Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (WiMAX)
Vicente Gonzรกlez Ruiz
September 12, 2016
Contents
1 Description
- IEEE standard 802.16.
- WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access) is telecommunications technology aimed at providing
wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point
links to full mobile cellular type access. WiMAX operates at higher speeds,
over greater distances, and for a greater number of users than Wi-Fi.
Because of its higher speed (bandwidth) and falling component prices, it
is predicted that WiMAX will soon supplant municipal mesh networks for
wireless deployments.
- High-speed broadband service with wireless access.
- Broad coverage like a cell phone network.
- Uses a network of WiMAX towers that are similar to cell phone towers.
- To access a WiMAX network, subscribers must subscribe to an ISP with
a WiMAX tower within 10 miles of their location. They also need a
WiMAX-enabled computer and a special encryption code to get access to
the base station.
2 Hardware
A WiMAX network consists of two main components:
- A tower that is similar in concept to a cellular telephone tower. A single
WiMAX tower can provide coverage to an area as large as 3,000 square
miles, or almost 7,500 square kilometers. A WiMAX tower station connects
directly to the Internet using a high-bandwidth connection (for example,
a T3 line). A tower can also connect to other WiMAX towers using
line-of-sight microwave links. WiMAX is thus able to provide coverage to
rural areas out of reach of "last mile" cable and DSL technologies.
- A WiMAX receiver that is similar in size and shape to a PCMCIA card,
or built into a laptop or other wireless device.
3 Capacity
The 802.16 (or WiMAX) standard allows transmissions up to 70 Mb/s, and has a
range of up to 30 miles (50 km). It can operate in licensed or unlicensed bands of the
spectrum from 2 to 6 GHz.