WMAN, part 1

Contents

Part 1: IEEE 802.16 family of standards

Protocol layering
TDD frame structure
MAC PDU structure

Part 2: Dynamic QoS management

OFDM PHY layer

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16

The standard IEEE 802.16 defines the air interface, including

the MAC layer and multiple PHY layer options, for fixed
Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) systems to be used in a
Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) for residential
and enterprise use. IEEE 802.16 is also often referred to as
WiMax. The WiMax Forum strives to ensure interoperability
between different 802.16 implementations - a difficult task
due to the large number of options in the standard.
IEEE 802.16 cannot be used in a mobile environment. For this
purpose, IEEE 802.16e is being developed. This standard will
compete with the IEEE 802.20 standard (still in early phase).

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 standardization

The first version of the IEEE 802.16 standard was completed

in 2001. It defined a single carrier (SC) physical layer for line-
of-sight (LOS) transmission in the 10-66 GHz range.
IEEE 802.16a defined three physical layer options (SC, OFDM,
and OFDMA) for the 2-11 GHz range.
IEEE 802.16c contained upgrades for the 10-66 GHz range.
IEEE 802.16d contained upgrades for the 2-11 GHz range.
In 2004, the original 802.16 standard, 16a, 16c and 16d were
combined into the massive IEEE 802.16-2004 standard.

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 WMAN, part 1

Uplink / downlink separation

IEEE 802.16 offers both TDD (Time Division Duplexing) and

FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) alternatives.
Wireless devices should avoid transmitting and receiving at
the same time, since duplex filters increase the cost:
TDD: this problem is automatically avoided
FDD: IEEE 802.16 offers semi-duplex operation as an
option in Subscriber Stations.
(Note that expensive duplex filters are also the reason why
IEEE 802.11 WLAN technology is based on CSMA/CA instead
of CSMA/CD.)

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Uplink / downlink separation

Frame n-1 Frame n Frame n+1

TDD … …
TDD
Adaptive

… … Frequency 1
FDD
FDD
… … Frequency 2

Semi-
Semi- … … Downlink
Downlink
duplex
duplex
FDD … … Uplink
FDD Uplink

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 PHY

IEEE 802.16-2004 specifies three PHY options for the 2-11 GHz
band, all supporting both TDD and FDD:
WirelessMAN-SCa (single carrier option), intended for a
line-of-sight (LOS) radio environment where multipath
propagation is not a problem
WirelessMAN-OFDM with 256 subcarriers (mandatory for
license-exempt bands) will be the most popular option in
the near future
WirelessMAN-OFDMA with 2048 subcarriers separates users
in the uplink in frequency domain (complex technology).

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 basic architecture

BS Subscriber line SS
Fixed
replacement AP
network

Point-to-multipoint AP
transmission
SS 802.11
BS = Base Station WLAN
SS
SS = Subscriber Station

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 protocol layering

ATM
ATM IP
IP
transport transport Like IEEE 802.11, IEEE
transport transport 802.16 specifies the
Service Medium Access Control
ServiceSpecific
SpecificConvergence
Convergence
Sublayer (MAC) and PHY layers of
Sublayer(CS)
(CS)
the wireless transmission
system.
MAC

MAC
MACCommon
CommonPart
PartSublayer
Sublayer
(MAC
(MACCPS)
CPS) The IEEE 802.16 MAC
layer consists of three
Privacy
Privacysublayer
sublayer sublayers.

Physical
PhysicalLayer
Layer(PHY)
(PHY)

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 protocol layering

ATM IP CS adapts higher layer

ATM IP
transport transport protocols to MAC CPS.
transport transport
Service CS maps data (ATM cells
ServiceSpecific
SpecificConvergence
Convergence or IP packets) to a
Sublayer
Sublayer(CS)
(CS) certain unidirectional
connection identified by
MAC

MAC
MACCommon
CommonPart
PartSublayer
Sublayer
(MAC the Connection Identifier
(MACCPS)
CPS) (CID) and associated
Privacy with a certain QoS.
Privacysublayer
sublayer
May also offer payload
Physical
PhysicalLayer
Layer(PHY)
(PHY) header suppression.

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 protocol layering

ATM IP MAC CPS provides the

ATM IP
transport transport core MAC functionality:
transport transport
• System access
Service
ServiceSpecific
SpecificConvergence
Convergence
Sublayer
Sublayer(CS)
(CS) • Bandwidth allocation
• Connection control
MAC

MAC
MACCommon
CommonPart
PartSublayer
Sublayer
(MAC
(MACCPS)
CPS) Note: QoS control is
applied dynamically to
Privacy
Privacysublayer
sublayer every connection
individually.
Physical
PhysicalLayer
Layer(PHY)
(PHY)

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 protocol layering

ATM
ATM IP
IP
transport
transport transport
transport
Service
ServiceSpecific
SpecificConvergence
Convergence
Sublayer
Sublayer(CS)
(CS)
MAC

MAC
MACCommon
CommonPart
PartSublayer
Sublayer
(MAC
(MACCPS)
CPS) The privacy sublayer
Privacy provides authentication,
Privacysublayer
sublayer
key management and
Physical encryption.
PhysicalLayer
Layer(PHY)
(PHY)

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 WMAN, part 1

IEEE 802.16 protocol layering

ATM
ATM IP
IP
transport
transport transport
transport
Service
ServiceSpecific
SpecificConvergence
Convergence
Sublayer
Sublayer(CS)
(CS)
IEEE 802.16 offers three
MAC

MAC
MACCommon
CommonPart
PartSublayer
Sublayer PHY options for the 2-11
(MAC
(MACCPS)
CPS) GHz band:
Privacy
Privacysublayer
sublayer • WirelessMAN-SCa
• WirelessMAN-OFDM
Physical
PhysicalLayer
Layer(PHY)
(PHY)
• WirelessMAN-OFDMA

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 WMAN, part 1

WiMAX

The WiMax (Worldwide ATM IP

ATM IP
Interoperability for Microwave transport transport
transport transport
Access) certification program of Service
ServiceSpecific
SpecificConvergence
Convergence
the WiMax Forum addresses Sublayer (CS)
Sublayer (CS)
compatibility of IEEE 802.16
MAC
MACCommon
CommonPart
PartSublayer
equipment (MAC CPS)
Sublayer
(MAC CPS)
=> Privacy
Privacysublayer
sublayer
WiMax ensures interoperability Physical
PhysicalLayer
Layer(PHY)
(PHY)
of equipment from different
vendors. WiMax

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 WMAN, part 1

Overall TDD frame structure (1)

The following slides present the overall IEEE 802.16 frame

structure for TDD.
It is assumed that the PHY option is WirelessMAN-OFDM, since
this presumably will be the most popular PHY option (in the
near future). The general frame structure is applicable also to
other PHY options, but the details may be different.

Frame
Frame n-1
n-1 Frame
Frame n
n Frame
Frame n+1
n+1 Frame
Frame n+2
n+2
Frame length 0.5, 1 or 2 ms

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 WMAN, part 1

Overall TDD frame structure (2)

Frame
Frame n-1
n-1 Frame
Frame n
n Frame
Frame n+1
n+1 Frame
Frame n+2
n+2

DL subframe UL subframe

DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY … UL
UL PHY
PHY
PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1 burst
burst kk

TDM signal For initial For BW TDMA bursts from

in downlink ranging requests different subscriber
stations (each with
Adaptive its own preamble)

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (1)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

The DL subframe starts with a preamble (necessary for frame

synchronization and equalization) and the Frame Control
Header (FCH) that contains the location and burst profile of
the first DL burst following the FCH. The FCH is one OFDM
symbol long and is transmitted using BPSK modulation.

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (2)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

The first burst in downlink contains the downlink and uplink

maps (DL MAP & UL MAP) and downlink and uplink channel
descriptors (DCD & UCD). These are all contained in the first
MAC PDU of this burst. The burst may contain additional MAC
PDUs.

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (3)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

DL
DL MAP
MAP
UL
UL MAP
MAP The downlink map (DL MAP) indicates the
DCD
DCD starting times of the downlink bursts.
UCD
UCD

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (4)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

DL
DL MAP
MAP
UL
UL MAP
MAP The uplink map (UL MAP) indicates the
DCD
DCD starting times of the uplink bursts.
UCD
UCD

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (5)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

DL
DL MAP
MAP
The downlink channel descriptor (DCD)
UL
UL MAP
MAP describes the downlink burst profile
DCD
DCD (i.e., modulation and coding combination)
UCD
UCD for each downlink burst.

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (6)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

DL
DL MAP
MAP
The uplink channel descriptor (UCD)
UL
UL MAP
MAP describes the uplink burst profile (i.e.,
DCD
DCD modulation and coding combination)
UCD
UCD and preamble length for each UL burst.

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 WMAN, part 1

Modulation and coding combinations

Modulation Coding Info bits / Info bits / Peak data

rate subcarrier symbol rate (Mbit/s)

BPSK 1/2 0.5 88 1.89

QPSK 1/2 1 184 3.95
QPSK 3/4 1.5 280 6.00
16-QAM 1/2 2 376 8.06
16-QAM 3/4 3 568 12.18
64-QAM 2/3 4 760 16.30
64-QAM 3/4 4.5 856 18.36

Depends on chosen bandwidth (here 5 MHz is assumed)

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (7)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n
BPSK … … 64 QAM

Downlink bursts are transmitted in order of decreasing

robustness. For example, with the use of a single FEC type
with fixed parameters, data begins with BPSK modulation,
followed by QPSK, 16-QAM, and 64-QAM.

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (8)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n
Sorry, I
cannot
BPSK … … 64 QAM decode …

A subscriber station (SS) listens to all bursts it is capable of

receiving (this includes bursts with profiles of equal or
greater robustness than has been negotiated with the base
station at connection setup time).

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (9)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

A subscriber station (SS) does not know which DL burst(s)

contain(s) information sended to it, since the Connection ID
(CID) is located in the MAC header, not in the DL PHY PDU
header.

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 WMAN, part 1

DL subframe structure (10)

… UL
UL PHY
PHY DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY …
burst
burst kk PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1

Preamble
Preamble FCH
FCH DL
DL burst
burst 1
1 … DL
DL burst
burst n
n

MAC
MAC PDU
PDU 1
1 … MAC
MAC PDU
PDU kk pad
pad

IEEE 802.16 offers concatenation of several

MAC PDUs within a single transmission burst.

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 WMAN, part 1

UL subframe structure (1)

DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY … UL
UL PHY
PHY
PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1 burst
burst kk

The uplink subframe starts with a contention slot that offers

subscriber stations the opportunity for sending initial ranging
messages to the base station (corresponding to RACH
operation in GSM).
A second contention slot offers subscriber stations the
opportunity for sending bandwidth request messages to the
base station.

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 WMAN, part 1

UL subframe structure (2)

DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY … UL
UL PHY
PHY
PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1 burst
burst kk

The usage of bandwidth request messages in this contention

slot (and response messages in downlink bursts) offers a
mechanism for achieving extremely flexible and dynamical
operation of IEEE 802.16 systems.
Bandwidth (corresponding to a certain modulation and
coding combination) can be adaptively adjusted for each
burst to/from each subscriber station on a per-frame basis.

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 WMAN, part 1

Example: Efficiency vs. robustness trade-off

Large distance => high attenuation => low bit rate

SS

SS 64 QAM BS

16 QAM
SS
QPSK

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 WMAN, part 1

UL subframe structure (3)

DL
DL PHY
PHY Contention
Contention Contention
Contention UL
UL PHY
PHY … UL
UL PHY
PHY
PDU
PDU slot
slot A
A slot
slot B
B burst
burst 1
1 burst
burst kk

UL PHY burst = UL PHY PDU

Preamble
Preamble MAC
MAC PDU
PDU 1
1 … MAC
MAC PDU
PDU kk pad
pad

Preamble in IEEE 802.16 offers concatenation of several

each uplink MAC PDUs within a single transmission burst
burst. also in uplink.

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 WMAN, part 1

MAC PDU structure

6 bytes 0 - 2041 bytes 4 bytes

MAC
MAC Header
Header MAC
MAC Payload
Payload CRC-32
CRC-32

Two MAC header MAC payload contains For error

formats: management message control
or user data
1. Generic MAC
header (HT=0)
2. Bandwidth No MAC payload, no CRC
request header
(HT=1)

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 WMAN, part 1

Generic MAC header (1)

Length
Lengthof ofMAC
MAC
PDU
PDUin inbytes
bytes
(incl.
(incl.header)
header)

Connection
ConnectionIDID
(CID)
(CID)isisin
inMAC
MAC
header!
header!

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 WMAN, part 1

Generic MAC header (2)

Encryption
Encryption
control
control

CRC
CRCindicator
indicator

Encryption
Encryptionkey
key
sequence
sequence

Header
Headercheck
check
sequence
sequence

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 WMAN, part 1

Bandwidth request header

The
Thebandwidth
bandwidth
Type (3) BR msb (11)
request
request(BR)
(BR)field
field
indicates
indicatesthe
the
number
numberof ofuplink
uplink
bytes
bytesrequested
requested

000
000--incremental
incremental
001
001--aggregate
aggregate
bandwith
bandwithrequest
request

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 WMAN, part 1

Significance of Type field

This field indicates if (and what kind of)

MAC subheader(s) is (are) inserted in
the PDU payload after the MAC header.

Subheader

MAC
MAC Header
Header MAC
MAC PDU
PDU CRC-32
CRC-32

MAC subheaders are used for: a) Fragmentation

b) Packing
c) Grant management

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 WMAN, part 1

Fragmentation
Fragmentation is the process by which a MAC SDU is divided
into one or more MAC PDUs. This process allows efficient use
of available bandwidth relative to the QoS requirements of a
connection’s service flow.

MAC SDU

MAC PDUs

H
H T
T H
H T
T H
H T
T

Fragmentation subheaders

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 WMAN, part 1

Fragmentation subheader (1 byte) format

Number values my be outdated

Fragmentation
FragmentationControl
Control
Fragmentation 00
00––no
nofragmentation
fragmentation
Fragmentation 01
Sequence 01 – lastfragment
– last fragment
SequenceNumber
Number 10 – first fragment
(modulo 10 – first fragment
(modulo8)
8) 11
11––middle
middlefragment
fragment

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 WMAN, part 1

Packing
Packing means that several MAC SDUs are carried in a single
MAC PDU. When packing variable-length MAC SDUs, a packing
subheader is inserted before each MAC SDU.

MAC SDUs
…

MAC PDU
Header
Header CRC
CRC

2-byte packing subheaders

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 WMAN, part 1

Packing subheader (2 byte) format

Number values my be outdated

This
Thisenables
enables
simultaneous
simultaneous
fragmentation
fragmentation
and
andpacking
packing

Length
Length(in
(inbytes)
bytes)of
ofthe
theMAC
MACSDU
SDUororSDU
SDUfragment,
fragment,
including
includingthe
thetwo
twobyte
bytepacking
packingsubheader
subheader

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 WMAN, part 1

Difference between concatenation & packing

Packing = within MAC PDU

MAC
MAC MAC
MAC
Concatenation = within burst SDU
SDU SDU
SDU

MAC
MACPDU
PDU MAC
MACPDU
PDU MAC
MACPDU
PDU

Preamble
Preamble DL
DLor
orUL
ULburst
burst(PHY
(PHYlayer)
layer)

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 WMAN, part 1

Fragmentation & packing

If fragmentation or packing is enabled for a connection, it is

always the transmitting entity (base station in downlink or
subscriber station in uplink) that decides whether or not to
fragment/pack.
Fragmentation and packing can be done at the same time
(see packing subheader structure). In this way the channel
utilisation can be optimised.

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