Key elements of WiMAX technology

A key differentiator for WiMAX is the interoperability of WiMAX Forum Certified equipment, resulting in mass volume economy of scale and assurance for service providers that when buying equipment from more than one company, the technologies are interoperable.

The WiMAX Forum has assembled an alliance of leaders in the communications and computing industries to drive a common platform for the global deployment of IP-based broadband wireless services. Other key elements include cost, coverage, capacity and standards for both fixed and mobile wireless usage models.

Lower cost

A standards based platform for WiMAX technology drives down costs delivering volume economics to WiMAX equipment.

Wider coverage

The technology behind WiMAX has been optimized to provide excellent non-line-of-sight (NLoS) coverage. NLoS advantages are coverage of wider areas, better predictability of coverage and lower cost as it means fewer base stations and backhaul, simple RF planning, shorter towers and faster CPE install times. Thanks to techniques for improving NLoS coverage, such as diversity, space-time coding, and Automatic Retransmission Request (ARQ), coverage are increased.

Higher capacity

A key advantage of WiMAX technology is to use Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) over Edge, GPRS, HSPA to deliver higher bandwidth efficiency and therefore higher data throughput, with more than one Mbps downstream and higher data rates. Adaptive modulation also increases link reliability for carrier-class operation and the possibility to keep higher order modulation at wider distance extend full capacity over longer distances.

Standard for all usage models (fixed to mobile)

By leveraging the same technology networks, WiMAX technology will become the most cost-effective solution for carriers to deploy for any usage model from fixed to mobile.The WiMAX Forum certifies products for conformance and interoperability based upon the standards IEEE 802.16.

Broadband connectivity examples:

• High speed internet access where it is currently unavailable
• Substantially increase data speeds for applications to include online gaming, streaming video, video conferencing, VoIP and location based services
• Drive wireless Internet equipment and access prices to a competitive price point comparable to cable, DSL, and fiber Internet services
• With a robust telecommunications infrastructure already in place in the U.S. Mobile WiMAX services from Sprint and Clearwire will reach more than 150 million consumers by year end 2008.
• In Australia, WiMAX technology will establish an affordable and efficient broadband network. This wireless broadband technology is perfectly suited for regional and rural areas and the purchase and installation process of WiMAX technology is faster, simpler and cheaper than other offered solutions. Additionally, the non-line-of-sight (NLoS) capability means that WiMAX technology can provide coverage despite the challenges of geography and the limited footprint of wireline.
• Taiwan has continued its leadership in the development and deployment of WiMAX operability with six commercial WiMAX licenses awarded in July 2007 for six separate Taiwanese wireless communication providers. In regions like Taiwan, where users are spread out and the wireless traffic is going a long distance, WiMAX technology provides a reliable, inexpensive solution for constant wireless broadband connectivity.
• In Africa as a developing continent, WiMAX technology provides the opportunity to connect the African people with Internet and VOIP services faster and more affordably than wireline.