1. WIMAX
Technology
Mrs. Vasanthi Muniasamy

2. Contents
 Introduction
 Working of WIMAX
 IEEE 802.16 standard
 802.16 Architecture
 IEEE 802.16 Specifications
 Features of WIMAX
 Advantages of WIMAX over WIFI
 WIMAX vs. 3G
 ISSUES in WIMAX vs. 3G
 FUTURE OF WIMAX

3. What is WIMAX?
 WIMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access
 WiMAX refers to broadband wireless networks that are based
on the IEEE 802.16 standard
 WiMAX, which will have a range of up to 31 miles

4. THINK OF INTERNET
 There are three possible ways to access
internet.
• Broadband access
Uses DSL or cable modem at home and T1 or
T3 line at office
• WIFI
Uses WIFI routers at home and hotspots on the
road
• Dial Up Connection

5. NEW TECHNOLOGY
 Broadband access is too expensive and WiFi
coverage is very sparse.
 The new technology promises
• High speed of broadband service
• Wireless rather than wired access
• Broad Coverage

6. Fundamental WiMAX Concepts
 Base Station (BS) The BS is the node that logically connects
wireless subscriber devices to operator networks. The BS
maintains communications with subscriber devices and
governs access to the operator networks.
 Subscriber Station (SS). The SS is a stationary WiMAX-
capable radio system that communicates with a base station,
although it may also connect to a relay station in multi-hop
relay network operations.

7. Fundamental WiMAX Concepts

8. Fundamental WiMAX Concepts
 Mobile Station (MS). An MS is an SS
that is intended to be used while in
motion at up to vehicular speeds.
Compared with fixed (stationary) SSs,
MSs typically are battery operated and
therefore employ enhanced power
management.

9. Fundamental WiMAX Concepts

10. Fundamental WiMAX Concepts
 Relay Station (RS). RSs are SS
configured to forward traffic to other
RSs or SSs in a multi-hop Security Zone
The RS may be in a fixed location (e.g.,
attached to a building) or mobile (e.g.,
placed in an automobile). The air
interface between an RS and an SS is
identical to the air interface between a
BS and an SS.

11. Fundamental WiMAX Concepts
 Operator Network – The operator network encompasses
infrastructure network functions that provide radio access and
IP connectivity services to WiMAX subscribers. These functions
are defined in WiMAX Forum technical specifications as the
access service network (radio access) and the connectivity
service network (IP connectivity). WiMAX devices
communicate using two wireless message types: management
messages and data messages. Data messages transport data
across the WiMAX network. Management messages are used
to maintain communications between an SS/MS and BS, e.g.,
establishing communication parameters, exchanging security
settings, and performing system registration events (initial
network entry, handoffs, etc.)

12. 1) A WiMAX tower, similar in concept to a cell-phone tower - A
single WiMAX tower can provide coverage to a very large area
as big as 3,000 square miles (~8,000 square km).
2) A WiMAX receiver - The receiver and antenna could be a
small box or Personal Computer Memory card, or they could
be built into a laptop the way WiFi access is today
A WIMAX system consists of

13. WIMAX TOWER WIMAX
RECEIVER

14. HOW WIMAX works?

16. WIMAX Scenario
 Consider a scenario where a WiMax-enabled computer
is 10 miles away from the WiMax base station.
 A special encryption code is given to computer to gain
access to base station
 The base station would beam data from the Internet
required for computer (at speeds potentially higher
than today's cable modems)

17. WIMAX Scenario
 The user would pay the provider monthly fee for using
the service. The cost for this service could be much
lower than current high-speed Internet-subscription
fees because the provider never had to run cables
 The WiMAX protocol is designed to accommodate
several different methods of data transmission, one of
which is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
 If WiMAX-compatible computers become very common,
the use of VoIP could increase dramatically. Almost
anyone with a laptop could make VoIP calls

18. WIMAX CHIPS
WiMAX Mini-PCI Reference Design Intel’s first WIMAX chip

19. FEATURES OF WIMAX
 Scalability
 Quality of Service
 Range
 Coverage

20. RANGE
 Optimized for up to 50 Km
 Designed to handle many users spread out
over kilometres
 Designed to tolerate greater multi-path
delay spread (signal reflections) up to 10.0μ
seconds
 PHY and MAC designed with multi-mile range
in mind

21. BENEFITS OF WIMAX
 Speed
• Faster than broadband service
 Wireless
• Not having to lay cables reduces cost
• Easier to extend to suburban and rural areas
 Broad Coverage
• Much wider coverage than WiFi hotspots

22. Benefits to Customers
 Range of technology and service level choices from both
fixed and wireless broadband operators
 DSL-like services at DSL prices but with portability
 Rapidly declining fixed broadband prices
 No more DSL “installation” fees from incumbent

23. Advantages of WiMax over 3G
 Using an assortment of proprietary and
standards-based technologies, such as OFDM
and W-CDMA ,WiMax has a clear advantage
over 3G
 The advantages include
• Higher Throughput
• Low Cost
• Lower Latency

24. Advantages of WiMax over 3G

25. Advantages of WiMax over 3G
 WiMax spectrum is more economical than
3G.
• The price paid per Hz is as much as 1000 times
lower than for 3G spectrum
• The low cost is a clear driver for service
providers to enter the field of wireless services
with WiMax

26. Advantages of WiMax over 3G
 WiMAX is important for mobile broadband
wireless, as it completes 3G by providing
higher performance for data with more than 1
Mbps downstream to allow connection of
laptops and PDAs
 WiMAX technology is the solution for many
types of high-bandwidth applications at the
same time across long distances and will
enable service carriers to converge the all-IP-
based network for triple-play services data,
voice, and video

27. Advantages of WiMax over 3G
 WiMAX interoperable solutions enable
economies of scale through integration of
standard chipsets, making WiMAX Forum
Certified products cost-effective at delivering
high-capacity broadband services at large
coverage distances in Line Of Sight and Non
Line Of Sight conditions

28. USES OF WIMAX

29. More ……

30. FUTURE
 WiMax will be deployed in three stages
• In the first phase WiMaX technology (based on IEEE
802.16-2004) provides fixed wireless connections
• In the second phase WiMaX will be available as a
cheap and self-installing Subscriber Terminal (ST),
linked to PC and to antenna
• The third phase enables portability, thus WiMAX
(based on IEEE 802.16e) will be integrated into
commercial laptops

32. Promises

33. ISSUES in 3G vs. WIMAX
 Deployment of the network
• WIMAX deployment is in the planning stages
and it might take 3-5 years in providing
reasonable coverage in well populated areas
• WiMax may initially be relegated to college
campuses and larger corporate campuses where
people are less mobile and costs containment is
important

34. ISSUES in 3G vs. WIMAX
 Cost Issue
• The main reason to opt for WIMAX is its low cost.
• The price paid per Hz for WIMAX spectrum is as
much as 1000 times lower than for 3G spectrum
• The low cost of WIMAX spectrum compared to 3G is
a clear driver for service providers to enter the field
of wireless services with WIMAX

35. Conclusion (The Final Issue)
 Will WIMAX replace 3G?
• Along with the forthcoming standardization, WiMAX has the
potential to substitute 3G and become a promising 4G
• WiMAX has its distinct identity as either a stand-alone
solution for incumbent and competitive fixed network
operators or as complementary radio access solution for
established 2G and 3G cellular network operators
• Fixed-line operators, on the one hand, may consider WiMAX
as a viable alternative to add mobility to the service
portfolio, leveraging their huge subscriber base, in particular
in countries where 3G licensing is delayed or not affordable

36. THANK YOU