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Wimax Technology Overview

WiMAX: An Information Study


WiMAX: An Information Study
This study will define what WiMAX is; provide a brief history of the technology; describe how WiMAX works and discuss its uses and potential benefits. WiMAX has the potential to become an extension to the reach of broadband solutions. WiMAX is still emerging and growing but shows signs of picking up a wider acceptance in the broadband marketplace. Could WiMAX be the broadband of the future?

What is WiMAX?
WiMAX, short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or the Air Interface Standard and designated as 802.16 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), is considered to be a broadband wireless technology (BWA) used to create metropolitan area networks (MAN). The standard covers both the Media Access Control (MAC) and the physical (PHY) layers
According to WiMAX Forum, the consortium behind WiMAX, "WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX will provide fixed, nomadic, portable, and eventually, mobile wireless broadband connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station."
A number of PHY considerations were taken into account in the development of WiMAX. At higher frequencies, line of sight eases the effect of multipath, allowing for wide channels, typically greater than 10 MHz in bandwidth. This provides very high capacity links on both the uplink and the downlink. For sub 11 GHz non line of sight capability is a requirement. The original IEEE 802.16 MAC was enhanced to accommodate different PHYs and services, which address the needs of different environments. The standard is designed to accommodate either Time Division Duplexing (TDD) or Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) deployments, allowing for both full and half-duplex terminals in the FDD case.
The MAC was designed specifically for point-to-multipoint (PMP) wireless access...