stations from different manufacturers

• .Ultimately, operators will benefit from lower-cost and higher-performance

equipment, as equipment manufacturers rapidly create product innovations based
on a common, standards-based platform.

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CHAPTER 8

RELATIONSHIP WITH DIFFERENT WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

3G Wi-Fi 802.11 WiMax 802.16 Mobile-Fi

802.20
Max Speed 2 Mbps 54 Mbps 100 Mbps 16 Mbps
Coverage Several miles 300 feet 50 miles Several miles
Airwave Licensed Unlicensed Either Licensed
Advantage Range, mobility Speed, price Speed, range Speed, mobility
Disadvantages Slow, expensive Short range Interference High price
Issues

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CHAPTER 9
CONCLUSION

The latest developments in the IEEE 802.16 group are driving a broadband
wireless access (r) evolution thanks to a standard with unique technical characteristics.
In parallel, the WiMAX forum, backed by industry leaders, helps the widespread
adoption of broadband wireless access by establishing a brand for the technology.
Initially, WiMAX will bridge the digital divide and thanks to competitive equipment
prices, the scope of WiMAX deployment will broaden to cover markets where the low
POTS penetration, high DSL unbundling costs, or poor copper quality have acted as a
brake on extensive high-speed Internet and voice over broadband. WiMAX will reach
its peak by making Portable Internet a reality. When WiMAX chipsets are integrated
into laptops and other portable devices, it will provide high-speed data services on the
move, extending today's limited coverage of public WLAN to metropolitan areas.
Integrated into new generation networks with seamless roaming between various
accesses, it will enable end users to enjoy an "Always Best Connected" experience. The
combination of these capabilities makes WiMAX attractive for a wide diversity of
people: fixed operators, mobile operators and wireless ISPs, but also for many vertical
markets and local authorities. Alcatel, the worldwide broadband market leader with a
market share in excess of 37%, is committed to offer complete support across the entire
investment and operational cycle required for successful deployment of WiMAX
services

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CHAPTER 10
REFERENCES

1) www.ewh.ieee.org/r4/chicago/Yu-WiMAX.pdf
2) http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wimax.htm
3) www.wimaxforum.org

4) http://standards.ieee.org/catalog/olis/lanman.html

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