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WiMAX

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with IEEE 802.16.

(Discuss)

WiMAX is defined as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access by the WiMAX

Forum, formed in June 2001 to promote conformance and interoperability of the

IEEE 802.16 standard, officially known as WirelessMAN. The Forum describes WiMAX

as "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless

broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL".

"WiMAX is not a technology, but rather a certification mark, or 'stamp of

approval' given to equipment that meets certain conformity and

interoperability tests for the IEEE 802.16 family of standards. A similar

confusion surrounds the term Wi-Fi, which like WiMAX, is a certification mark

for equipment based on a different set of IEEE standards from the 802.11

working group for wireless local area networks (WLAN). Neither WiMAX, nor

Wi-Fi is a technology but their names have been adopted in popular usage to

denote the technologies behind them. This is likely due to the difficulty of

using terms like 'IEEE 802.16' in common speech and writing." - OECD[1]

Contents [show]

1 Uses

1.1 Broadband Access

1.1.1 Limitations

1.2 Mobile applications

2 Technical info

2.1 MAC layer

2.2 Physical layer

2.3 Advantages over Wi-Fi

2.4 Spectrum Allocations issues

3 Standards

3.1 IEEE 802.16e

3.2 HIPERMAN

3.3 WiBro

4 Associations

4.1 WiMAX Forum

4.2 WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance - WiSOA

5 Competing technologies

5.1 3G and 4G Cellular Phone Systems

5.2 Internet Oriented Systems

5.3 Comparison

5.4 Future developments and IEEE 802.20

6 Current Deployment

7 See also

8 Notes

9 Literature

10 External links

[edit] Uses

The bandwidth and reach of WiMAX make it suitable for the following potential

applications:

Connecting Wi-Fi hotspots with each other and to other parts of the Internet.

Providing a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for last mile (last km)

broadband access.

Providing high-speed mobile data and telecommunications services.

Providing a diverse 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.

Providing Nomadic connectivity.

[edit] Broadband Access

Many companies are closely examining WiMAX for "last mile" connectivity at high

data rates. This could result in lower pricing for both home and business

customers as competition lowers prices.

In areas without pre-existing physical cable or telephone networks, WiMAX may be

a viable alternative for broadband access that has been economically

unavailable. Prior to WiMAX, many operators have been using proprietary fixed

wireless technologies for broadband services.

WiMAX subscriber units are available in both indoor and outdoor versions from

several manufacturers. Self install indoor units are convenient, but the

subscriber must be significantly closer to the WiMAX base station than with

professionally installed units. As such, indoor installed units require a much

higher infrastructure investment as well as operational cost (site lease,

backhaul, maintenance) due to the high number of base stations required to cover

a given area. Indoor units are comparable in size to a cable modem or DSL modem.

Outdoor units allow for the subscriber to be much further away from the WiMAX

base station, but usually require professional installation. Outdoor units are

roughly the size of a textbook, and their installation