WiMAX Network Design

Part III in a series on how to plan a city-wide wireless WiMAX network. Once a municipality or operator has considered the business model and financial aspects of the WiMAX network and a comprehensive initial site survey has been completed, a preliminary design is required.

The design will leverage the assets and information gained from the site survey and allow the engineer to make a cost effective design choice in terms of equipment and architecture.

A comprehensive initial network design will include the following: - A summary of the overall network objectives, goals, expectations, advantages and challenges from a user and network architecture perspective. This overview should include bandwidth considerations, link availability, frequency selection, number of sites and sectors, type of systems recommended, etc. - The design document will include a network blueprint complete with a detailed parts list showing recommended vendors for access points, cabling, back-up power units, antennas, switches, surge supressors, connectors, jumpers, etc. - A complete "all-in" cost including final engineering, site acquisition, integration, testing, training, site optimization and rigger costs - Detailed point to point backhaul RF link budgets and path profiles for each link in the network.

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WiMAX Network Design

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