Analysis of WiMax Technology - Case Study Example

WiMAX Technology 1. WiMAX Technology “WiMAX will make ubiquitous high-speed data services a reality” (Pareek, 17). WiMAX offer to the end user broadband remote access at data rates of several megabytes per second and within a scope of several kilometres. The similar radio technology will also offer high-speed data services to all roaming terminals such as laptops, PDAs, etc. with an optimized trade-off between throughput and coverage. Eventually, it will enable portable Internet usage, reproducing on the move the same user experience as at home or the office (Bahai et. al., 358). 2. The Need for WiMAX The requirement for broadband services is growing exponentially. Conventional solutions that provide high-speed broadband access use wired access technologies, such as traditional cable, digital subscriber line, Ethernet, and fibre optics. It is particularly complicated and costly for carriers to construct and maintain wired networks, particularly in the countryside and distant areas. Carriers are reluctant to set up the required equipment in these areas because of modest turnover and potential. WiMAX will bridge the digital divide in developing countries and transform broadband communications in the industrial world. Reasonably priced wireless broadband access for all is very essential for knowledge-based economy and society. WiMAX offers wireless broadband access for all in a very reasonable cost, thus enhancing the quality of life and heighten economic progress. 3. The Founders of WiMAX The WiMAX Forum, an industry association formed in June 2001, is responsible for developing WiMAX specifications, promoting the technology, and managing the overall certifications of WiMAX products. The organization has a membership of over 370 companies (O’Driscoll, 48). Working toward harmonization, the Forum selected several bands that will conform to the world’s requirements. Essentially, the WiMAX Forum is concentrating on two critical bands, the 2.5GHz or MMDS band and the 3.5GHz band which by far the most abundant broadband spectrum allocated across international borders (Bedell, 485). 4. How WiMAX Works WiMAX is derived from the IEEE or Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers 802.16 air interface standard suite, which provides the wireless technology for nomadic and mobile data access. The IEEE 802.16-2004 standard is designed for stationary transmission, and the 802.16e amendment deals with both stationary and mobile transmissions. WiMAX supports adaptive modulation and programme depending on the channel setting by utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. Wireless systems cover large geographic areas without the need for a costly cable infrastructure to each service access point (Ahson and Ilyas, 8). The IEEE 802.16 standard is a QoS-rich platform where different access methods are supported for different classes of traffic. Best Effort traffic or BE is one of the most essential of these classes as it represents the mainstream of the overall data traffic. WiMAX employs a reservation-based MAC technology which protocols have been a primary access method for broadband access technologies such as General Packet Radio System, Digital Subscriber Line DSL, and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial HFC cable technologies. 5. The Benefit of WiMAX WiMAX offers viable and rapidly deployable substitute to cabled networks such as fibre-optic links, traditional cable or digital subscriber lines, or T1 networks (Ahson and Ilyas, 8). To give users continuous broadband Internet access at home, in the office, or on the road, WiMAX enable new personal broadband service by utilizing fixed and mobile access in one infrastructure. By 2010, there will be 15.4 million WiMAX subscribers, generating $16.5 billion in service revenues. In 2010, 41 percent of subscribers will be in Asia-Pacific countries. However, WiMAX’s achievement will be reliant on the accessibility of 802.16E WiMAX-Certified products and on a considerable decrease of cost for mobile or portable subscribers units (Rao and Radhamani, 295). WiMAX is a very versatile and flexible technology that finds applications in wide variety of scenario. The QoS capability of WiMAX is one of its key benefits since it can support for a wide spectrum of applications, ranging from TDM-like applications with constant bit rates to bursty applications. Another key benefit of the WiMAX standard is its use of adaptive encoding and modulation technique that allow it to dynamically increase robustness at the expense of throughput or increase throughput at the expense of robustness. The MAC protocol of WiMAX is independent of the PHY protocol and this allows for development of newer PHY protocol to fit new applications as well as to take advantage of new technologies. One of its benefits is with the development of OFDM and OFDMA standards. In addition, the MAC also allows support for TDD, FDD, and half-duplex operation. The outcome of this flexibility is wider adaptation of the technology for larger sets of application (Kasim et. al., 492). 6. Applications of WiMAX The primary function of WiMAX technology is a package that would that provide the usual dedicated lines with up to 100 megabytes per second transmission rates using outdoor antennas. These systems normally utilizes old radio equipment before the WiMAX standards came to the industry. The general use of WiMAX is for DSL or wireless broadband access, enabling data to be transferred at rate from 512 kilobytes per second to 1.0 Mbps. The objective is to deliver inexpensive, internal, user-installable site devices with an integrated antenna that need no base-station alignment (International Engineering Consortium, 177). In housing network use, the WiMAX-enabled router receives data from WiMAX base station that is later sent on a network computer. WiMAX protocol can process various systems of data transfer including Voice Over IP that enable user send voice messages anywhere using the same broadband Internet access. (Parrek, 486). 7. Fixed WiMAX 802.16-2004, Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) 802.16-2004, also known as 802.16d, is fixed wireless broadband or WiMAX based on standards set by IEEE. The IEEE 802.16-2004 product profile employ the Fast Fourier Transform or OFDM 256-FFT systems profile. The Fixed WiMAX 802.16-2004 standard supports both time division duplex or TDD and frequency division duplex or FDD services, which delivers full duplex transmission on the same signal if desired. Mobile WiMAX will do the same (Dong, 10). At first, WiMAX was envisioned as wireless technology for fixed-locations. With the utilization of lesser frequencies 2-11 GHz, but, it can also support nomadic mobile users at speeds up to seventy five miles per hour due to the development of the IEEE 802.16e mobile WiMAX standard.. The mobile service will operate in the lower part of the band or < GHz, and will use the same access protocol as the fixed-location systems. The mobile service is intended to function on a joint 15 megabytes channel, handling 512kbps of user data. Wi-Fi and mobile WiMAX can be supported on the same card, that would enable Internet access in 100m hot spot or a 6-km WiMAX hot zone. The 802.16e specifications put WiMAX in tough rivalry with 2.5G/3G mobile services and the up-and-coming IEEE 802.20 or Mobile-Fi standard for mobile broadband wireless access (International Engineering Consortium, 177). 8. Uses of WiMAX as an IS-based solution WiMAX is autonomous of current ‘last mile’ infrastructure and provide better service than cable and DSL because it has more upstream bandwidth. WiMAX system are also extremely manageable as service providers can install more cells to a service area at a price that is considerably lesser than that needed to expand a DSL or cable network. Owing to the low cost and ease of deployment along with its QoS support, longer reach, and data rates similar to DSL, is naturally positioned as a viable last mile option to offer broadband access. WiMAX is a ‘last mile’ technology having the potential to make service delivery cost-effective in various areas where conventional wire technologies are unfeasible (Pareek, 239). WiMAX bridge the digital divide in emerging markets and rural communities by bringing affordable broadband services to businesses and consumers. It delivers bandwidth-intensive, real-time applications on the go in urban setting and brings high-speed, broadband connectivity to rural areas (Rao and Radhamani, 145). WiMAX promises Internet at home, business, or everywhere you go. A standard technology that enable fixed and mobile broadband services high speed and wireless data delivery over large coverage area. WiMAX’s momentous development in swiftness over existing wireless networks, has attracted fresh participants, wireless service providers, cable, wire line, and satellite to use WiMAX standards. An increase in companies providing WiMAX solutions that include infrastructure, applications, devices and services. Since WiMAX solutions are designed to offer high-performance wireless network equipment and services, it enables communities and businesses to communicate without boundaries (Coonan, 71). Designed with QoS, WiMAX move towards convergence such as voice, video, and data transfers all within the same network. WiMAX is capable in managing bandwidth between multiple applications such VoIP, high-speed data, and streaming video. It has a very high data rate with typical channel transmission rates that can reach 100Mbps and 70Mbps thus a single bases station with 4 access units could conceivable deliver 280Mbps. It works with different packet delivery mechanisms including IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet, and virtual local-area network or VLAN. It is highly secure with 802.16a uses triple data encryption standard or DES 128 bit security and RSA 1024-bit. Uses a dynamic access method for MAC that allows time division multiplex on the downlink and time division multiple accesses on the uplink or TDM/TDMA for efficient bandwidth usage. This is a more adaptable access system than CSMA/CA, which is a contention-based access method. TDM/TDMA is excellent for delay-sensitive functions such as voice and video and enable access with less collision to the channel (International Engineering Consortium, 93). More importantly, WiMAX may soon become the premier outdoor wireless network access of choice, with Wi-Fi remaining as the prevalent indoor wireless network. Collectively, both will be able to provide extensive wireless coverage across both settings. Mesh networking solves connectivity challenges as well. Mesh is good for extending Wi-Fi by navigating around physical obstructions that are blocking Wi-Fi signals or by creating small, self-contained networks (Pareek, 220). In summary, these technologies serve a purpose when extending wireless connectivity. 9. Work Cited List Ahson Syed and Ilyas Mohammad. WiMAX: Technologies, Performance Analysis, and QoS. U.S.: CRC Press, 2007 Bahai Ahmad R. S., Saltzberg Burton R., Ergen Mustafa. Multi-carrier Digital Communications: Theory And Applications Of OFDM. U.S.: Springer, 2004 Bedell Paul. Wireless Crash Course. U.S.: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005 Coonan Steve. WiMAX Fundamentals Explained, Understanding Broadband Wireless Networking: Principles, Technology and Applications Handbook. Australia: Lulu.com, 2008 Deepak Pareek.WiMAX: Taking Wireless to the MAX. U.S.: CRC Press, 2006 Dong Jielin. Network Dictionary: Networking, Telecom, Wireless, Internet, Computer and More. U.S.: Javvin Technologies Inc., 2007 International Engineering Consortium. Broadband Wireless and Wimax. U.S.: Intl. Engineering Consortiu, 2005 O'Driscoll Gerard. Next Generation IPTV Services and Technologies. Canada: Wiley-Interscience, 2007 Rao G. S. V. Radha Krishna and Radhamani G. WiMAX: A Wireless Technology Revolution. U.S.: CRC Press, 2007 Read More