xDSL Technology Overview

What's behind DSL?

DSL is a digital broadband transmission technology that involves sending digital information over a
subscriber's telephone line, also referred to as the local loop. The acronym DSL stands for digital
subscriber line. The applications of DSL involve the transport of high-speed data, voice and recently
video, to residential and business subscribers.

DSL in general describes the technology, while xDSL represents individual varieties of DSL
technology. The x in xDSL is a variable that changes depending upon the speed and application of
the xDSL technology (e.g., ADSL, VDSL, etc.).

Legend:
ATU-C: Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) transceiver unit central
ATU-R: Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) transceiver unit remote
DSLAM: Digital subscriber line access multiplexer
POTS: Plain old telephone service

Figure 1: ADSL topology

For example, ADSL (where the A stands for asymmetrical) is best suited for the residential sector, as
the bit rate from the network to the subscriber is higher than the bit rate from the subscriber to the
network. SHDSL (where the SH stands for symmetrical high-speed) is a symmetrical service that is
best suited for the business sector to replace a traditional T1 or E1 service.

ADSL2, ADSL Reach-Extended (RE), ADSL2+, VDSL, VDSL (1.5) and VDSL2 are all variations of
asymmetrical services. Typically, they represent evolutions in the technology aimed at providing
higher speeds, greater resiliency to noise and other impairments, and/or operation over longer local-
loop distances.

Higher-Bit-Rate Services
DSL achieves higher data-transfer rates than dial-up modems by utilizing more of the available
bandwidth in a local loop. Ordinary telephone service only makes use of a very limited amount of
the lower frequencies—3400 Hz and below. Although a bandwidth of 3400 Hz is more than enough
for transmitting reasonable-quality analog voice, it is not suitable for transmitting high-speed data.

DSL provides at least 256 kbit/s to as much as 100 Mbit/s. This allows for the simultaneous
transmission of high-quality digital voice, data and even full motion video (a.k.a. triple-play
services). Services based on ADSL and ADSL2+ have been widely deployed and deliver rich-content
broadband experiences for residential and commercial consumers.

Still Analog, Still Copper

Most of the DSL technologies mentioned above send their digital signals over twisted-copper
telephone lines (local loops) using amplitude-modulated analog tones. This technique is referred to
as discrete multitone transmission (DMT). For example, ADSL uses up to 256 tones of different
frequencies, each of which is modulated in amplitude, depending on the bit sequences to be carried.

From a test and measurement point of view, the local loop must carry as many tones as possible to
achieve the highest possible bit rate with the least amount of disruptions due to noise interference.
Short local loops do not attenuate the DSL signals as much as longer loops. In addition, local loops
that have excellent electrical continuity, free from bad splices and galvanic corrosion, are best. Most
telecommunications service providers have preventative maintenance practices to ensure the quality
of their local loop plant. If not, they at least make every attempt to repair local loops that become
defective over time.

Figure 2: ADSL carrier-load data

Data, Voice and Video

At the core of the DSL network are the DSL modem (installed at the customer's home) and the
digital subscriber loop access multiplexer (DSLAM), which is located either at the telco's central
office or in remote terminals in the neighborhoods. The DSLAM is a multiport device that serves
hundreds to thousands of subscribers through a direct connection to the copper local-loop plant.

Most DSL networks are based on ATM and/or Ethernet/IP protocols. This makes it easier for service
providers to offer Internet, VoIP and IPTV services to subscribers, while allowing the straightforward
integration of DSL equipment into their overall networks. Customer data is carried, routed and
managed using the various packet IP and ATM addresses in conjunction with encapsulation
protocols.
Figure 3: Representation of a DSL network delivering triple-play services

In DSL networks, legacy PSTN phone service or ISDN coexists in the same local loop that carries the
DSL signals. The two services simultaneously utilize different frequency bands to avoid interfering
with each other. Once PSTN or ISDN signals arrive at the DSLAM, they are separated using splitters
(low-pass and/or high-pass filters) and fed to the traditional public switched telephone network
(PSTN) switch or integrated-services digital network (ISDN) equipment.

As an alternative to PSTN, service providers or third parties may offer VoIP services. In such cases,
the voice communications of subscribers are converted into streams of digitized and packetized
voice. From there, they are carried as IP packets through the network.

In the past few years, the evolution of DSL technology has been able to generate high enough bit
rates that it can now deliver broadcast-quality video dubbed IPTV, which uses video content servers
and broadcast channel management devices to serve up a few video channels at a time to each
subscriber. Unlike coaxial-based CATV networks that simultaneously deliver hundreds of TV channels
to each end point, regardless of the channels actually being watched or recorded, DSL/IPTV delivers
only those channels that are in use at any one time. This is how the lower inherent bandwidth of a
twisted pair of telephone wires can offer a customer experience that is similar to the higher-
bandwidth-capable CATV networks.
Testing DSL

DSL service performance varies according to the following factors:

 The distance between a customer premises and the local telephone company's central office
or remote terminal
 The capacity of the digital backbone that is available to support each DSLAM
 The number of users that are aggregated to the available digital backbone
 The behavior of the served community (i.e., how often they use the service, how much data
they consume, the type of services offered)
 The quality of the local loop between the customer premises and the service provider's
central office
 The proximity of noise sources to the DSL equipment and the local loop
 The state of the customer premises wiring
 The condition of the public power feed and grounding

Provisioning widespread deployments of DSL service is complex. Each customer can get a different
connection rate and, in many cases, subscribers may choose from a wide array of services. When
these factors are coupled with the complexity of setting up user names, passwords, DSLAM port
settings, subscribed video channels (in the case of IPTV), Internet service provider settings, e-mail
settings, as well as VoIP settings, it is quite typical to expect service-impairing errors for a certain
percentage of subscribers. A test set that provides clear connection visibility to technicians has
tremendous value (see example of test results above).
WiMAX
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WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave

Access)

WiMAX base station equipment with a sector antenna and wireless modem on top

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a family of wireless

communication standards based on the IEEE 802.16 set of standards, which provide multiple
physical layer (PHY) and Media Access Control (MAC) options.
The name "WiMAX" was created by the WiMAX Forum, which was formed in June 2001 to
promote conformity and interoperability of the standard, including the definition of predefined
system profiles for commercial vendors.[1] The forum describes WiMAX as "a standards-based
technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable
and DSL".[2] IEEE 802.16m or Wireless MAN-Advanced was a candidate for the 4G, in
competition with the LTE Advanced standard.

WiMAX was initially designed to provide 30 to 40 megabit-per-second data rates,[3] with the
2011 update providing up to 1 Gbit/s[3] for fixed stations.

Contents
[hide]

 1 Terminology
 2 Uses of WiMAX
o 2.1 Internet access
o 2.2 Middle-mile backhaul to fiber networks
o 2.3 Triple-play
 3 Connecting
o 3.1 Gateways
o 3.2 External modems
o 3.3 Mobile phones
 4 Technical information
o 4.1 The IEEE 802.16 Standard
o 4.2 Physical layer
o 4.3 Media access control layer
o 4.4 Specifications
o 4.5 Integration with an IP-based network
o 4.6 Spectrum allocation
o 4.7 Spectral efficiency and Advantages
o 4.8 Inherent limitations
o 4.9 Silicon implementations
o 4.10 Comparison
 5 Conformance testing
 6 Associations
o 6.1 WiMAX Forum
o 6.2 WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance
o 6.3 Telecommunications Industry Association
 7 Competing technologies
o 7.1 Harmonization
o 7.2 Comparison with other mobile Internet standards
 8 Development
 9 Interference
 10 Deployments
 11 See also
  12 Notes
 13 References
 14 External links

Terminology[edit]
WiMAX refers to interoperable implementations of the IEEE 802.16 family of wireless-networks
standards ratified by the WiMAX Forum. (Similarly, Wi-Fi refers to interoperable
implementations of the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN standards certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance.)
WiMAX Forum certification allows vendors to sell fixed or mobile products as WiMAX
certified, thus ensuring a level of interoperability with other certified products, as long as they fit
the same profile.

The original IEEE 802.16 standard (now called "Fixed WiMAX") was published in 2001.
WiMAX adopted some of its technology from WiBro, a service marketed in Korea.[4]

Mobile WiMAX (originally based on 802.16e-2005) is the revision that was deployed in many
countries, and is the basis for future revisions such as 802.16m-2011.

WiMAX is sometimes referred to as "Wi-Fi on steroids"[5] and can be used for a number of
applications including broadband connections, cellular backhaul, hotspots, etc. It is similar to
Long-range Wi-Fi, but it can enable usage at much greater distances.[6]

Uses of WiMAX [edit]

The bandwidth and range of WiMAX make it suitable for the following potential applications:

 Providing portable mobile broadband connectivity across cities and countries through
various devices.
 Providing a wireless alternative to cable and digital subscriber line (DSL) for "last mile"
broadband access.
 Providing data, telecommunications (VoIP) and IPTV services (triple play).
 Providing Internet connectivity as part of a business continuity plan.
 Smart grids and metering

Internet access[edit]

WiMAX can provide at-home or mobile Internet access across whole cities or countries. In many
cases this has resulted in competition in markets which typically only had access through an
existing incumbent DSL (or similar) operator.

Additionally, given the relatively low costs associated with the deployment of a WiMAX
network (in comparison with 3G, HSDPA, xDSL, HFC or FTTx), it is now economically viable
to provide last-mile broadband Internet access in remote locations.
Middle-mile backhaul to fiber networks[edit]

Mobile WiMAX was a replacement candidate for cellular phone technologies such as GSM and
CDMA, or can be used as an overlay to increase capacity. Fixed WiMAX is also considered as a
wireless backhaul technology for 2G, 3G, and 4G networks in both developed and developing
nations.[7][8]

In North America, backhaul for urban operations is typically provided via one or more copper
wire line connections, whereas remote cellular operations are sometimes backhauled via satellite.
In other regions, urban and rural backhaul is usually provided by microwave links. (The
exception to this is where the network is operated by an incumbent with ready access to the
copper network.) WiMAX has more substantial backhaul bandwidth requirements than legacy
cellular applications. Consequently, the use of wireless microwave backhaul is on the rise in
North America and existing microwave backhaul links in all regions are being upgraded.[9]
Capacities of between 34 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s [10] are routinely being deployed with latencies in
the order of 1 ms.

In many cases, operators are aggregating sites using wireless technology and then presenting
traffic on to fiber networks where convenient. WiMAX in this application competes with
microwave radio, E-line and simple extension of the fiber network itself.

Triple-play[edit]

WiMAX directly supports the technologies that make triple-play service offerings possible (such
as Quality of Service and Multicasting). These are inherent to the WiMAX standard rather than
being added on as Carrier Ethernet is to Ethernet.

On May 7, 2008 in the United States, Sprint Nextel, Google, Intel, Comcast, Bright House, and
Time Warner announced a pooling of an average of 120 MHz of spectrum and merged with
Clearwire to market the service. The new company hopes to benefit from combined services
offerings and network resources as a springboard past its competitors. The cable companies will
provide media services to other partners while gaining access to the wireless network as a
Mobile virtual network operator to provide triple-play services.

Some analysts[who?] questioned how the deal will work out: Although fixed-mobile convergence
has been a recognized factor in the industry, prior attempts to form partnerships among wireless
and cable companies have generally failed to lead to significant benefits to the participants.
Other analysts point out that as wireless progresses to higher bandwidth, it inevitably competes
more directly with cable and DSL, inspiring competitors into collaboration. Also, as wireless
broadband networks grow denser and usage habits shift, the need for increased backhaul and
media service will accelerate, therefore the opportunity to leverage cable assets is expected to
increase.

Connecting[edit]
A WiMAX USB modem for mobile access to the Internet

Devices that provide connectivity to a WiMAX network are known as subscriber stations (SS).

Portable units include handsets (similar to cellular smartphones); PC peripherals (PC Cards or
USB dongles); and embedded devices in laptops, which are now available for Wi-Fi services. In
addition, there is much emphasis by operators on consumer electronics devices such as Gaming
consoles, MP3 players and similar devices. WiMAX is more similar to Wi-Fi than to other 3G
cellular technologies.

The WiMAX Forum website provides a list of certified devices. However, this is not a complete
list of devices available as certified modules are embedded into laptops, MIDs (Mobile Internet
devices), and other private labeled devices.

Gateways[edit]

WiMAX gateway devices are available as both indoor and outdoor versions from several
manufacturers including Vecima Networks, Alvarion, Airspan, ZyXEL, Huawei, and Motorola.
The list of deployed WiMAX networks and WiMAX Forum membership list [11] provide more links
to specific vendors, products and installations. The list of vendors and networks is not
comprehensive and is not intended as an endorsement of these companies above others.

Many of the WiMAX gateways that are offered by manufactures such as these are stand-alone
self-install indoor units. Such devices typically sit near the customer's window with the best
signal, and provide:

 An integrated Wi-Fi access point to provide the WiMAX Internet connectivity to multiple
devices throughout the home or business.
 Ethernet ports to connect directly to a computer, router, printer or DVR on a local wired
network.
 One or two analog telephone jacks to connect a land-line phone and take advantage of
VoIP.

Indoor gateways are convenient, but radio losses mean that the subscriber may need to be
significantly closer to the WiMAX base station than with professionally installed external units.

Outdoor units are roughly the size of a laptop PC, and their installation is comparable to the
installation of a residential satellite dish. A higher-gain directional outdoor unit will generally
result in greatly increased range and throughput but with the obvious loss of practical mobility of
the unit.
External modems[edit]

Airstream 1200 USB Modem

USB can provide connectivity to a WiMAX network through what is called a dongle. Generally
these devices are connected to a notebook or net book computer. Dongles typically have
omnidirectional antennas which are of lower gain compared to other devices. As such these
devices are best used in areas of good coverage.

Mobile phones[edit]

HTC announced the first WiMAX enabled mobile phone, the Max 4G, on November 12, 2008.[12]
The device was only available to certain markets in Russia on the Yota network until 2010.[13]

HTC and Sprint Nextel released the second WiMAX enabled mobile phone, the EVO 4G, March
23, 2010 at the CTIA conference in Las Vegas. The device, made available on June 4, 2010,[14] is
capable of both EV-DO(3G) and WiMAX(pre-4G) as well as simultaneous data & voice
sessions. Sprint Nextel announced at CES 2012 that it will no longer be offering devices using
the WiMAX technology due to financial circumstances, instead, along with its network partner
Clearwire, Sprint Nextel will roll out a 4G network deciding to shift and utilize LTE 4G
technology instead.

Technical information[edit]
The IEEE 802.16 Standard[edit]
WiMAX is based upon IEEE Std 802.16e-2005,[15] approved in December 2005. It is a
supplement to the IEEE Std 802.16-2004,[16] and so the actual standard is 802.16-2004 as
amended by 802.16e-2005. Thus, these specifications need to be considered together.

IEEE 802.16e-2005 improves upon IEEE 802.16-2004 by:

 Adding support for mobility (soft and hard handover between base stations). This is seen
as one of the most important aspects of 802.16e-2005, and is the very basis of Mobile
WiMAX.
 Scaling of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to the channel bandwidth in order to keep the
carrier spacing constant across different channel bandwidths (typically 1.25 MHz,
5 MHz, 10 MHz or 20 MHz). Constant carrier spacing results in a higher spectrum
efficiency in wide channels, and a cost reduction in narrow channels. Also known as
scalable OFDMA (SOFDMA). Other bands not multiples of 1.25 MHz are defined in the
standard, but because the allowed FFT subcarrier numbers are only 128, 512, 1024 and
2048, other frequency bands will not have exactly the same carrier spacing, which might
not be optimal for implementations. Carrier spacing is 10.94 kHz.
 Advanced antenna diversity schemes, and hybrid automatic repeat-request (HARQ)
 Adaptive antenna systems (AAS) and MIMO technology
 Denser sub-channelization, thereby improving indoor penetration
 Intro and low-density parity check (LDPC)
 Introducing downlink sub-channelization, allowing administrators to trade coverage for
capacity or vice versa
 Adding an extra quality of service (QoS) class for VoIP applications.

SOFDMA (used in 802.16e-2005) and OFDM256 (802.16d) are not compatible thus equipment
will have to be replaced if an operator is to move to the later standard (e.g., Fixed WiMAX to
Mobile WiMAX).

Physical layer[edit]

The original version of the standard on which WiMAX is based (IEEE 802.16) specified a
physical layer operating in the 10 to 66 GHz range. 802.16a, updated in 2004 to 802.16-2004,
added specifications for the 2 to 11 GHz range. 802.16-2004 was updated by 802.16e-2005 in
2005 and uses scalable orthogonal frequency-division multiple access[17] (SOFDMA), as opposed
to the fixed orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) version with 256 sub-carriers
(of which 200 are used) in 802.16d. More advanced versions, including 802.16e, also bring
multiple antenna support through MIMO. (See WiMAX MIMO) This brings potential benefits in
terms of coverage, self installation, power consumption, frequency re-use and bandwidth
efficiency. WiMax is the most energy-efficient pre-4G technique among LTE and HSPA+.[18]

Media access control layer[edit]

The WiMAX MAC uses a scheduling algorithm for which the subscriber station needs to
compete only once for initial entry into the network. After network entry is allowed, the
subscriber station is allocated an access slot by the base station. The time slot can enlarge and
contract, but remains assigned to the subscriber station, which means that other subscribers
cannot use it. In addition to being stable under overload and over-subscription, the scheduling
algorithm can also be more bandwidth efficient. The scheduling algorithm also allows the base
station to control Quality of Service (QoS) parameters by balancing the time-slot assignments
among the application needs of the subscriber station.

Specifications[edit]

As a standard intended to satisfy needs of next-generation data networks (4G), WiMAX is

distinguished by its dynamic burst algorithm modulation adaptive to the physical environment
the RF signal travels through. Modulation is chosen to be more spectrally efficient (more bits per
OFDM/SOFDMA symbol). That is, when the bursts have a high signal strength and a high
carrier to noise plus interference ratio (CINR), they can be more easily decoded using digital
signal processing (DSP). In contrast, operating in less favorable environments for RF
communication, the system automatically steps down to a more robust mode (burst profile)
which means fewer bits per OFDM/SOFDMA symbol; with the advantage that power per bit is
higher and therefore simpler accurate signal processing can be performed.

Burst profiles are used inverse (algorithmically dynamic) to low signal attenuation; meaning
throughput between clients and the base station is determined largely by distance. Maximum
distance is achieved by the use of the most robust burst setting; that is, the profile with the largest
MAC frame allocation trade-off requiring more symbols (a larger portion of the MAC frame) to
be allocated in transmitting a given amount of data than if the client were closer to the base
station.

The client's MAC frame and their individual burst profiles are defined as well as the specific
time allocation. However, even if this is done automatically then the practical deployment should
avoid high interference and multipath environments. The reason for which is obviously that too
much interference causes the network to function poorly and can also misrepresent the capability
of the network.

The system is complex to deploy as it is necessary to track not only the signal strength and CINR
(as in systems like GSM) but also how the available frequencies will be dynamically assigned
(resulting in dynamic changes to the available bandwidth.) This could lead to cluttered
frequencies with slow response times or lost frames.

As a result, the system has to be initially designed in consensus with the base station product
team to accurately project frequency use, interference, and general product functionality.

The Asia-Pacific region has surpassed the North American region in terms of 4G broadband
wireless subscribers. There were around 1.7 million pre-WiMAX and WiMAX customers in
Asia – 29% of the overall market – compared to 1.4 million in the USA and Canada.[19]

Integration with an IP-based network[edit]

The WiMAX Forum architecture

The WiMAX Forum has proposed an architecture that defines how a WiMAX network can be
connected with an IP based core network, which is typically chosen by operators that serve as
Internet Service Providers (ISP); Nevertheless, the WiMAX BS provide seamless integration
capabilities with other types of architectures as with packet switched Mobile Networks.

The WiMAX forum proposal defines a number of components, plus some of the interconnections
(or reference points) between these, labeled R1 to R5 and R8:

 SS/MS: the Subscriber Station/Mobile Station

 ASN: the Access Service Network[20]
 BS: Base station, part of the ASN
 ASN-GW: the ASN Gateway, part of the ASN
 CSN: the Connectivity Service Network
 HA: Home Agent, part of the CSN
 AAA: Authentication, Authorization and Accounting Server, part of the CSN
 NAP: a Network Access Provider
 NSP: a Network Service Provider

It is important to note that the functional architecture can be designed into various hardware
configurations rather than fixed configurations. For example, the architecture is flexible enough
to allow remote/mobile stations of varying scale and functionality and Base Stations of varying
size – e.g. femto, pico, and mini BS as well as macros.

Spectrum allocation[edit]

There is no uniform global licensed spectrum for WiMAX, however the WiMAX Forum
published three licensed spectrum profiles: 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz, in an effort to drive
standardisation and decrease cost.
In the USA, the biggest segment available was around 2.5 GHz,[21] and is already assigned,
primarily to Sprint Nextel and Clearwire. Elsewhere in the world, the most-likely bands used will
be the Forum approved ones, with 2.3 GHz probably being most important in Asia. Some
countries in Asia like India and Indonesia will use a mix of 2.5 GHz, 3.3 GHz and other
frequencies. Pakistan's Wateen Telecom uses 3.5 GHz.

Analog TV bands (700 MHz) may become available, but await the complete digital television
transition, and other uses have been suggested for that spectrum. In the USA the FCC auction for
this spectrum began in January 2008 and, as a result, the biggest share of the spectrum went to
Verizon Wireless and the next biggest to AT&T.[22] Both of these companies stated their intention
of supporting LTE, a technology which competes directly with WiMAX. EU commissioner
Viviane Reding has suggested re-allocation of 500–800 MHz spectrum for wireless
communication, including WiMAX.[23]

WiMAX profiles define channel size, TDD/FDD and other necessary attributes in order to have
inter-operating products. The current fixed profiles are defined for both TDD and FDD profiles.
At this point, all of the mobile profiles are TDD only. The fixed profiles have channel sizes of
3.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 7 MHz and 10 MHz. The mobile profiles are 5 MHz, 8.75 MHz and 10 MHz.
(Note: the 802.16 standard allows a far wider variety of channels, but only the above subsets are
supported as WiMAX profiles.)

Since October 2007, the Radio communication Sector of the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU-R) has decided to include WiMAX technology in the IMT-2000 set of standards.[24]
This enables spectrum owners (specifically in the 2.5–2.69 GHz band at this stage) to use
WiMAX equipment in any country that recognizes the IMT-2000.

Spectral efficiency and Advantages[edit]

One of the significant advantages of advanced wireless systems such as WiMAX is spectral
efficiency. For example, 802.16-2004 (fixed) has a spectral efficiency of 3.7 (bit/s)/Hertz, and
other 3.5–4G wireless systems offer spectral efficiencies that are similar to within a few tenths of
a percent. The notable advantage of WiMAX comes from combining SOFDMA with smart
antenna technologies. This multiplies the effective spectral efficiency through multiple reuse and
smart network deployment topologies. The direct use of frequency domain organization
simplifies designs using MIMO-AAS compared to CDMA/WCDMA methods, resulting in more
effective systems.

Another advantages of WiMAX, is a relatively new technology that enables communication over
a maximum distance of 30 miles – compared to 300 feet for WiFi. Of course, the longer the
distance, the slower the speed, but it is still faster and has a longer range than WiFi. Ideally,
speeds of around 10 MBps could be achieved with a range of 1 – 6 miles (1.6 – 9.7 km).

The reason why some telecommunication providers are quite excited about the prospects for
WiMAX is that mobile users could use it as a faster and longer range alternative to WiFi and
corporate or home users could use it in a fixed environment as a replacement or backup to DSL.
Companies will begin to use WiMAX to communicate from office to office, relatively near to
each other and provide campus wide wireless connectivity to employees. Employee’s computers
will need to use new WiMAX cards to connect to these new networks. Next, or at the same time,
public places such as airports, parks and coffee shops will be outfitted with WiMAX access
points. WiMAX has been very successful as it is easy to use, low cost, and relatively fast.

While WiMAX has its benefits, as people download more and larger files, upload more data
(such as voice calls, images and videos) and have longer distance needs – the limits of WiFi are
apparent.

Inherent limitations[edit]

WiMAX cannot deliver 70 Mbit/s over 50 km (31 mi). Like all wireless technologies, WiMAX
can operate at higher bitrates or over longer distances but not both. Operating at the maximum
range of 50 km (31 mi) increases bit error rate and thus results in a much lower bitrate.
Conversely, reducing the range (to under 1 km) allows a device to operate at higher bitrates.

A citywide deployment of WiMAX in Perth, Australia demonstrated that customers at the cell-
edge with an indoor Customer-premises equipment (CPE) typically obtain speeds of around 1–
4 Mbit/s, with users closer to the cell site obtaining speeds of up to 30 Mbit/s.[citation needed]

Like all wireless systems, available bandwidth is shared between users in a given radio sector, so
performance could deteriorate in the case of many active users in a single sector. However, with
adequate capacity planning and the use of WiMAX's Quality of Service, a minimum guaranteed
throughput for each subscriber can be put in place. In practice, most users will have a range of 4–
8 Mbit/s services and additional radio cards will be added to the base station to increase the
number of users that may be served as required.

Silicon implementations[edit]

Picture of a WiMAX MIMO board

A number of specialized companies produced baseband ICs and integrated RFICs for WiMAX
Subscriber Stations in the 2.3, 2.5 and 3.5 GHz bands (refer to 'Spectrum allocation' above).
These companies include, but are not limited to, Beceem, Sequans, and PicoChip.

Comparison[edit]
Comparisons and confusion between WiMAX and Wi-Fi are frequent, because both are related
to wireless connectivity and Internet access.[25]

 WiMAX is a long range system, covering many kilometres, that uses licensed or
unlicensed spectrum to deliver connection to a network, in most cases the Internet.
 Wi-Fi uses the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio frequency bands to provide access to a local
network.
 Wi-Fi is more popular in end-user devices.
 Wi-Fi runs on the Media Access Control's CSMA/CA protocol, which is connectionless
and contention based, whereas WiMAX runs a connection-oriented MAC.
 WiMAX and Wi-Fi have quite different quality of service (QoS) mechanisms:
o WiMAX uses a QoS mechanism based on connections between the base station
and the user device. Each connection is based on specific scheduling algorithms.
o Wi-Fi uses contention access — all subscriber stations that wish to pass data
through a wireless access point (AP) are competing for the AP's attention on a
random interrupt basis. This can cause subscriber stations distant from the AP to
be repeatedly interrupted by closer stations, greatly reducing their throughput.
 Both IEEE 802.11, which includes Wi-Fi, and IEEE 802.16, which includes WiMAX,
define Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and wireless ad hoc networks, where an end user
communicates to users or servers on another Local Area Network (LAN) using its access
point or base station. However, 802.11 supports also direct ad hoc or peer to peer
networking between end user devices without an access point while 802.16 end user
devices must be in range of the base station.

Although Wi-Fi and WiMAX are designed for different situations, they are complementary.
WiMAX network operators typically provide a WiMAX Subscriber Unit that connects to the
metropolitan WiMAX network and provides Wi-Fi connectivity within the home or business for
computers and smartphones. This enables the user to place the WiMAX Subscriber Unit in the
best reception area, such as a window, and have date access throughout their property.

Conformance testing[edit]
TTCN-3 test specification language is used for the purposes of specifying conformance tests for
WiMAX implementations. The WiMAX test suite is being developed by a Specialist Task Force
at ETSI (STF 252).[26]

Associations[edit]
WiMAX Forum[edit]

The WiMAX Forum is a non profit organization formed to promote the adoption of WiMAX
compatible products and services.[27]

A major role for the organization is to certify the interoperability of WiMAX products.[28] Those
that pass conformance and interoperability testing achieve the "WiMAX Forum Certified"
designation, and can display this mark on their products and marketing materials. Some vendors
claim that their equipment is "WiMAX-ready", "WiMAX-compliant", or "pre-WiMAX", if they
are not officially WiMAX Forum Certified.

Another role of the WiMAX Forum is to promote the spread of knowledge about WiMAX. In
order to do so, it has a certified training program that is currently offered in English and French.
It also offers a series of member events and endorses some industry events.

WiSOA logo

WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance[edit]

WiSOA was the first global organization composed exclusively of owners of WiMAX spectrum
with plans to deploy WiMAX technology in those bands. WiSOA focused on the regulation,
commercialisation, and deployment of WiMAX spectrum in the 2.3–2.5 GHz and the 3.4–
3.5 GHz ranges. WiSOA merged with the Wireless Broadband Alliance in April 2008. [29]

Telecommunications Industry Association[edit]

In 2011, the Telecommunications Industry Association released three technical standards (TIA-
1164, TIA-1143, and TIA-1140) that cover the air interface and core networking aspects of Wi-
Max High-Rate Packet Data (HRPD) systems using a Mobile Station/Access Terminal (MS/AT)
with a single transmitter.[30]

Competing technologies[edit]
Within the marketplace, WiMAX's main competition came from existing, widely deployed
wireless systems such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA2000,
existing Wi-Fi and mesh networking.
Speed vs. mobility of wireless systems: Wi-Fi, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), GSM

In the future, competition will be from the evolution of the major cellular standards to 4G, high-
bandwidth, low-latency, all-IP networks with voice services built on top. The worldwide move to
4G for GSM/UMTS and AMPS/TIA (including CDMA2000) is the 3GPP Long Term Evolution
(LTE) effort.

The LTE Standard was finalized in December 2008, with the first commercial deployment of
LTE carried out by TeliaSonera in Oslo and Stockholm in December, 2009. Since then, LTE has
seen increasing adoption by mobile carriers around the world.

In some areas of the world, the wide availability of UMTS and a general desire for
standardization has meant spectrum has not been allocated for WiMAX: in July 2005, the EU-
wide frequency allocation for WiMAX was blocked.[citation needed]

Harmonization[edit]

Early WirelessMAN standards, The European standard HiperMAN and Korean standard WiBro
were harmonized as part of WiMAX and are no longer seen as competition but as
complementary. All networks now being deployed in South Korea, the home of the WiBro
standard, are now WiMAX.

Comparison with other mobile Internet standards[edit]

Main article: Comparison of wireless data standards

The following table only shows peak rates which are potentially very misleading. In addition, the
comparisons listed are not normalized by physical channel size (i.e., spectrum used to achieve
the listed peak rates); this obfuscates spectral efficiency and net through-put capabilities of the
different wireless technologies listed below.

Comparison of mobile Internet access methods

 Downstre Upstrea
Common Primary
Family Radio Tech am m Notes
Name Use
(Mbit/s) (Mbit/s)
HSPA+ is
widely
deployed.
Revision 11
21 5.8 of the 3GPP
CDMA/FDD 42 11.5 states that
HSPA+ 3GPP 3G Data
MIMO 84 22 HSPA+ is
672 168 expected to
have a
throughput
capacity of
672 Mbit/s.
LTE-
Advanced
100 Cat3 50 update
150 Cat4 Cat3/4 expected to
OFDMA/MIMO/ 300 Cat5 75 Cat5 offer peak
LTE 3GPP General 4G
SC-FDMA (in (in rates up to
20 MHz 20 MHz 1 Gbit/s fixed
FDD) [31] FDD)[31] speeds and
100 Mb/s to
mobile users.
37 17
WirelessMA MIMO- With 2x2
WiMax rel 1 802.16 (10 MHz (10 MHz
N SOFDMA MIMO.[32]
TDD) TDD)
With 2x2
83 46
MIMO.Enhan
(20 MHz (20 MHz
ced with
802.16- WirelessMA MIMO- TDD) TDD)
WiMax rel 1.5 20 MHz
2009 N SOFDMA 141 138
channels in
(2x20 MH (2x20 M
802.16-
z FDD) Hz FDD)
2009[32]
2x2 2x2 Also, low
MIMO MIMO mobility users
110 70 can aggregate
(20 MHz (20 MHz multiple
WirelessMA MIMO- TDD) TDD) channels to
WiMAX rel 2 802.16m
N SOFDMA 183 188 get a
(2x20 MH (2x20 M download
z FDD) Hz FDD) throughput of
4x4 4x4 up to
MIMO MIMO 1 Gbit/s[32]
 Comparison of mobile Internet access methods
Downstre Upstrea
Common Primary
Family Radio Tech am m Notes
Name Use
(Mbit/s) (Mbit/s)
219 140
(20 MHz (20 MHz
TDD) TDD)
365 376
(2x20 MH (2x20 M
z FDD) Hz FDD)
Mobile range
Mobile
30 km (18
Internet 5.3 1.8
Flash- miles)
Flash-OFDM mobility up Flash-OFDM 10.6 3.6
OFDM extended
to 200 mph 15.9 5.4
range 55 km
(350 km/h)
(34 miles)
HIPERMA Mobile
HIPERMAN OFDM 56.9
N Internet
Antenna, RF
front end
enhancements
and minor
protocol timer
tweaks have
288.8 (using 4x4
helped deploy
configuration in
long range
802.11 Mobile Inter 20 MHz bandwidth)
Wi-Fi OFDM/MIMO P2P networks
(11n) net or 600 (using 4x4
compromising
configuration in
on radial
40 MHz bandwidth)
coverage,
throughput
and/or spectra
efficiency
(310 km &
382 km)
Cell Radius:
3–12 km
Speed:
250 km/h
HC-
Mobile Inter Spectral
iBurst 802.20 SDMA/TDD/MI 95 36
net Efficiency: 13
MO
bits/s/Hz/cell
Spectrum
Reuse Factor:
"1"
 Comparison of mobile Internet access methods
Downstre Upstrea
Common Primary
Family Radio Tech am m Notes
Name Use
(Mbit/s) (Mbit/s)
EDGE Mobile Inter 3GPP Release
GSM TDMA/FDD 1.6 0.5
Evolution net 7
HSDPA is
widely
deployed.
Typical
UMTS W-
CDMA/FDD downlink
CDMA
UMTS/3G 0.384 0.384 rates today
HSPA General 3G
SM CDMA/FDD/MI 14.4 5.76 2 Mbit/s,
(HSDPA+HSU
MO ~200 kbit/s
PA)
uplink;
HSPA+
downlink up
to 56 Mbit/s.
Reported
speeds
according to
IPWireless
UMTS/3G Mobile
UMTS-TDD CDMA/TDD 16 using 16QAM
SM Internet
modulation
similar to
HSDPA+HS
UPA
Rev B note: N
is the number
of 1.25 MHz
carriers used.
EV-DO is not
EV-DO Rel. 0 2.45 0.15 designed for
CDMA200 Mobile
EV-DO Rev.A CDMA/FDD 3.1 1.8 voice, and
0 Internet
EV-DO Rev.B 4.9xN 1.8xN requires a
fallback to
1xRTT when
a voice call is
placed or
received.

Notes: All speeds are theoretical maximums and will vary by a number of factors, including the
use of external antennas, distance from the tower and the ground speed (e.g. communications on
a train may be poorer than when standing still). Usually the bandwidth is shared between several
terminals. The performance of each technology is determined by a number of constraints,
including the spectral efficiency of the technology, the cell sizes used, and the amount of
spectrum available. For more information, see Comparison of wireless data standards.
 How WiMAX Works
by Marshall Brain & Ed Grabianowski

WiMAX Wireless Network

Prev NEXT

WiMAX transmitting tower

PHOTO COURTESY INTEL

In practical terms, WiMAX would operate similar to WiFi but at higher speeds, over greater
distances and for a greater number of users. WiMAX could potentially erase the suburban and
rural blackout areas that currently have no broadband Internet access because phone and cable
companies have not yet run the necessary wires to those remote locations.
A WiMAX system consists of two parts:

 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).
 A WiMAX receiver - The receiver and antenna could be a small box or PCMCIA card, or
they could be built into a laptop the way WiFi access is today.

A WiMAX tower station can connect directly to the Internet using a high-bandwidth, wired
connection (for example, a T3 line). It can also connect to another WiMAX tower using a line-of-
sight, microwave link. This connection to a second tower (often referred to as a backhaul),
along with the ability of a single tower to cover up to 3,000 square miles, is what allows WiMAX
to provide coverage to remote rural areas.
 HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM

What this points out is that WiMAX actually can provide two forms of wireless service:

 There is the non-line-of-sight, WiFi sort 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.
 There is line-of-sight service, where a 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.

WiFi-style access will be limited to a 4-to-6 mile radius (perhaps 25 square miles or 65 square
km of coverage, which is similar in range to a cell-phone zone). Through the stronger line-of-
sight antennas, the WiMAX transmitting station would send data to WiMAX-enabled computers
or routers set up within the transmitter's 30-mile radius (2,800 square miles or 9,300 square km
of coverage). This is what allows WiMAX to achieve its maximum range.
The final step in the area network scale is the global area network (GAN). The proposal for GAN
is IEEE 802.20. A true GAN would work a lot like today's cell phone networks, with users able to
travel across the country and still have access to the network the whole time. This network
would have enough bandwidth to offer Internet access comparable to cable modem service, but
it would be accessible to mobile, always-connected devices like laptops or next-generation cell
phones
 How WiMAX Works
by Marshall Brain & Ed Grabianowski

WiMAX Coverage and Speed

Prev NEXT
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.
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.

IEEE 802.16 Specifications

 Range - 30-mile (50-km) radius from base station
 Speed - 70 megabits per second
 Line-of-sight not needed between user and base station
 Frequency bands - 2 to 11 GHz and 10 to 66 GHz (licensed and unlicensed bands)
 Defines both the MAC and PHY layers and allows multiple PHY-layer specifications (See
How OSI Works)
 WiMAX Cost
 Prev NEXT


 LOGO COURTESY INTEL
 A citywide blanket coverage of wireless Internet access sounds great, but companies
aren't going to go around setting up WiMAX base stations out of sheer kindness. Who's
going to pay for WiMAX?
 It depends how it will be used. There are two ways WiMAX can be implemented -- as a
zone for wireless connections that single users go to when they want to connect to the
Internet on a laptop (the non-line-of-sight "super WiFi" implementation), or as a line-of-sight
 hub used to connect hundreds of customers to a steady, always-on, high-speed wireless
Internet connection.
 Under the "super WiFi" plan, cities might pay to have WiMAX base stations set up in key
areas for business and commerce and then allow people to use them for free. They
already do this with WiFi, but instead of putting in a bunch of WiFi hot spots that cover a
few hundred square yards, a city could pay for one WiMAX base station and cover an
entire financial district. This could provide a strong draw when city leaders try to attract
businesses to their area.
 Some companies might set up WiMAX transmitters and then make people pay for access.
Again, this is similar to strategies used for WiFi, but a much wider area would be covered.
Instead of hopping from one hot spot to another, WiMAX-enabled users could have
Internet access anywhere within 30 miles of the WiMAX base station. These companies
might offer unlimited access for a monthly fee or a "pay as you go" plan that charges on a
per-minute or per-hour basis.
 The high-speed wireless hub plan has the potential to be far more revolutionary. If you
have high-speed Internet access now, it probably works something like this: The cable (or
phone) company has a line that runs into your home. That line goes to a cable modem,
and another line runs from the modem to your computer. If you have a home network, first
it goes to a router and then on to the other computers on the network. You pay the cable
company a monthly fee, which reflects in part the expense of running cable lines to every
single home in the neighborhood.
 On the next page, we'll discuss how WiMAX can work for you.

by Marshall Brain & Ed Grabianowski

WiMAX Technology at Home

Prev NEXT
Here's what would happen if you got WiMAX. An Internet service provider sets up a WiMAX
base station 10 miles from your home. You would buy a WiMAX-enabled computer or upgrade
your old computer to add WiMAX capability. You would receive a special encryption code that
would give you access to the base station. The base station would beam data from the Internet
to your computer (at speeds potentially higher than today's cable modems), for which you would
pay the provider a monthly fee. The cost for this service could be much lower than current high-
speed Internet-subscription fees because the provider never had to run cables.
If you have a home network, things wouldn't change much. The WiMAX base station would
send data to a WiMAX-enabled router, which would then send the data to the different
computers on your network. You could even combine WiFi with WiMAX by having the router
send the data to the computers via WiFi.
WiMAX doesn't just pose a threat to providers of DSL and cable-modem service. The WiMAX
protocol is designed to accommodate several different methods of data transmission, one of
which is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP allows people to make local, long-distance
and even international calls through a broadband Internet connection, bypassing phone
companies entirely. If WiMAX-compatible computers become very common, the use of VoIP
could increase dramatically. Almost anyone with a laptop could make VoIP calls.
For more information on WiMAX, wireless networking and related topics, check out the links on
the next page.

NETWORK SCALE
The smallest-scale network is a personal area network (PAN). A PAN
allows devices to communicate with each other over short distances.
Bluetooth is the best example of a PAN.
The next step up is a local area network (LAN). A LAN allows devices to
share information, but is limited to a fairly small central area, such as a
company's headquarters, a coffee shop or your house. Many LANs use WiFi
to connect the network wirelessly.
WiMAX is the wireless solution for the next step up in scale, the metropolitan
area network (MAN). A MAN allows areas the size of cities to be connected.