Going WiMAX

This WiMAX Networking blog has put together an impressive, image-rich listing of upcoming WiMAX products. For just a taste of the featured products: Intel’s 12-inch WiMAX-enabled PC (it can even be folded and transported laptop-style), Gemtek’s WiMAX PC Card, and LG-Nortel’s WiMAX Video Phone. It is amazing to see that such cutting-edge products are being designed in tandem with the deployment of WiMAX across the globe.

Thanks to AVING.net for the images.

Technorati Tags: WiMAX, WiMAX enabled products, WiMAX PC Card, WiMAX Video Phone, Gemtek, Intel, LG-Nortel

Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications

Although the term “4G” has been tossed around a lot in relation to WiMAX, the reality is that the International Telecommunications Union has not yet to define what “4G” actually means. According to In-Stat, the main technologies that are associated with this position include WiMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB). To better understand the nature of the players involved in so-called 4G technologies, Wikipedia provides some helpful definitions for LTE and UMB (for a definition of WiMAX, see our glossary):

Ultra Mobile Broadband: An ultra fast technology that supports more than an order of magnitude increase in broadband data throughput rates to economically deliver IP-based voice, multimedia, broadband, information technology, entertainment, and consumer electronic services within most kinds of devices. A platform that supports several wireless services within a full mobility environment and thus differentiates itself from Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, etc. Ultra high-speeds that are in the order of 100s of megabits per second; next-generation capabilities, beyond 3G.

Long Term Evolution: 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the name given to a project within the Third Generation Partnership Project to improve the UMTS mobile phone standard to cope with future requirements. Goals include improving efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum opportunities, and better integration with other open standards. The LTE project is not a standard, but it will result in the new evolved release 8 of the UMTS standard, including mostly or wholly extensions and modifications of the UMTS system.

Technorati Tags: WiMAX, 4G, LTE Long Term Evolution, UMB Ultra Mobile Broadband

Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications

I’ve added a Glossary page with concise WiMAX-related terms and definitions. As the weeks go by I will expand and refine it further in the spirit of developing the informative content of this blog. Enjoy!

Technorati Tag: WiMAX

Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications

Another useful definition-related article:

“South Korea’s electronics and telecommunication industry spearheaded by Samsung Electronics and ETRI has developed its own standard, WiBro. In late 2004, Intel and LG Electronics have agreed on a merger of mobile WiBro (S-OFDMA modulation) and fixed WiMAX(OFDM modulation) to produce a new standard dubbed Mobile WiMax(802.16e-2005) combining features from both to avoid a future standard war. From this point on WiBro became a specific subset implementation of 802.16e-2005 standard over 8.75 Mhz channels in 2.3 Ghz band, whereas Mobile WiMax represents a full implementation of 802.16e-2005 standard that supports flexible channel size and service band. The side effect of this merger is that Mobile WiMax gears are backward compatible with WiBro gears but not with fixed WiMax gears, reflecting its WiBro originated heritage.

WiBro has South Korean government support with the requirement for each carrier to spend over US$1 billion for deployments. Korea sought to develop WiBro as a regional and potentially international alternative to 3.5G or 4G cellular systems. But given the lack of momentum as a standard, WiBro has joined WiMAX and agreed to harmonize with the similar OFDMA 802.16e version of the standard.

What makes WiBro roll-outs a good ‘test case’ for the overall WiMAX effort is that it is mobile, well thought out for delivery of wireless broadband services, and the fact that the deployment is taking place in a highly sophisticated, broadband-saturated market. WiBro will go up against 3G and very high bandwidth wire-line services rather than as gap-filler or rural under-served market deployments as is often exampled as the ‘best fit’ markets for WiMAX. As such, WiBRO is now best described as a particular profile within WiMAX with 8.75MHz channel in the 2.3GHz band.”

Technorati Tag: WiBro

Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications

In an effort to better understand the technologies behind WiMAX rather than just its future prospects and marketability, I am aiming to regularly post helpful definitions and answers to WiMAX-related questions that I come across. This one comes thanks to Wikipedia:

“Possibly due to the fact both WiMAX and Wi-Fi begin with the same two letters, and are based upon IEEE standards beginning with 802., and both have a connection to wireless connectivity and the Internet, comparisons and confusion between the two are frequent. Despite this, both standards are aimed at different applications.

WiMAX is a long range system, covering many kilometers, that uses licensed or unlicensed spectrum to deliver a point-to-point connection to the Internet from an ISP to an end user. Different 802.16 standards provide different types of access, from mobile (analogous to access via a cellphone) to fixed (an alternative to wired access, where the end user’s wireless termination point is fixed in location.)

Wi-Fi is a shorter range system, typically hundreds of meters, that uses unlicensed spectrum to provide access to a network, typically covering only the network operator’s own property. Typically Wi-Fi is used by an end user to access their own network, which may or may not be connected to the Internet. If WiMAX provides services analogous to a cellphone, Wi-Fi is more analogous to a cordless phone.

Due to the ease and low cost with which Wi-Fi can be deployed, it is sometimes used to provide Internet access to third parties within a single room or building available to the provider, sometimes informally, and sometimes as part of a business relationship. For example, many coffee shops, hotels, and transportation hubs contain Wi-Fi access points providing access to the Internet for patrons.”

Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Wi-Fi

Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications

WiMax is a wireless digital communications system that is intended for
wireless “metropolitan area networks.” WiMax is designed to extend local
WiFi networks across greater distances, such as on a university campus. The
WiFi/802.11 wireless local area, which is the network standard, is limited
in most cases to only about 100 to 300 feet; however, Wimax can provide
broadband wireless access for up to 30 miles for fixed stations and 3 to 10
miles for mobile stations. WiMax allows for more efficient bandwidth use,
interference avoidance, and is intended to allow higher data rates over
longer distances.

In the next five years, WiMax will have an enormous impact on the cellular
markets, particularly that of third-world countries, as well as that
of the United States. The cost-effectiveness of WiMax to that of preexisting
systems is much higher. One application that can be used by cellular
companies is WiMax’s ability to serve as a high bandwidth “backhaul” for
internet or cellular phone traffic from remote areas back to an Internet
backbone; WiMax may be an answer to reducing the cost of T1/E1 backhaul as well.

Technorati Tag:WiMAX

Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications