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Engineering Instructions for

WiMAX
msZ xZr Document No.

EI/WIMAX/10-11/66

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18

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Telecom Quality Assurance circle, Bangalore

AlqSi Approved by

The CGM, TQA circle, Bangalore

eU MUl M SlM Date of Issue

31-03-2011

Written by

Krishnaiah.P (QA Circle)

Expert Comments

Rajesh Nagdekar (MH Circle)

Restricted use by BSNL Employees only

All efforts have been made to incorporate all relevant up to date information available, any discrepancies
or need for addition or deletion is felt necessarily may please be intimated to this office for further
improvement,on E-Mail Id cgmtqa_ei@ bsnl.co.in (or) cgmtqa.ei@gmail.com

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Office of Chief General Manager

Telecom Quality Assurance circle
II Floor, Sanchar Complex,
th
BSNL-WMS Compound, 9 Main,
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Tel: 91 80 26533100 Fax: 91 80
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INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSE.

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Contents

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Description
Introduction of Wimax
802.16e technology
WiMAX Technology - Over-View
Network Architecture
Services
Limitation of Wimax
RF Planning Guidelines
Future of Wimax
FAQs
Abbreviations
References

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Introduction
The demand for broadband services is growing exponentially and the
traditional methods of providing the high- speed broadband access use wired
technologies such as cable pair, DSL, Ethernet and optics. Though the optical
fibre provides excellent speeds but the cost of building and operation of the
networks is exorbitant and time taking. Therefore the telecom network
operators are looking for technologies which can be rolled out faster and overall
maintenance is not cumbersome. Wimax is broadband wireless technique
through which fast broadband connection can be established. At present the
backbone network is well established and very reliable. The last mile coverage
is the only hurdle in provision of broadband service in both urban and rural
areas.
Evolution of the Wimax technology
IEEE 802.16

This standard is published in April 2002

A set of air interfaces on a common MAC protocol
Address frequencies between 16 to 66 GHz
It is only Line of sight (LOS) and single carrier

IEEE 802.16 a

Published in January 2003.

Both LOS and NLOS.
It offers Single carrier with 256 FFT OFDM and 1048 FFT OFMDA

IEEE 802.16 -2004

Published in July 2004

Revises and replace all the earlier above standards.
This significant announcement is milestone of the future wimax
technology.

IEEE 802.16e

This standard offers both fixed and mobile broadband access.

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Wimax deployment types

The Wimax can be used to for backhaul , point to multipoint and large
area coverage using the BTS and wi-fi mesh (hot spots). Theoretically a
distance of 50 Kms can be covered with Wimax BTS and Outdoor CPE and
between 7-10 km using the indoor CPE. The mobile ( USB card) carpet
coverage is limited to less than one Km.Below rates presents the data rates
that are possible for given modulation and carrier bandwidth.
Modulation
/code

QPSK

QPSK

16 QAM

16 QAM

64 QAM

64 QAM

1/2

3/4

1/2

3/4

2/3

3/4

1.04
2.08
4.15
8.31
16.62

2.18
4.37.
8.73
12.47
24.94

2.19
5.82
11.64
16.63
33.25

4.36
8.73
17.45
24.94
49.87

5.94
11.88
23.75
33.25
66.49

6.55
13.09
26.18
37.40
74.81

Carrier
band
Width
(MHz)
1.75
3.5
7.0
10.0
20.0

802.16e-2005 Technology
The 802.16 standard essentially standardises two aspects of the air
interface - the physical layer (PHY) and the Media Access Control layer (MAC).
This section provides an overview of the technology employed in these 2 layers
in the mobile 802.16e specification.
PHY
802.16e uses Scalable OFDMA to carry data, supporting channel bandwidths
of between 1.25 MHz and 20 MHz, with up to 2048 sub-carriers. It supports
adaptive modulation and coding, so that in conditions of good signal, a highly
efficient 64 QAM coding scheme is used, whereas when the signal is poorer, a
more robust BPSK coding mechanism is used. In intermediate conditions, 16
QAM and QPSK can also be employed. Other PHY features include support for
Multiple-in Multiple-out (MIMO) antennas in order to provide good NLOS (Non-

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line-of-sight) characteristics (or higher bandwidth) and Hybrid automatic repeat

request (HARQ) for good error correction performance.
MAC
The 802.16 MAC describes a number of Convergence Sublayers which
describe how wireline technologies such as Ethernet, ATM and IP are
encapsulated on the air interface, and how data is classified, etc. It also
describes how secure communications are delivered, by using secure key
exchange during authentication, and encryption using AES or DES (as the
encryption mechanism) during data transfer. Further features of the MAC layer
include power saving mechanisms (using Sleep Mode and Idle Mode) and
handover mechanisms.
A key feature of 802.16 is that it is a connection oriented technology. The
subscriber station (SS) cannot transmit data until it has been allocated a
channel by the Base Station (BS). This allows 802.16e to provide strong
support for Quality of Service (QoS).
WiMAX Technology - Over-View
WiMAX is "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile
wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL". With mobility
feature it has also become an alternative to the 3G broadband service.
WiMAX(Worldwide
Interoperability
for
Microwave
Access)
is
a
telecommunications protocol that provides fixed and fully mobile internet
access. WiMAX refers to interoperable implementations of the IEEE 802.16
wireless-networks standard (ratified by the WiMAX Forum), in similarity
withWi-Fi, which refers to interoperable implementations of the IEEE 802.11
Wireless LAN standard (ratified by the Wi-Fi Alliance). The WiMAX Forum
certification allows vendors to sell their equipment as WiMAX (Fixed or Mobile)
certified, thus ensuring a level of interoperability with other certified products,
as long as they fit the same profile. The IEEE 802.16 standard forms the basis
of 'WiMAX' and is sometimes referred to colloquially as "WiMAX", "Fixed
WiMAX", "Mobile WiMAX", "802.16d" and "802.16e."Clarification of the formal
names are as follows:
802.16-2004 is also known as 802.16d, which refers to the working
party that has developed that standard. It is sometimes referred to as
"Fixed WiMAX," since it has no support for mobility.
802.16e-2005, often abbreviated to 802.16e, is an amendment to
802.16-2004. It introduced support for mobility, among other things and
is therefore also known as "Mobile WiMAX".
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Mobile WiMAX is the WiMAX incarnation that has the most commercial interest
to date and is being actively deployed in many countries. Mobile WiMAX is also
the basis of future revisions of WiMAX Mobile WiMAX systems offer scalability
in both radio access technology and network architecture, thus providing a
great deal of flexibility in network deployment options and service offerings.
Some of the salient features supported by Mobile WiMAX are:
High Data Rates: The inclusion of MIMO antenna techniques along with
flexible sub-channelization schemes, Advanced Coding and Modulation all
enable the Mobile WiMAX technology to support peak DL data rates up to 63
Mbps per sector and peak UL data rates up to 28 Mbps per sector in a 10
MHz channel.
Quality of Service (QoS): The fundamental premise of the IEEE 802.16 MAC
architecture is QoS. It defines Service Flows which can map to DiffServ code
points or MPLS flow labels that enable end-to-end IP based QoS. Additionally,
sub-channelization and MAP-based signaling schemes provide a flexible
mechanism for optimal scheduling of space, frequency and time resources over
the air interface on a frame-by-frame basis.
Scalability: Despite an increasingly globalized economy, spectrum resources
for wireless broadband worldwide are still quite disparate in its allocations.
Mobile WiMAX technology therefore, is designed to be able to scale to work in
different
channelizations from 1.25 to 20 MHz to comply with varied
worldwide requirements as efforts proceed to achieve spectrum harmonization
in the longer term. This also
allows diverse economies to realize the multifaceted benefits of the Mobile WiMAX technology for their specific geographic
needs such as providing affordable internet access in rural settings versus
enhancing the capacity of mobile broadband access in metro and suburban
areas.
Security: The features provided for Mobile WiMAX security aspects are best in
class with EAP-based authentication, AES-CCM-based authenticated
encryption,and CMAC and HMAC based control message protection schemes.
Support for a diverse set of user credentials exists including; SIM/USIM cards,
Smart Cards, Digital Certificates, and Username/Password schemes based on
the relevant EAP methods for the credential type.
Mobility: Mobile WiMAX supports optimized handover schemes with latencies
less
than 50 milliseconds to ensure real-time applications such as VoIP
perform without
service degradation. Flexible key management schemes
assure that security is maintained during handover.
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IP -Based WiMAX Network Architecture

Network Architecture
The IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard provides the air interface for WiMAX but
does not define the full end-to-end WiMAX network. The WiMAX Forums
Network Working Group, is responsible for developing the end-to-end network
requirements, architecture, and protocols for WiMAX, using IEEE 802.16e2005 as the air interface.
The WiMAX NWG has developed a network reference model to serve as an
architecture framework for WiMAX deployments and to ensure interoperability
among various WiMAX equipment and operators. The network reference model
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envisions a unified network architecture for supporting fixed, nomadic, and

mobile deployments and is based on an IP service model.Above Figure shows a
simplified illustration of an IP-based WiMAX network architecture. The overall
network may be logically divided into three parts:mobile stations used by the
end user to access the network, The access service network (ASN), which
comprises one or more base stations and one or more ASN gateways that form
the radio access network at the edge,
and The connectivity service network
(CSN), which provides IP connectivity and all the IP core the network reference
model developed by the WiMAX Forum NWG defines a number of functional
entities and interfaces between those entities. (The interfaces are referred to as
reference points.) Above figure shows the more important functional entities.
Base station (BS): The BS is responsible for providing the air interface to
the MS. Additional functions that may be part of the BS are micromobility
management functions, such as handoff triggering and tunnel establishment,
radio resource management, QoS policy enforcement, traffic classification,
DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) proxy, key management,session
management, and multicast group management.
Access service network gateway (ASN-GW): The ASN gateway typically
acts as a layer 2 traffic aggregation point within an ASN. Additional functions
that may be part of the ASN gate-way include intra-ASN location management
and paging, radio resource management and admission control, caching of
subscriber profiles and encryption keys, AAA client functionality,establishment
and management of mobility tunnel with base stations, QoS and policy
enforcement, foreign agent functionality for mobile IP, and routing to the
selected CSN.
Connectivity service network (CSN): The CSN provides connectivity to the
Internet, ASP,other public networks, and corporate networks. The CSN is
owned by the NSP and includes AAA servers that support authentication for
the devices, users, and specific services. The CSN also provides per user policy
management of QoS and security. The CSN is also responsible for IP address
management, support for roaming between different NSPs, location
management between ASNs, and mobility and roaming between ASNs. Further,
CSN can also provide gate-ways and interworking with other networks, such as
PSTN (public switched telephone network),3GPP, and 3GPP2.
Services
The WiMAX system shall support quad play i.e Voice, Data, Video and
nomadic / mobility in order to provide last mile connectivity to Fixed (Indoor &
Outdoor) and nomadic /mobile services and shall support small, medium and
large market segments including small office, home office, multi dwelling units,
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multi tenant units, small/medium enterprises. It shall be able to support the

following end user services / applications:

Last mile access to residences for voice & data

IP based leased line service for small businesses and enterprises

Portable VPN service for Mobile Workers

Backhaul service for WiFi Access Points

IP based backhaul service

Usage Models :
The usages models with reference to mobility are defined as follows:

Fixed: Usage with a fixed CPE at a single location.

Nomadic: Usage with a portable device in discontinuous radio

coverage areas.

Portability with Simple Mobility: Usage with a portable device in a

continuous radio coverage area with pedestrian speed.

Full Mobility: Usage with a portable / Mobile device in a ubiquitous

radio coverage area and vehicular speeds up to 120 Kmph.

Wimax Limitations
WiMAXis a great technology for next generation with potential applications
such as cellular backhaul, hotspot, VoIP mobiles and broadband connection
but it have some limitation as under.
Low bit rate over Long distance
Wimax technology offering long distance data range which is 70 kilometer or 30
miles (theoretical) and high bit rate which is 70Mbit/s. thats good but both
features doesnt work together when we will increase distance range the bit rate
will decreased and if we want to increase bit rate then we should reduce the
distance range.

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Speed of connectivity
The other drawback is that any user closer to the tower can get high speed
which is up to 30Mbit/s but if a user exist at the cell edge from the tower can
obtain only 14Mbit/s speed.
Sharing of bandwidth
In all wireless technology the bandwidth is shared between users in a specified
radio sector. Therefore functionality could go down if more than one user exists
in a single sector. Mostly user have a range of 2- to 8 or 12 Mbit/s services so
for better result additional radio cards added to the base station to boost the
capability as necessary.
RF Planning Guidelines for WiMAX
WiMAX Frequency Bands
2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands
BSNL is using 2.5 GHz Band with 5 MHz and 10 MHz Band widths in
Rural WiMAX Equipment.
RF Design Process
When a Service Provider starts the process of determining the required
number and location of Base Stations to satisfy an anticipated market demand
for fixed, nomadic or mobile voice, video and data services, it starts by defining
market regions within the target area. RF design engineer will identify and
propose potential candidate sites considered good locations for Base Stations.
In order to narrow the number of candidate sites within a region, the same is
divided in search rings. From within a search ring base station sites will be
defined taking into account following factors, among others:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Population density and corresponding potential subscriber base

Towers or high rise buildings available for antenna placement
Available license spectrum
Probability of interfering signal
Type and density of clutter, terrain morphology and predominant
weather conditions

Another concept related to selecting a good site is the best serving sector. In
an area where there is more than one Base Station, the best serving sector
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refers to the Base Station that is providing the strongest signal strength at any
given point in time to a given subscriber. The RF Propagation studies can
predict the location of the best serving sector from the perspective of the
intended subscriber population.
Overview
The full RF planning exercise consists of three phases: (a) Design, (b) Deploy,
(c) Tune. The tasks that constitute each phase are presented in the following
image.

Candidate Site evaluation, un-tuned RF coverage, and interference

analysis
Candidate Site evaluation, as discussed in terms of RF services, may include
creating an un-tuned coverage model plot, conducting an interference
analysis, and performing a point-to-point link analysis for each candidate site.
The point of a Candidate Site Evaluation is to increase the probability of
selecting the optimum site for communications success between a Base
Station and Subscriber Stations. Selecting sites to enable seamless coverage
across an area becomes critical, when designing and deploying networks for
mobile broadband data, voice and video.
An un-tuned coverage model is a prediction of a cell sites coverage area based
on coarse guesstimates about the clutter in the area. The RF Engineer
produces one or more un-tuned coverage model plots, using as variable
parameters antenna height, antenna azimuth, antenna tilt, SS presumed
height, clutter height by clutter class. The plots use color-coding to show the
anticipated Received Signal Strength (RSS) across the coverage area.
For interference analysis, when required, a Field engineer uses a spectrum
analyzer at various locations in the area to measure potential RF interfering
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signals. An interference analysis report is produced and delivered to the

operator. The report includes suggested operating frequencies for that site to
help the operator avoid interference.

Composite Coverage
The Composite Coverage Model is like the Un-tuned Coverage Model that
shows a plot of the different signal strength levels, but it includes both indoor
and outdoor plots plus two other types of plots: Modulation Availability (C/I
Analysis) for uplink and downlink, and Best Serving Sector Plot. 5 plots are
generated as result.
The Carrier-to-Interference (C/I) Analysis, also called a Modulation Availability
Plot, yields information about the potential modulation rates for a given site(s).
Modulation is related to data throughput and capacity. The higher the
modulation the better the throughput but fewer users, and vice-versa. This
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plot takes into account the signal strength and C/I ratio at each point and
determines the best modulation that is likely to be achieved.
The C/I ratio also compares the best server (Base Station) signal and the next
strongest co-channel signal. When two BSs in the same area are using the
same channel (frequency), there is a possibility of creating interference. If the
two signals are close in signal strength at the same location, it will cause
interference to the signal. The modulation that can be achieved is dependent
upon the C/I at any given point. The higher the C/I, the higher
the modulation rate that can be achieved. The best serving sector is the BS
that is providing the strongest signal strength at a given point.

Drive Study
Drive Study represents the start of the deployment phase of RF Planning
exercise. Drive study is carried out during Base Station Commissioning
process. Its objective is to determine the true coverage area of a Base Station
or site after it is installed. During a Drive Study, Receive Signal Strength (RSS)
values are collected over the target geographical area in order to validate the
RF coverage model. The installation personnel or engineer literally drive
around the target cell site area using special equipment to capture signal level
information. The data collected from drive study is then processed and used in
the RF coverage model to fine tune its parameters and generate the so called
Tuned Coverage Model.

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Once the Drive Study data has been collected, the RF Engineer must process
the data. This involves entering the Drive Study data plus other types of
information into a software program. The other types of data may include
purchased geographical data, called geo data, for that sites location, and
antenna logistics, such as antenna propagation pattern, antenna centre line
azimuth, antenna tilt angle, antenna gain, and height. The clutter parameters
in the geo data files are changed through an iterative process in order to tune
the coverage. Parameters such as clutter height and absorption loss for each
clutter type are changed in order to better reflect the RF environment in the
coverage area. Entering each type of data yields a more and more refined
picture of how well the RF signal from the Base Station will be received by
subscriber equipment. This is called a Tuned Coverage Model. An example is
shown here.

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Future of Wimax
WiMAX is the next-generation of wireless technology designed to enable
pervasive, high-speed mobile Internet access to the widest array of devices
including notebook PCs, handsets, smart phones, and consumer electronics
such as gaming devices, cameras, camcorders, music players, and more. As the
fourth generation (4G) of wireless technology, WiMAX delivers low-cost, open
networks and is the first all IP mobile Internet solution enabling efficient and
scalable networks for data, video, and voice. The success of the Wimax
technology largely depends on the cost of the service as well as the availability
of cost effective devices which must be plug and play. With the alternatives
such as 3G which already available in several networks and LTE also
emerging the success of Wimax the time only can decide.

FAQs
1. What is WiMAX?
WiMAX is defined as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access by the
WiMAX Forum. It is an IP based, wireless broadband access technology that
provides performance similar to Wi-Fi networks with the coverage and QoS of
cellular networks. It is basically not a technology, but rather a certification
mark given to the equipment that meets certain conformity and interoperability
tests for the IEEE 802.16 family of standards. Some of the important updates
of the 802.16 family are 802.16d, 802.16e and the upcoming technology is
802.16m.
WiMAX provides an alternative to cable and DSL for broadband access. It has a
capability to provide high speed data and telecommunication services(4G).
2. Difference between WiMAX and Wi-Fi
Feature
Analogy
IEEE
standard
Coverage

WiMAX
Mobile phone
802.16

Wi-Fi
Cordless phone
802.11

Upto 30miles

Similarity
Working

MAN
Connection oriented
MAC
Higher

Upto a few hundred

meters
LAN
CSMA/CA protocol

QoS

15

Lower

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3. WIMAX vs. LTE

WiMAX is a standards initiative. Its purpose is to ensure that the broadband
wireless radios manufactured for customer use interoperate from vendor to
vendor. The primary advantages of the WiMAX standard are to enable the
adoption of advanced radio features in a uniform fashion and reduce costs for
all of the radios made by companies, who are part of the WiMAX Forum - a
standards body formed to ensure interoperability via testing. The more recent
Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard is a similar term describing a parallel
technology to WiMAX that is being developed by vendors and carriers as a
counterpoint to WiMAX.
4. 3G Data Card vs.WiMAX (4G)
Technology
Frequency
band
Data rate

3G
1.8 2.5GHz
Up to
2Mbps

4G
2 - 8GHz
100Mbps moving - 1Gbps
stationary

Greater clarity for VoIP in WiMAX than 3G Data Card.

Since the data rate is higher in WiMAX clearer and disturbance free video
calling is possible.
WiMAX provides greater NLOS (non line of sight services) comparatively to 3G
data card, in which speed decreases.WiMAX even supports nomadicitywhich is
of lesser quality using 3G data card.
5. What is the range of WiMAX?
Range of WiMAX: 15 Kms for Rural area (LOS).
4 Kms for Urban area.
The average cell ranges for most WiMAX networks will likely boast 4-5 mile
range (in NLOS capable frequencies) even through tree cover and building
walls. Service ranges up to 15 Kilometers are very likely in line of sight (LOS)
applications (once again depending upon frequency). Ranges beyond 15
Kilometers are certainly possible, but for scalability purposes may not be
desirable for heavily loaded networks. In most cases, additional cells are
indicated to sustain high quality of service (QOS) capability.
Many factors affect range for any broadband wireless product. Some factors
include the terrain and density/height of tree cover. Hills and valleys can
block or partially reflect signals. Bodies of water such as rivers and lakes are
highly reflective of RF transmissions. Fortunately OFDM can often turn this to
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an advantage---but not always. The RF shadow of large buildings can create

dead spots directly behind them.
6. What do I need to get WiMAX connection.
You will need your desktop or laptop computer with Ethernet card and the
wireless device i.e. CPE (Customer Premise Equipment). CPE can be purchased
from BSNL or can be provided on monthly rent as you apply for WiMAX
connection.
7. Is your CPEs plug and Play?
Yes.
8. Is it possible to get the WiMAX through Mobile phone?
No. Chipset is yet to be developed for mobile phone application.

Abbreviations:

WiMAX:
OFDM:
MAC:
MIMO:
NLOS:
HARQ:
QoS:
EAP:
AES-CCM:
ASN-GW:
CSN:
LTE:

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
Media Access Control
Multiple In- Multiple Out
Non Line of sight
Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request
Quality of Service
Extensible Authentication Protocol
Advanced Encryption Standard- Counter with CBC-MAC
Access Service Network Gateway
Connectivity Service Network
Long Term Evolution

3GPP:

3G Partnership Project

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References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX
2. http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/0X/04706968/04706968
0X.pdf
3. http://4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/wimax/Default.aspx
4. http://www.google.co.in/search?q=wimax&hl=en&biw=1276&bih=722&
prmd=ivnsul&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=FTr3TfufPIyuvgP
V9aCDDA&ved=0CI0BELAE
5. http://navegawireless.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=111

*****End of document*****

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