WiMax - Technology for Tomorrow - Essay Example

WiMax - A Technology for Tomorrow (How it impacts the GCC Countries) Here Affiliation This paper presents an overview of the development of the new standard for wireless broadband connectivity - the WiMax. The essential components of the technology involved and the benefit it holds, for all who use ICT for conducting their affairs in Government, Business, Schools and Services, are reviewed. WiMax will be the standard of wireless connectivity for many years to come and the only standard that will ensure interconnectivity and inter-operability and it will be to the advantage of the GCC countries to adopt this standard for implementation of wireless and mobile services. The penetration of ICT, and broadband as a means of access, are assessed for the GCC Countries and constraints facing these countries in reaping the full benefits of the modern technology identified. Means to address these problem areas are also suggested. Introduction Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has inundated our lives and every day makes inroads into new areas. Use of broadband to access the internet and other facilities enabled by ICT has become fairly common all over the world, as also in the GCC countries. Till now only T1, DSL or cable based modem connections were possible for broadband access to the internet. Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) offers the new standard for providing access to the benefits of the new age technologies. The speeds at which data and voice and video transmissions can be made with the WiMax connections is unmatched by any of the conventional systems. This essay attempts to provide a brief overview of the WiMax standards being developed for wireless connectivity to broadband services. It also provides an assessment of the penetration and use of ICT in the GCC at present, and identifies the major constraints to rapid deployment of the use of this technology and suggests the ways in which these problems may be addressed in the immediate future. If the region is to keep pace, with the development and use of ICT by other countries, then action has to be initiated now to bring in wireless broadband connectivity, make it available to all citizens and sectors of the economy and above all, to train its people in the operation and use of the fantastic tool provided to us by modern technology. WiMax - A brief description WiMax is a set of evolving standards for point-to-multipoint wireless networking. For many years now point-to-multipoint microwave networks have been in operation. Provided by companies such as Alcatel and Siemens, these were based on proprietary technology, WiMax offers a standardised technology for enabling wireless broadband access to the internet [1]. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) described wireless connection to broadband services in its standard 802.16. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute lays down specifications, similar to IEEE 802.16, for the High-performance Metropolitan Area Network (HiperMAN). Development of standard specifications, covering both IEEE 802.16 and HiperMAN, was considered vital to the promotion of WiMax in order to ensure inter-operability and connectivity of networks provided by different providers. A non profit organisation 'The WiMax Forum' was formed and nearly all companies that are into wireless technology are members, this forum targeted to provide standards and commercialise this technology. The WiMax forum has nearly 100 members at present and represents the vast majority of bodies, commercial and otherwise, involved in developing the wireless protocol for access to the internet. (The term internet is used here and elsewhere in this paper for convenience and includes all transport technologies such as IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet and asynchronous transfer modes). The latest step in wireless computer networking, WiMax has the capability of covering an area having a radius of 30miles, which represents the size of a fairly large metropolis, and that is why such networks are called Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). This compared to a Personal Area Network (PAN) which, like the Bluetooth technology, covers an approximate area having a 33 foot radius and the Local Area Network LAN that covers a typical area of 300 foot radius using WiFi technology. These wireless networks are covered by the IEEE standards 802.16, 802.15 and 802.11 respectively. In case many subscribers are connected to the MAN the speed of data transfer for each of them will fall. In order to avoid this each WiMax base is planned to cover only about 500 subscribers and from this point of view the coverage is expected to be reduced to an area of about 10 mile radius. Although the 802.16 project started as far back as 1998, the main work was done only in 2000-2003. The first standard was published in April 2002. The aim was to make broadband wireless access more widely and cheaply available through MAN. It was only when the next standard was published in April 2003 that WiMax really took off as the dominant standard for wireless broadband technology. The system would be based on base stations set up by the Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP), each station will have hundreds of fixed subscriber stations and will be able to provide instant bandwidth to each subscriber depending on their needs [2]. Advantages of WiMax Traditional methods of access to Internet Protocol (IP) enabled data transfer technologies require the provision of a wire, whether copper or optical fibre. This severely restricts access to broadband services to such areas that have such connectivity. Moreover, the providing companies are reluctant to lay new lines, especially to remote and rural areas that are not considered economically viable for the laying of such lines and cables. Wireless connectivity obviates the need for wires and therefore enables everyone falling within the footprint of the MAN to access the internet, and at speeds considerably higher than wire based systems. By providing a standard specification for the hardware and software components of wireless connectivity WiMax will enable companies to build cheaper and conforming equipment and provide services that are compliant with the laid down specifications. This will allow interconnection and interoperability of the systems. The high speed WiMax will also enable it to be used as a backbone for connecting several LANs to it. WiMax allows for transmissions over a broad range of frequencies, this maximises the speed and allows operations without interfering with other wireless applications. Currently WiMax operates in the 10-66GHz range. Such high frequencies require a direct line of sight between the sender and the receiver and can deliver speeds up to 75 Mbps, using multiple channels it is possible to raise this to 350 Mbps as compared with WiFi that can deliver a maximum of 11 Mbps. IEEE 802.16(a) provides for frequencies in the range of 2 to 11GHz which are much lower than those for 802.16. These low frequencies can penetrate barriers and therefore line of sight is not necessary for linking, these frequencies increase the area of coverage and also do not affect transmission speeds. Another extension of the WiMax standards is the 802.16(b) that operates in the 5-6 GHz range and provides quality of service ensuring priority of transmission of data and voice and video transmissions this is specifically targeted at business requirements. The original 802.16 is mostly embodied in the 802.16(c) extension now. Access to WiMax is obtained by the installation of a chipset on the computer. This chipset is essentially a powerful two-way radio and has the requisite networking circuitry, the antenna is separate and may be installed anywhere depending upon the protocol being used, for example if line of sight is required then the antenna may be placed on the roof of the building. WiMax will face a challenge in the future from IEEE 802.16(e) mobile broadband technology that will provide broadband connectivity on mobile devices such as cellular phones, PDA's and laptops. However, the fixed location requirement is expected to continue to be high and with larger areas becoming feasible the customer base is expected to grow. WiMax provides the following advantages over other modes of broadband access [2]: Quality of Service is much better and allows the WISP to tailor the quality and cost of the service to meet the requirements of the customer. Faster rates of uplink and downlink transfers due to the support it gives to the WMAN service. Improved connectivity is ensured by the adaptive modulation and flexible channel widths. Strong Carrier-Class operation, due to its 'efficient multiple user access' design the expected fall in performance when more and more users join and share the available bandwidth is much less than that experienced with other systems such as the 802.11. WiMax shall also be the most cost effective way of implementing wireless connectivity as compared with other, proprietary, technologies that will have to be patched together and may or may not provided inter connectivity and interoperability between networks. ICT in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) In the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000 it was decided to adopt eight specific Millennium Development Goals to provide agreed benchmarking basis for measuring the progress of global development [3]. ICT incorporation into different systems is one of the identified benchmarks. This report also states that the G-8 initiated the 'Digital Opportunity Task Force' to harness the forces of new technologies to narrow down social and economic inequalities between nations by making these technologies accessible and meaningful for all humanity. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has made huge progress in the implementation of the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in all aspects of business and government. The GCC is one of the first in Africa to implement e-Government. Business, education and services make extensive use of computers and related technology in their day to day affairs. Broadband access to the internet is through DSL and dial-up technology and coverage is good in most of the major cities of the area. Oman has appointed a task force to learn from the mistakes of others, rather than from their own, this taskforce is studying e-government implementation applied elsewhere. The taskforce wants to " remove the stupid rules and regulations and put the whole process on the Internet." and to serve as the e-Oman "godfather" [4]. In Dubai the crown prince has launched his own website as a forum for 'Internet Technology and Digital Medium' [5] to enable a direct contact between the public and their leader. The Kingdom of Bahrain has been the first to introduce e voting. During February 14-15, 2001, the 200,000 Bahraini voters participated in a referendum where they had the opportunity to express their position in a variety of national issues using electronic media [6]. The other GCC countries Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been similarly active in the implementation of ICT and considerable progress has been achieved in all spheres of commerce, services and education. However, in the entire region there is a growing difference between those that have access to and use ICT and those who do not. This is generally referred to as the digital divide. Despite the progress made the region faces some major constraints in the full actualisation of the benefits of the technology due to certain constraints. One of the major constraints is the availability of trained manpower that is fluent in the use of ICT. Leask and Meadows [7] describe information and communications technology as a relatively new subject area for schools. For some years now, schools have taught computers as a subject by itself and have used computers to assist in administration work. ICT is coming to be seen as a basic skill in its own right and cyber literacy a basic requirement. 'Reading and writing are universally accepted as basic entry requirements for social inclusion. However, it is clear that a lack of ICT skills is potentially now as great a barrier to employability and social inclusion as a lack of achievement in literacy and numeric skills have been to date [8]. Addressing the issue of cyber illiteracy and digital divide, Oman has initiated numerous programs on computer and Internet literacy, especially for the Omani women, hoping to at least partially bridge the gap. This is a step in the right direction and the other GCC countries also need to take urgent and substantial steps to: Ensure that ICT skills are imparted as a part of basic education The female population is brought into the mainstream of ICT application and use. The other major constraint, however, remains the lack of access to ICT to all citizens. One of the ways of ensuring this is WiMax. With the incorporation of WiMax the entire region can be provided with access to quality broadband services that will then provide an atmosphere conducive to the learning and application of ICT related skills. Conclusion The above paper and the research work done in its preparation point clearly to certain issues that are of general applicability and some that are specific to the GCC region. It becomes evident that WiMax will be the universal standard for wireless technology in the foreseeable future. The standard has evolved quite well and is now a proven plug-and-play option allowing the WISP companies to use the retail channels to get new customers. It is imperative for the GCC countries to adopt this standard also. The resources required to install and operate networks providing high quality wireless access to the internet at high speeds must be diverted to this area since equity in access will form the basis of future development of the region. The need to provide education in the use and operation of ICT enabled work is an area that needs great stress and this paper suggests that the requirement of fluency in ICT use is as basic as the learning of the alphabet. All GCC countries face a shortage of skills in this area among their general population. Some of this lack can be filled by training the women to take up work in this area. References [1] Vaughan - Nichols S.J. 'Achieving Broadband Access with WiMax' 'Computer', June 2004, 37(6) 10-13. ISSN: 0018-9162. [2] Caroline Gabriel, Lead Analyst: Blue Print WiFi (Report 1)'WiMax: The Critical Wireless Standard' Monthly Research Report October 2003.. ARCHART(2003). [3] Global ICT Department The World Bank Group, 2003 ICT and MDGs A World Bank Group Perspective Pennsylvania Ave [4] 'Oman begins work on e-Sultanate strategy'. Accessed on June 29 2006 from the website http://www.itp.net/features/102058273246315.htm [5] Website: http://www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae [6] Bahrainis Become Middle East's First e-Voters. Accessed on June 19, 2006 from: http://www.symbol.com/news/pressreleases/pr_releases_inter_bahrain.html [7] Leask, M. & Meadows, J. (Eds.). (2000). Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School. London: Routledge. [8] Mellar, H. and Kambouri, M. 'Adult Basic Skills and Digital Technology: Research from the UK' Accessed on 19 June 2006 from: http://www.ioe.ac.uk/hgm/research/SkillsforLife/WYBMellarKambouri.pdf Biography: Please write your biography here. Read More