WiMAX

WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system, also known as IEEE

802.16, which is intended for wireless "metropolitan area networks". WiMAX
can provide broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 30 miles (50 km) for
fixed stations, and 3 - 10 miles (5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. In contrast,
the Wi-Fi/802.11 wireless local area network standard is limited in most cases
to only 100 - 300 feet (30 - 100m). With WiMAX, Wi-Fi-like data rates are
easily supported, but the issue of interference is lessened. WiMAX operates
on both licensed and non-licensed frequencies, providing a regulated
environment viable economic model for wireless.

WiMAX can be used for wireless networking in much the same way as the
more common Wi-Fi protocol. WiMAX is a second-generation protocol that
allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and is
intended to allow higher data rates over longer distances. The IEEE 802.16
standard defines the technical features of the communications protocol. The
WiMAX Forum offers a means of testing manufacturer's equipment for
compatibility, as well as an industry group dedicated to fostering the
development and commercialization of the technology.

WiMax.com provides a focal point for consumers, service providers,

manufacturers, analysts, and researchers who are interested in WiMAX
technology, services, and products. Soon, WiMAX will be a very well
recognized term to describe wireless Internet access throughout the world.

The two driving forces of modern Internet are broadband, and wireless. The
WiMax standard combines the two, delivering high-speed broadband Internet
access over a wireless connection. Because it can be used over relatively
long distances, it is an effective "last mile" solution for delivering broadband
to the home, and for creating wireless "hot spots" in places like airports,
college campuses, and small communities. WiMax delivers a point-to-
multipoint architecture, making it an ideal method for carriers to deliver
broadband to locations where wired connections would be difficult or costly.
It may also provide a useful solution for delivering broadband to rural areas
where high-speed lines have not yet become available. A WiMax connection
can also be bridged or routed to a standard wired or wireless Local Area
Network (LAN).
The so-called "last mile" of broadband is the most expensive and most
difficult for broadband providers, and WiMax provides an easy solution.
Although it is a wireless technology, unlike some other wireless technologies,
it doesn't require a direct line of sight between the source and endpoint, and
it has a service range of 50 kilometers. It provides a shared data rate of up to
70Mbps, which is enough to service up to a thousand homes with high-speed
access.
WiMax offers some advantages over Wi-Fi, a similar wireless technology, in
that it offers a greater range and is more bandwidth-efficient. Ultimately,
WiMax may be used to provide connectivity to entire cities, and may be
incorporated into laptops to give users an added measure of mobility. WiMax
requires a tower, similar to a cell phone tower, which is connected to the
Internet using a standard wired high-speed connection, such as a T3 line. But
as opposed to a traditional Internet Service Provider (ISP), which divides that
bandwidth among customers via wire, it uses a microwave link to establish a
connection.

WiMAX v/s Wi-Fi

WiMAX provides metropolitan area network (MAN) connectivity at speeds of
up to 75 Mb/sec. WiMAX systems can be used to transmit signal as far as 30
miles. Wi-Fi is primarily suited for coverage over small areas. A single base
station can service around a thousand users effectively covering a whole
campus or a small town. Analysts say that while Wi-Fi was designed primarily
keeping local area networks in mind, WiMax has been designed for
metropolitan area networks. As WiMax can support data ranges across miles,
it is well suited for a country such as India where telecom infrastructure is
poor and last mile access is expensive. This ability lets ISPs players offer
broadband access directly to homes without worrying about the problems of
installing the last mile through optic fiber or cables. WiMax is also a big boon
for telecom companies as it enables these companies to serve customers in
rural areas without spending billions installing expensive infrastructure for
minimal returns.

WiMAX v/s Bluetooth

The transmit power of a Bluetooth headset is 0dBm. When the signal is
received at the handset antenna its power level is -40dBm. The Bluetooth
specification requires the receiver to handle interfering signals of up to
-27dBm.
The handset WiMAX transmitter in this example operates in the 2.5-2.7GHz
band. The output power of the WiMAX Power Amplifier (PA) may be as high
as +25dBm. The WiMAX and Bluetooth transmit antennas are in close
proximity to each other, with the user's hand, or the surface on which the
handset is placed, typically causing 10dB path-loss between them. This
yields a +15dBm signal at the Bluetooth Band Pass Filter (BPF) input. The
BPF must pass frequencies of up to 2.48GHz (the highest Bluetooth hopping
frequency), hence it is unable to reject more than 3dB of the undesired
WiMAX signal and so passes at least +12dBm of interference signal to the
Bluetooth Low Noise Amplifier (LNA).
A place where WiMAX has been implemented
Zain, formerly MTC (Mobile Telecommunications Company), has launched
nationwide WiMAX in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The new service, Zain@home,
billed as a ‘world first,’ bundles together high-speed broadband, fixed line
voice and mobile services without the need for a landline. This is the latest,
possibly the most advanced facility that has been launched anywhere in the
world.

The Middle East and African mobile telecommunications provider offers

customers ‘double play,’ a fixed line voice service and high-speed Internet
access in one package, providing a complete broadband service via a
wireless network. In addition, the Zain@home service is nomadic, meaning
that customers can change residence without changing phone numbers.
Nomadic service allows customers to utilize the service anywhere within the
WiMAX network coverage area and the customer can easily take the service
and the telephone number with them when shifting house or office.

The kingdom-wide WiMAX service, that liberalizes the need for fixed
telecommunications market, is predicted to cost £25 million over the next
three years. The £15 billion MENA Telco also operates under mtc-atheer in
Iraq, mtc-touch in Lebanon and Celtel in 14 sub-Saharan countries. So WiMAX
is not always free.

BAHRAIN has scored a world first by becoming the only country to offer
nationwide wireless high-speed broadband Internet access. The state-of-the-
art facility, set up at a cost of more than $10 million (BD3.78m), was
announced by Zain Bahrain on its WiMAX services during a special ceremony
at the Gulf Hotel. WiMAX would deliver full telecommunication services for
customers, including fixed and nomadic telephone and Internet services,
replacing the reliance on traditional wired technology with a new era in
completely wireless telecommunications.

WiMAX facility also allows the delivery of what is often referred to as the "last
mile" wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and others,
without the long waiting time for underground cables to be laid. The
company was the first in Bahrain to offer a 3G service to customers and its
3.5G service is already enabling even faster mobile connection to the web
and corporate email services. The WiMax service will offer a superior
alternative to standard broadband connectivity. The company's aim to offer
both business and residential customers the capability to work and play
whenever and wherever they wish.
WiMAX multipoint coverage extending 30 miles, Due to a variety of factors
explained in more detail in other FAQ answers, 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 10 miles (16 Kilometers) are very likely in line of sight (LOS) applications
(once again depending upon frequency). Ranges beyond 10 miles 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. For the carrier class
approach, especially in regards to mobility, cells larger than this seem
unlikely in the near future.
Use of WiMAX in Business

WiMax is a new term of a standard initiative--and in particular the launch of

numerous WiMax technologies supporting chipset by forum members.
However, much of the technology set is existent in business today. A number
of best of bread broadband radio manufacturers already offered various
elements being incorporated into WiMax as proprietary technology,
However vendors rarely offered consistent iterations of radio modulation and
other techniques --ensuring that solutions had to single vendor specific.
This is true on the fixed wireless side and even more so for unlicensed band
fixed wireless. However mobile broadband wireless technologies suffered
from the fragmentation of multiple proprietary approaches. This means that
much of the technological capability of WiMax is relatively mature. Truth is,
radio vendors who are members of the forum have deployed equipment in
over 125 nations around the globe.
The combinations of these advanced technologies into two standards
packages for Fixed and Mobile broadband wireless combined with new
generation optimized chipsets and tested and certified interoperability
between radio manufacturers deliver a robust and powerful technology with
the inherent capability to match or exceed the performance and cost factors
of other broadband technologies. This can all be achieved without traditional
wire line tethers.

Advantages of WiMAX in Business

WiMAX technology is based on a forward-looking core set of technology;
WiMax is a structure for wireless development. It is anticipated that WiMax
will allow inter-penetration for broadband service provision of VoIP, video,
and Internet access—simultaneously. Most cable and traditional telephone
companies are closely examining or actively trial-testing the potential of
WiMax for "last mile" connectivity. This should end in better price-points for
both home and business customers as competition results from the abolition
of the "captive" customer bases both telephone and cable networks
traditionally enjoyed. Even in areas without preexisting physical cable or
telephone networks, WiMax could allow access between anyone within range
of each other. Home units the size of a paperback book that provide both
phone and network connection points are already available and easy to
install.

WiMax is selected as the metropolitan area network (MAN) technology that

can connect IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) hotspots with each other and to other parts
of the Internet and also provide a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for
last mile (last km) broadband access. Moreover, the field of uses is broader
and overlaps those for mobile WAN (wide area networks) and WLANs. IEEE
802.16 provides up to 50 km (31 miles) of linear service area range and
allows connectivity between users without a direct line of sight. Note that
this should not be taken to mean that users 50 km (31 miles) away without
line of sight will have connectivity. Practical limits from real world tests seem
to be around "3 to 5 miles" (5 to 8 kilometers). The technology has been
claimed to provide shared data rates up to 70 Mbit/s, which, according to
WiMax proponents, is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support more
than 60 businesses with T1-type connectivity and well over a thousand
homes at 1Mbit/s DSL-level connectivity. Real world tests, however, show
practical maximum data rates between 500kbit/s and 2 Mbit/s, depending on
conditions at a given site.
References
What is WiMAX? (2007) Retrieved October 2, 2007, from

http://www.wimax.com/education

Use of WiMAX (2007) Retrieved October 2, 2007, from

http://www.mobilein.com/Perspectives/What_is_WiMax.htm

Alshatti, D. (2007) Importance of WiMAX. Gulf Daily News Retrieved. October

2, 2007, from

http://www.gulf-daily-
news.com/Story.asp?Article=195417&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30195

MobileIN.com Perspective Articles (2007) what is WiMAX? Retrieved October

3, 2007, from

http://www.mobilein.com/Perspectives/What_is_WiMax.htm