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  • Useful Links: [ Guide to WiMax ] [ WiMax Trends Magazine ] [ WiMax Forum ] [ IEEE 802.16 WG ] [ WiMaxxed ] [ Sample Video ]
    [ FCC - Universal Licensing System ] [ USA Spectrum Allocation Chart ] [ TechAlt.com ]
  • Objective: Provide a networking solution to CPD that excels in coverage, security and portability.
  • Background: not defined yet.
  • Presentation: [Latest ] [ SuperComm2005 Notes Day-1, Day-2, Visiting Cards ]
  • Existing WiMax Solutions
    Company AirSpan Alvarion RedLine Wi-LAN Proxim Aperto Networks NextNet Wireless Motorola Navini networks
    Product Family AS.MAX BreezeMax 3500 (AVL: **) BreezeAccess VL (Not WiMax) RedMax (AVL: Q4@2005) AN-50e(Not WiMax) LibraMX (AVL: Q4@2005) LIBRA 5800 (Not WiMax, but guaranteed migration path) Tsunami MP.16 (AVL:Q4@2005) Tsunami MP .11 (Model 2454-R and 5054-R) * (Not WiMax) PacketMax (AVL: Q1@2006) packetWave(Not WiMax) Expedience (Not WiMax Certified) Canopy (Not WiMax Certified) RipWave
    Base Station Models HiperMax, MacroMax, MicroMax, PrimeMax High Density BS (Contains 1 Network Proc. Unit and multiple indoor/outdoor access units) Micro Base Station (Stand Alone BS) Click here for all available models. RedMax BS (AN-100u) AN-50e BS May not be used in our case. Read whitepaper to see some possible applications. LIBRA 5800 Multipoint AP NA 5054-BSUR, 2454-BSUR PacketMax-5000, -3000 and -2000 packetWave-1000 and -760 BTS-2500, RMB-2500A Available for use in 900Mhz, 2.4Ghz, 5.2, 5.4 and 5.7Ghz range.The coverage decreases with increase in frequency. Only LOS operation supported. RipWave BS + EMS (management Station)
    Customer Premise Equipment Models EasyST, ProST Broadband Data CPE Click Here Subscriber Unit Outdoors/Indoors (SU-O/SU-I), AN-100u AN-50e SU's X LIBRA 5800 Multipoint CPE/LCPE NA 5054-SUA/SUR, 2454-SUA/SUR PacketMax-200, 220, 290, 300, 320, 380 packetWave-200, 100 IndooR Sub. Unit (RSU) 2510A, OSU 2510A/3310A/3510A, Mobile Sub. Unit (MSU) Called subscriber modules. Again available for different frequency ranges. RipWave Modem
    Standard Compliance (802.16 variant supported) All models (except PrimeMax) supports 802.16d, and can be upgraded to support 802.16e through software. 802.16a (No mention of upgrades) Proprietary All models compliant with 802.16d and 802.16e. Proprietary 802.16a (support for 802.16d is optional) Proprietary Hoping to be WiMax Compliant Proprietary, but can support WiMax Applications. Cannot be upgraded to Wimax Standard. This implies that CPE from other vendors cannot interoperate with proxim's BS. 802.16d Proprietary Proprietary Proprietary Proprietary
    Do u need a license from FCC for operation YES/NO YES (UL bands equipment will be available in Q1 or Q2 of 2006) NO (5.8 Ghz ISM band) YES NO YES NO ? NO ? NO (operates in wide range of Lic and UL bands) NO NO NO (2.4Ghz ISM band)
    Average Coverage Area (Miles) X X 2-3 Miles (NLOS) and 8 miles (LOS) LOS operation beyond 28 Miles LOS operation beyond 50 Miles 15 to 18 miles upto 22 Miles X Use Tsunami calculator to calculate coverage. X 5 Miles (LOS) and 2 Miles (NLOS) 15 to 18 miles Variable: 2 Miles (@5.8Ghz) to 40 Miles (@900Mhz) 5 to 6 miles
    Average bandwidth (Mbps) X X ~28Mbps 36 Mbps (14Mhz channel) Upto 49Mbps 48 Mbps/sector (64QAM, 7 Mhz, FDX) 24/32Mbps X 6 to 36 Mbps (user selectable) X 20 Mbps X Variable: 4Mbps (@900Mhz) to 6.2Mbps (@5.8Ghz) ~2Mbps
    Type of Antenna required for BS/CPE X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
    Security ([3] shows 802.16 is insecure) AES CCM, 126 Bit AES, 1024 bit AES 64, 128-Bit WEP Encryption supported. 128-Bit WEP Encryption supported. DES/3DES encryption. 64-Bit proprietary encryption. Supports data scambling (no specific mention of any encryption protocol) Proprietary Phase randomization. X WEP + AES encryption (uses proprietary protocol for security) X X X DES or AES Seems like it uses CDMA, which is inherently secure.
    Interoperability with Wireless LAN X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
    Brochure datasheet, Brochure, Whitepaper Click Here X X Click Here Click Here X Click Here Click Here
    Custmer Service number 561.893.8670, Email 650.314.2500, Email 866.633.6669 403.273.9133, Email 800.229.1630 (Erica Nicoli) 408.719.9970 952.929.4008, Email Click here 972.852.4200
    Price X NA BS + 5 SU units (~$4k) AN-100u (~$9K) and SU (~$1000) BS (~6K to 12K) and SU (~$4K) X AP (~12K) and SU (~$1500) Price Quote(06/15/05) X 5054-BSUR ($1999), 5054-SUA (antennal-inbuilt, $1199), 5054-SU ($999). [4] NA BS (~$10K) and CPE (~$1.2K) X Package deal: AP + 30 SM's ~30K. BS (~70K), SU (~$225-250)
    Local Reseller Information No Local reseller listed. Click Here for a complete list. Keith Duceg, 905.479.8344, Mike Draper James Merrigan, Paul, PulseWan.com, 410.583.1701, Email John Mchan, Reseller, Wireless Information Networks, 630.325.6254., Email Tom Goodman, Towerstream X Click here Carl Pede, Camvera, 678.352.9356
  • People
    Ashfaq Khokhar
    SEO 1013
    Email: ashfaq@uic.edu         		Rashid Ansari
    SEO 1106
    Email: ansari@ece.uic.edu         		Shashank Khanvilkar
    SEO 1011
    Email: shashank@mia.ece.uic.edu
  • Footnotes
    1. IEEE 802.16 standard was initialy developed for the 10-66Ghz range. However the shorter wavelengths at these high frequencies are unable to penetrate through objects and require line of sight or LOS operation. This was a major shortcoming for deploying 802.16 devices as most houses will have obstructions such as trees and leaves. The standard's committee, hence proposed an amendment (called 802.11a) which uses a lower frequency range of 2-11Ghz,which allows Non-line of Sight or NLOS operation.
      There are two more amendments to 802.16a. These are (1) 802.16d, which basically enhances the Uplink performance and (2) 802.16e, which can support mobility for speeds upto 70-80 miles/hr. One important characteristic of any selected product is what standard are they currently supporting and if they can be upgraded to support the latest one. The table below lists the 802.16 standardization efforts.

      IEEE 802.16 Standards and its various amendments
      802.16 The original standard, published in April 2002. This defines a MAC layer and several physical layer specifications. The MAC supports frequency-division-duplex (FDD) and time-division-duplex (TDD), as well as real-time adaptive modulation and coding. The high frequencies limit the use to line-of-sight. The physical layer of the standard covers the spectrum from 10 to 66 GHz, which includes the LMDS bands.
      802.16a A completed amendment that extends the physical layer to the 2 to 11GHz spectrum range (includes both licenses and unlicensed bands in the US). The 802.16a standard also specifies three possible modulations: single carrier, 256 OFDM, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). The lower frequencies make non-line of sight a possibility, which can also be helped by OFDM's ability to handle multipath signals. Range can be up to 30 miles, with typical cell footprints in the 4 to 6 mile range. Total data rate can be up to 100 Mbps in each 20MHz channel. This extension is the focus of the WiMAX Forum.
      802.16c Profiles, conformance standards, and test suites for 802.16 (10-66GHz) implementations. The profiles are completed, but the conformance tests are still in development.
      802.16d (also called 802.16-2004) System profiles for 802.16a (2-11GHz) implementations. Working group in progress.
      802.16e A nascent effort to extend the 802.16a standard for portability (mobile clients). Still very early in the process.
      802.16.2 Recommended practices for MANs in the 10 to 66GHz spectrum to co-exist in the same geographic areas. Completed.
      802.16.2a Recommended practices for MANs in the 2 to 11GHz spectrum to co-exist in the same geographic areas. In progress.
    2. The type of antenna used will be major deciding factor. It is necessary to know answer's to the following questions.
      1. What should be the ideal height of the antenna for BS/CPE?
      2. What type of antenna can be used for BS/CPE.
      3. What is the price for such antennas?
    3. The average coverage area/average banwidth will vary with the modulation and coding scheme used. Most products adaptively vary the combination of the modulation and coding schemes to get an optimal bandwidth under differnt SNRs. There sales brochures have not mentioned what the maximum attainable bandwidth is.

      4. The below table is taken from [1]
      Rate ID Modulation rate Coding Information bits/symbol Information bits/OFDM symbol Peak data rate in 5 MHz (Mb/s)
      0 BPSK 1/2 0.5 88 1.89
      1 QPSK 1/2 1 184 3.95
      2 QPSK 3/4 1.5 280 6.00
      3 16QAM 1/2 2 376 8.06
      4 16QAM 3/4 3 568 12.18
      5 64QAM 2/3 4 760 16.30
      6 64QAM 3/4 4.5 856 18.36
    4. Wi-Fi and WiMAX infrastructure revenue is expected to reach $5.2 billion and $115 million respectively in 2005, according to the Telecommunications Industry Association's 2005 Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast.
    5. WiMax, promise to deliver high data rates over large areas to a large number of users in the near future.
    6. It is important to consider the band in which the Solution operates. If the solution operates in the 2.4Ghz band, then be aware that there is going to be a lot of interference from WiFi products that operate in the same range. Best to use the 5Ghz band, but make sure that it does not require LOS operation.
    7. The operating frequency for WiMax products in the US is still unclear. I have heard that the goverment is making special spectrum allocation for WiMax devices in the 3.5Ghz range. In Europe the 5.8Ghz range is more popular.
    8. Model 2454 operates in 2Ghz range (Licensed) and 5054 operates in 5ghz range (Unlicensed).
    9. Breexemax products are available now, but they do not yet have the WiMax certification. Also these products are avaialble only in the 3.5 Ghz band (licensed) and will be available in the unlicesenced band only in Q1 or Q2 of 2006.
    10. Below are some common digital video formats.

      Digital Video Resolutions
      Format Size (pixels) Raw data Rate (mbps) MPEG encoded data rate (mbps)
      SQCIF 128 x 968 0.80 0.2
      QCIF 176 x 120 15.2 0.6
      CIF [*], SIF, VCD 352 x 240 60.8 2.4
      SVCD 480 x 480 165.8 6.6
      DVD Variable Variable 3 to 10 Mbps
      4CIF 704 x 480 243 9.7
      D1 (Sony Prop.) 720 x 486252 10
      9CIF 1056 x 720 550 21.8
      16CIF 1408 x 960 970 32
      HDTV 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080 664 or 1.4Tbps 26.5 or 60
    11. There are two types of CIF (Common Intermediate Format) . One is 352 x 288 for systems having refresh rate of 25 Hz and the otehr is 352 x 240 for systems having refresh rate of 30 Hz. The difference is for keeping the bit-rate constant. i.e. 352 x 288 x 25 = 352 x 240 x 30
  • References
    1. A. Ghosh, D.R. Wolter, J.G. Andrews and R. Chen, "Broadband Wireless Access with WiMax/8O2.16: Current Performance Benchmarks and Future Potential", IEEE Communication magazine, Vol: 43(2), pp: 129 - 136, February 2005.
    2. C. Eklund, R.B. Marks, K.L. Stanwood, S. Wang, "IEEE standard 802.16: a technical overview of the WirelessMAN air interface for broadband wireless access", IEEE Communications Magazine, Vol: 40(6), pp: 98 - 107, June 2002.
    3. D. Johnston, J. Walker, "Overview of IEEE 802.16 security", IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, Vol: 02(3), pp: 40 - 48, May-June 2004.
    4. John Mchan, Reseller, Wireless Information Networks, 630.325.6254.
    5. Wireless mobile video transfer and storage by Numbers (Five part series)
    6. In-car video Resource Guide
    7. S. Rogers, "WiMax: Beyond the Hype", Director of WiMax development at Wi-Lan,
  • Problems that have research potential:
    • xxx
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