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Telecommunications
WiBAS - Technology 802.16
The 802.16 technology revolutionises the business of network operators who want to deliver broadband services over wireless networks.
The IEEE created the 802.16 working group in 1999 to build an open global standard for metropolitan broadband wireless networks. In 2001, the working group delivered the "Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems" standard, also known as the IEEE Wireless MAN Air Interface. After revisions and amendments, the newest standard 802.16-2004 was published in 2004. The IEEE works closely with ETSI to ensure the creation of a truly global standard for broadband wireless communication.
The 802.16 standard has integrated state-of-the-art technology for broadband wireless communications. Engineers from companies around the world were united to build the technology that would lay the foundation for future wireless networks. The features, techniques and algorithms to be used were carefully analysed and the discrete components of the technology were chosen.
While the 802.16 working group continues to work on future standards, primarily 802.16e for mobile communications, the work already accomplished is considered a huge success.
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Point - to - multipoint | Much more cost-effective than point-to-point solutions for many deployment scenarios, especially for broadband access networks |
| Packet switching | Maximum bandwidth efficiency through statistical multiplexing and much higher effective bandwidth than circuit-switched systems |
| Time Division Multiplexing | Maximum bandwidth sharing using the same channel for many users |
| High-rate modulation techniques | Maximum spectral efficiency, optimal exploitation of a scarce and precious resource |
| Adaptive modulation | Optimal coverage, users close to the base station enjoy high-bit rate links, users far from the base station enjoy highly reliable |
| Adaptive power | Optimal frequency reuse, terminal stations minimise their transmission power according to their distance from the base station |
| Forward Error Correction | Retransmissions from higher network layers are avoided through advanced mathematical algorithms |
| QoS | A single system is used for multiple applications with different network requirements and operators can offer SLAs to their customers |
| Security | Communication between parties is well protected from malicious actions; authentication keeps unauthorised users away, while encryption assures privacy |
| Multi-Service MAC layer | ATM, IP, and TDM services are delivered over a common MAC, enabling operators to use a single system for different applications and customers |
| Multiple physical layers options | Physical layer techniques vary in their benefits, for example single-carrier techniques can be used for maximum bandwidth, and OFDM for maximum NLOS |
| Multiple frequencies options | The same technology, even the same system, can be used by only changing radios and antennas, thus protecting the operator's investment |
| INTRACOM TELECOM has been a principal member in IEEE 802.16 since 2001 |
Working on an open global standard for any technology has great effects on the quality of the results that are delivered. This is because engineers from different companies are working together instead of competing with one another. Information, talent and ideas are shared by all members creating a knowledge transfer. This allows vendors to compete with each other at different levels, which is good news for customers. Those vendors at the frontline of technology will be better positioned to exploit the advantages of a standardised technology and deliver them to their customers.
The WiMAX Forum was founded in 2001 and was backed by companies such as INTRACOM TELECOM which believed that 802.16 technology would be the foundation for the next generation in wireless communications. The WiMAX Forum was not only needed to promote the technology, but to introduce interoperability between the vendors' 802.16 equipment. Since 802.16 is an open standard, vendors have a high-degree of freedom in selecting the components, features and options to be implemented.
The WiMAX Forum has set the rules for the most popular application of 802.16: fixed, portable and eventually mobile broadband access for the thousands of users who want communication, work and entertainment through high-speed wireless links. Today, the focus is on 3.5 GHz frequency band, the most widely used band around the world for these types of applications, and on the OFDM physical layer, the best choice for non line-of-sight operation. More bands and applications are on the agenda for the WiMAX Forum's future activities.
Equipment interoperability has two positive effects on the industry at large. First, operators can freely choose equipment from different vendors at different times, spurring competition among them, and eventually increasing value. Second, economies of scale are created within different layers of the supply value chain, effectively minimising costs produced at all levels. This is good news for all chipmakers, manufacturers, vendors, operators and end-users. Finally, like other dynamics in telecommunications history, these cost reductions result in low prices, dramatically increasing demand and feed back.
Continuous investment in technology
INTRACOM TELECOM recognises that its R&D investment is the primary factor for the company's excellent positioning in WiMAX and 802.16. By continuously investing in the wireless technologies of the future, INTRACOM TELECOM will bring even greater benefits to network operators and their customers.
| Technology | Benefit |
|---|---|
| 802.16e | True mobility -- handoffs between base stations. Roaming -- using different carriers. |
| MIMO | Multiple Input Multiple Output. Use of multiple antennas reduces fading, interference and path loss, enhances throughput and increases link budget. Exceptional robustness in multipath urban environments. |
| SOFDMA | Scalable OFDMA. Flexibility to change the modulation and symbol length for specific sub-channels allows for optimisation at the frequency level and further advantages in a multipath environment. |
| SDR | Software defined radio. Reconfigurable baseband radio implementation using the same hardware allows for easy upgrades to new technologies with firmware update only. |
| STC | Space time coding. TX diversity technique that achieves full second order diversity in the link, stabilising the channel response and reducing the required fading margin by 5-10 dB depending on the environment. |
| Advanced TCA | Industry standard with wide and fast adoption, giving high speed Gigabit Ethernet backplanes. Ideal for migration to all-IP next generation networks. |
| AAS | Adaptive Antenna Systems. Using smart antenna technologies when transmitting, beam shaping focuses the transmit energy to achieve greater range. When receiving, focus in the direction of the receiver helps to eliminate unwanted interference from other locations. |
| INTRACOM TELECOM has been a principal member of the WiMAX Forum since 2003 |
