WIMAX

Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access
An organization founded in 2001 that promotes the
*IEEE 802.16 wireless broadband standard and
provides certification for devices for compliant devices.
WiMAX is designed to extend local Wi-Fi networks
across greater distances such as a campus, as well as
to provide last mile connectivity to an ISP or other
carrier many miles away. In addition, Mobile WiMAX
offers a voice and higher-speed data alternative to the
cellular networks.
 *The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access
Standards, which was established by IEEE Standards Board in 1999
, aims to prepare formal specifications for the global deployment of
broadband Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks. The Workgroup is
a unit of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee. A related
future technology Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) is
under development in IEEE 802.20.
 TYPES OF WIMAX
• Fixed WIMAX : is
developed based on the
IEEE 802.16-2004 standard
and is optimized for fixed
and nomadic applications in
LOS and NLOS environments
*.

• Mobile WIMAX : is based

on the IEEE 802.16e
standard and targeted
primarily for portable and
mobile applications in NLOS
environment.

 *Line-of-sight (LOS) is a condition where a

signal travels over the air directly
from a wireless transmitter to a wireless
receiver without passing an obstruction.

 * non-line-of-sight (NLOS) is a condition

where a signal from a wireless transmitter
passes several obstructions before arriving
at a wireless receiver. The signal may be
reflected, refracted, diffracted, absorbed or
scattered
WORKING SCENARIO
 HOW WiMAX WORKS?
 In practical terms, WiMAX  A WiMAX tower, similar in
would operate similar to concept to a cell-phone tower -
WiFi but at higher speeds, A single WiMAX tower can
over greater distances and provide coverage to a very
for a greater number of large area -- as big as 3,000
users. WiMAX could square miles (~8,000 square
potentially erase the km).
suburban and rural
blackout areas that  A WiMAX receiver - The
currently have no receiver and antenna could be
broadband Internet access a small box or PCMCIA card,
because phone and cable or they could be built into a
companies have not yet laptop the way WiFi access is
run the necessary wires to today
those remote locations.
 BROADBAND ACCESS
 Many companies are closely examining
 There is the non-line-of-sight, WiFi sort
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
 There is line-of-sight service, where a
proprietary fixed wireless technologies for
broadband services.
 WiMAX operates on the same general
principles as WiFi -- it sends data from one
computer to another via radio signals. A
computer (either a desktop or a laptop)
equipped with WiMAX would receive data
from the WiMAX transmitting station,
probably using encrypted data keys to
prevent unauthorized users from stealing
access.
of service, where a small antenna on your
computer connects to the tower. In this
mode, WiMAX uses a lower frequency
range -- 2 GHz to 11 GHz (similar to WiFi).
Lower-wavelength transmissions are not as
easily disrupted by physical obstructions --
they are better able to diffract, or bend,
around obstacles.
fixed dish antenna points straight at the
WiMAX tower from a rooftop or pole. The
line-of-sight connection is stronger and
more stable, so it's able to send a lot of data
with fewer errors. Line-of-sight
transmissions use higher frequencies,
with ranges reaching a possible 66 GHz. At
higher frequencies, there is less interference
and lots more bandwidth.
EASIEST ACCESS
 COMPARISON WITH WiFi
 WiMAX is a long range (many kilometers) system that uses licensed spectrum to
deliver a point-to-point connection to the Internet from an ISP to an end user.
Different 802.16 standards provide different types of access, from mobile (analogous
to access via a cellphone) to fixed (an alternative to wired access, where the end user's
wireless termination point is fixed in location.)

 Wi-Fi is a shorter range (range is typically measured in hundreds of meters) system

that uses unlicensed spectrum to provide access to Internet or intranet resources.

 The fastest WiFi connection can transmit up to 54 megabits per second under optimal
conditions. WiMAX should be able to handle up to 70 megabits per second. Even
once that 70 megabits is split up between several dozen businesses or a few hundred
home users, it will provide at least the equivalent of cable-modem transfer rates to
each user

 The biggest difference isn't speed; it's distance. WiMAX outdistances WiFi by miles.
WiFi's range is about 100 feet (30 m). WiMAX will blanket a radius of 30 miles (50
km) with wireless access. The increased range is due to the frequencies used and the
power of the transmitter. Of course, at that distance, terrain, weather and large
buildings will act to reduce the maximum range in some circumstances, but the
potential is there to cover huge tracts of land.
 USES OF WiMAX
 Connecting Wi-Fi hotspots with each
other and to other parts of the Internet
for home and office use.

 Providing a wireless alternative to

cable and DSL for last mile (last km)
broadband access.

 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.
 Thanks!
Syed Shakeel Muslim Zaidi
shakeelzaidi@gmail.com