Wimax A Wireless Technology Revolution

Abstract

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a standards-based wireless technology for providing high-speed, last-mile broadband connectivity to homes and businesses and for mobile wireless networks. WiMAX is similar to Wi-Fi but offers larger bandwidth, stronger encryption, and improved performance over longer distances by connecting between receiving stations that are not in the line of sight. WiMAX uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation (OFDM) technology, which has a lower power consumption rate. WiMAX can be used for a number of applications, including last-mile broadband connections, hotspots and cellular

backhaul, and high-speed enterprise connectivity for business. It supports broadband

services such as VoIP or video. WiMAX is also a possibility for backhaul technology

in municipal Wi-Fi networks. WiMAX or 802.16 is definitely a hot topic and has a

fair list of industry supporters. Internationally, WiMAX has been finding a home

among emerging markets that don’t have a decent wired infrastructure. In the United

States,

several carriers, such as wireless, wireline, and cable operators, have voiced interest in WiMAX. Intel is shipping its highly integrated WiMAX chip, Rosedale. The Pro/Wireless 5116 chip has two ARM9 cores and an OFDM modem, and targets low-cost, low-chip-count access points and gateways supporting WiMAX. Intel is also working on putting Wi-Fi and WiMAX on the same chip. WiMAX equipment makers, such as Nortel Networks Ltd. and Motorola, say they have been garnering interest from cable providers. WiMAX is essentially a next-generation wireless technology that enhances broadband wireless access. WiMAX comes in two varieties, fixed wireless and mobile. The fixed version, known as 802.16d-2004, was designed to be a replacement

or supplement for broadband cable access or DSL. A recently ratified version, 802.16e-2005, also can support fixed wireless applications, but it allows for

roaming among base stations as well. Thus, the two standards are generally known

as

fixed WiMAX and mobile WiMAX. WiMAX is designed to run in licensed bands of spectrum. It is a more innovative and commercially viable adaptation of a technology already used to deliver broadband wireless services in proprietary installations around the globe. Wireless broadband access systems are already deployed

in more than 125 countries. WiMAX, like Wi-Fi, uses unregulated radio frequency

spectrum, but unlike Wi-Fi, it does not require line of sight and is not limited to a

dozen or so clients per access point. WiMAX can deliver ultra-fast Internet access

over many miles. WiMAX is primarily built around broadband data, rather than

voice, whereas 3G is primarily built around voice, with support for data services. WiMAX could prove disruptive to wireless carriers. Existing mobile operators who want to provide broadband data and voice services could also utilize the technology. WiMAX is also expected to solve the problems of rural connectivity, as it is

suited for remote places that don’t have an established infrastructure of power lines

or telephone poles. WiMAX offers both increased range and download speeds. The demand for broadband connectivity from urban homes and SMBs is growing

rapidly, but this cannot be met effectively by existing wireline technologies. Today, we live in a world where communication has evolved into a landscape that a person in 1990 would scarcely recognize. WiMAX has the potential to provide widespread Internet access that can usher in economic growth, better education and health care, and improved entertainment services. WiMAX can be described as a framework for the evolution of wireless “broadband” rather than a static implementation of wireless technologies. Due to the trend toward mobile applications,

WiMAX has a promising future. This sounds ambitious, but it may indeed be just

what history has shown: when the highway is built the traffic will follow. Low network investment costs and non-line-of-sight operation over licensed or non-licensed

radio spectrum make WiMAX an attractive technology. The ongoing development

of the technology is expected to see WiMAX in digital cameras, phones, and iPod

devices.

Mobile WiMAX is based on OFDMA technology, which has inherent advantages in throughput, latency, spectral efficiency, and advanced antennae sup- port, ultimately enabling it to provide higher performance than today’s wide area wireless technologies. Many next-generation 4G wireless technologies may evolve toward OFDMA, and all IP-based networks are ideal for delivering cost-effective wireless data services. Although we all look forward to WiMAX Mobile and 4G, we can take a large step along the path to this vision of broadband ubiquity via portable services. The WiMAX Forum is an industry nonprofit group that establishes standards for the emerging technology. The WiMAX Forum’s goal is to accelerate the

introduction

of standard broadband devices into the market with fully interoperable

WiMAX Forum Certified products supporting metropolitan area fixed, portable, and mobile broadband applications. Certification means that a WiMAX device complies with the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN standards based on 100 percent success in a series of authorized WiMAX Forum tests covering protocol conformance, radio conformance, and device interoperability. Product certification is a positive development for carriers seeking interoperable equipment choices. The WiMAX Forum is already working toward a framework that will encourage the establishment of global roaming relationships among service providers. The purpose of this book is to present WiMAX as a revolutionary wireless technology that, we believe, could change the wireless technology landscape considerably. This book presents the unique features of WiMAX technology and evaluates the revolutionary approach of WiMAX over contemporary technologies. This

book also showcases the ongoing WiMAX development and deployment activities

around

the world. It analyzes future prospects of WiMAX and its contribution to the wireless and mobile communication technology field. It also explores the economic and opportunity costs of WiMAX implementation. This book covers the mission, product, and services of WiMAX as well as its specific features, such as security and mobile WiMAX. This book presents the best features of WiMAX technology for wireless and can be used as a guide for WiMAX for students, engineers, scientists, professionals, telecommunication business leaders, and technology

lovers. This book is comprised of six chapters and the scope of the chapters is summarized in the following text. The

first chapter provides a complete introduction to WiMAX technology followed by an introduction to the WiMAX Forum and its activities. Chapter 2 presents contemporary technologies of WiMAX such as Wi-Fi, 3G, WiBro, etc. Chapter 3 showcases various features of WiMAX technology and provides a complete technical discussion. Chapters 4 and 5, respectively, present the development

and deployment trends of WiMAX technology around globe. Finally, the last chapter presents an analysis of WiMAX’s future prospects. This chapter also showcases

a few applications of WiMAX technology, such as rural deployment, where we are

personally involved. We also give some of our research concepts on WiMAX security, etc., in this same chapter. We would like to thank Professor Datuk Dr. Ghauth Jasmon, president of Multimedia University (MMU), Malaysia, and Dr. Ewe Hong Tat, dean of the faculty of information technology at MMU for kind assistance and support. Our special thanks to Professor Alfredo Terzoli and Professor Hippolyte N’sung-nza Muyingi of Telkom Center of Excellence, South Africa, for their valuable comments and indepth discussions. Much of this book’s content was collected through continuous

monitoring of the Internet for the last few years. Thanks to the Internet and special thanks to “Google Alerts.” Acknowledgments are due to Rich O’ Hanley and

Catherine Giacari of Taylor & Francis for production of this book. Their efficiency

and amiable manner made working together a pleasure. We are grateful to all others who have indirectly helped us in successfully bringing out this book.